Jaquet Droz - Grande Seconde Moon, 300th Anniversary editions

Jaquet Droz celebrates the 300th Anniversary since the birth of Pierre-Jaquet Droz with 2 special editions of the Grande Seconde Moon. Price and specs

In 2021, Jaquet Droz celebrates the 300th Anniversary since the birth of the founder of the brand.

In fact, Pierre Jaquet-Droz, a mechanical genius which became worldwide famous for its watches, singing birds and automata, was born exactly 300 years ago on July 28, 1721.

To mark the occasion, the Swiss brand created two exclusive creations in 18K red gold of the Grande Seconde, one of their most recognizable design with the hours and minutes counter at 12 o’clock and a larger seconds counter at 6 o’clock to create the signature Jaquet Droz figure “8”.

For these 300th Anniversary editions, the Grande Seconde Moon, previously available in 43 mm and 39 mm versions only, is housed for the first time in a 41 mm case, ideally sized for most wrists and suitable for both men and women.

The first edition, representing the purest spirit of the brand, is equipped with an ivory Grand Feu enamel dial with Roman numerals for the hours and minutes and Arabic numerals for the seconds.

This model is matched to a midnight blue strap, evoking the starry sky that reveals the Moon.

The second timepiece features a fascinating matte black dial. For the first time, no Arabic and Roman numerals are used for the hour-minute indications. Instead, red gold indexes contribute to a more contemporary style. 

The modern look is enhanced by a hand-made strap in matte black calfskin. 

The two Grande Seconde Moon 300th Anniversary editions are powered by the Jaquet Droz 2660QL4 self-winding movement featuring a silicon balance spring and pallet lugs. Beating at 28,800 vibrations per hour and offering 68 hours of power reserve, this in-house movement guarantees the highest accuracy in the display of the Moon phases.

Its so-called Mechanism 135 only requires a single adjustment every 122 years. As close as possible to a real synodic revolution (29 days, 12 hours and 45 minutes for the Grande Seconde Moon, for an actual revolution of 29 days, 12 hours, 44 minutes and 2.8 seconds), this solution taking advantage of a 135-tooth lunar disk (instead of the usual 59) guarantees the piece exceptional precision that can be adjusted with a stylus, using the invisible corrector hidden in the case at 8 o'clock.

The case back is hand-engraved with “Pierre Jaquet-Droz, 300ème Anniversaire” and, through the sapphire crystal porthole, reveals the beautiful finishes of the movement and its red gold oscillating weight.

The Grande Seconde Moon 300th Anniversary ref. J007523200 with ivory enamel dial has a price of Euro 30,000 while the ref. J007523340 with matt black dial retails at Euro 28,900. jaquet-droz.com