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Introducing Three New Variants of Jaquet Droz’s Grande Seconde Skelet One

by Israel Ortega . Mar 2, 2021

Introducing Three New Variants of Jaquet Droz’s Grande Seconde Skelet One

The Low-Down

The Grande Seconde Skelet One is now enriched with three new limited variants in yellow, green and blue (28 pieces each), whose execution invites you to appreciate yet again the technical supremacy of the first skeletonized watch created by Jaquet Droz.

The Grande Skelet One plasma ceramic yellow has a warmer hue because of the screws and indexes in red gold

IMHO (In My Humble Opinion)

In 2018, Jaquet Droz debuted the Grande Seconde Skelet One, its first watch with skeletonized architecture that gave a twist to the brand’s signature “eight” shaped dual-dial design. Over the last three years, the watch’s technical lines were joined by new possibilities in appearance, defined by the use of contemporary materials like ceramic for its case.

This year, the Grande Seconde Skelet One has been given a fresh, springtime feel with a range of colors . Its unmistakable shape and apparent lightness are enhanced by the new tones while maintaining the design’s high technical level.

Jaquet Droz introduced the Skelet-One in 2018, a skeletonised and modernised edition of the Grande Seconde.

All three limited editions are presented in a 41.5 mm ceramic case but there are some key distinctions among them. At 12 o’clock, an hour-and-minute dial crowns the structured movement. For the blue and green watches, this dial comes in ceramic, whereas the yellow watch has a white gold dial with grey finishing. The large sapphire seconds hand around 6 o’clock seems to float on the dial, revealing the details of the self-winding Caliber 2663 SQ, which features an escapement with spring and pallet horns made of silicon.

On the back of the watch, the open-worked 18K gray-gold oscillating weight offers a clear view of the slender bridges and the two barrels that give life to this trio of “pantoned” Grande Seconde Skelet One timepieces.

Limited to 28 pieces each, these new color variations can be found on the handmade straps, the watch’s hands and each of the dial’s rail-track.

Available in green, sky blue and yellow, these watches highlight the complementing color scheme on the hand-embroidered woven straps and the chemin de fer minute and second hands on the dials.

While the green and sky blue versions have 18K gray-gold indexes and mounting screws, the yellow watch plays with softer tints. Its red-gold indexes and screws and gray-gold hour and minute dial define this warmer variant. Unlike its siblings that have black ceramic cases, the yellow version employs plasma-finished ceramic. The high-temperature firing process gives the ceramic a metallic finish that magnifies the contrasts with the strap and the movement shapes manifesting the brand’s technical know-how.

The self-winding caliber 2363 SQ features silicon spring and pallet horns and a double-barrel architecture, good for a power reserve of up to 68 hours.

With these three exclusive limited versions —28 pieces in each color— it seems that Jaquet Droz found a way to dress up its most technical watch vivaciously. The Grande Seconds Skeleton One was already unmistakable for its design but these new skeletonized spring-themed variants may take the watch’s uniqueness to another level.

Tech Specs

Movement: Mechanical hand-wound; Cal. 2363 SQ; hours and minutes; large off-centered seconds; silicon balance wheel spring and anchor; 28,800 bph; 68-hour power reserve.
Case and Dials: 41.5 mm diameter; Sky blue and green models: black ceramic case; sapphire dial with black ceramic base
Yellow model: plasma-ceramic case; sapphire dial with 18K white gold, grey finished base; Sapphire crystal front and back, water resistant up to 30 meters
Strap: Textile, hand-sewn; folding buckle in steel and black ceramic (blue and green) and steel and plasma ceramic (yellow)
Price: USD 26,300
Availabitily: Limited editions, individually numbered, 28-piece per reference