A dual dial display that demonstrates the design ingenuity of the Jaquet Droz watchmakers is the calling card of the Grande Seconde Moon.
By Stephen Watson
5:55 a.m. is the ungodly hour I wake up every morning. Rain or shine, no alarm clock needed. Ever. My eyes pop open, and I immediately reach over to my night table and grab my iPhone. A terrible and unbreakable habit that starts my day with an eye-searing barrage of an evening’s worth of Instagram images and relevant/ridiculous Twitter musings. That was, until this week, when I had the temporary pleasure of wearing the Jaquet Droz Grande Seconde Moon, and I was able to reach for this gorgeous watch instead.
Exquisitely designed, the harmonious balance of this Jaquet Droz timepiece is a flawless exercise in symmetry and grace. The central astronomical moon phase becomes the decorative focal point of the face, a romantic and favorite complication placed on the lower half of the dial. The serenity of the clean and cool design imaginatively suggests a potentially organized and calm day ahead—at least, this was my impression upon gazing at it first thing in the morning.
A discreet date indicator surrounds this moon phase, a terrific way to indicate the day without breaking up the dial by adding the unbalanced and unloved window. A red “31” and a tiny red tip on the day pointer provides a surprising and unexpected modern accent, the ideal contrast to the icy silver opaline dial barely visible. Above all this sits a slim seconds hand, so slender and refined it sweeps around the dial most gracefully.
The smaller off-center hours and minutes lie above, placing the most important time indicator in the ideal spot to fully take advantage of the large 43 mm case size. The blued steel hands and moon disc are distinctively attractive while the eye-catching moon and star applied in both 18-k and 22-k white gold perfectly capture the light. The stainless-steel case gets paired with a hand-sewn black alligator strap, an elegant combination of materials versatile enough for the office, yet sporty enough for the weekend—even smart enough to be paired with a tuxedo.
The watch finds its power in the Jaquet Droz 2660QL3 self-winding mechanical movement, housing an impressive 68-hour power reserve. Water-resistant to a depth of 30 meters, the watch is also available in an elegant 18-k red gold with an ivory enamel dial in addition to a third version in stainless steel paired with a striking black onyx dial seemingly designed for a formal night on the town honoring a full moon by dancing until dawn.
Now that I’ve returned the watch to its original owner, I’m right back to my terrible addictive social-media habit instead of fastening the tranquil Jaquet Droz Grande Seconde Moon to my wrist. I am 100 percent convinced that the first thing you see in the morning dictates how the rest of the day goes, and I can wholeheartedly say that my early mornings are not the same without it. Wearing it felt like a real luxury, hopefully similar to the extravagance of one day being able to sleep past six.
The Jaquet Droz Grande Seconde Moon Silver comes in at $15,200. More information can be found here.