Style / World of Watches (WOW)

Raw Beauty: Jaquet Droz Grande Seconde Sunstone

Nature’s bounty continues to provide Jaquet Droz with inspiration as the manufacture’s new Grande Seconde Sunstone emanates raw beauty.

Jun 07, 2016 | By Celine Yap

For years, the ethereal beauty of gemstones has been harnessed by Jaquet Droz to produce some of the most graceful timepieces in modern watchmaking. Working with masterful dial-makers, it has released variations of the iconic Grande Seconde paired with lapis lazuli, jasper, aventurine, and meteorite. The latest addition to this is the Grande Seconde Sunstone.

Back view of the Grande Seconde Sunstone

Back view of the Grande Seconde Sunstone

A gem from the feldspar group of minerals, which includes moonstone, labradorite, and amazonite, sunstone is desired for its aventurescence – the metallic glitter from minute platelets in the mineral. The larger those platelets, the more glittery or spangled the stone appears to be. Typically reddish brown in color, sunstone has a hardness of 6 to 6.5 on the Mohs scale.

The Grande Seconde Sunstone uses this dazzling gem in a combustive trio of glamorous natural materials. Its raw elemental beauty contrasts sharply with pristine white mother-of-pearl, which gives the watch an air of serenity. Both materials are accented by 18K red gold, which not only complements the union, but also adds a touch of traditional luxury.

Back view of the Petite Heures Minutes 35 Sunstone

Back view of the Petite Heures Minutes 35 Sunstone

Accompanying this fiery timepiece is another equally glittery creation, this one decidedly more suited for feminine wrists. The Petite Heures Minutes 35 Sunstone is the yin to the Grande Seconde Sunstone’s yang. This exquisite model also combines sunstone with red gold, but switches white mother-of-pearl for not one, but two rows of full-cut white diamonds around its bezel – what better way to highlight the shimmer of sunstone than with the brilliance of diamonds?

Specs

  • Case: 35mm and 39mm
  • Functions: Hours, minutes
  • Power Reserve: 68 hours
  • Movement: Self-winding Calibre 2663
  • Material: 39mm in red gold
  • Water Resistance: 30 meters
  • Strap: Rolled-edge handmade brown alligator leather with red gold ardillon buckle

This story was first published in World of Watches.


 
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