When you are designing an entry-level three-hand watch, the question is, what can we do differently? Setting it apart from all the other three-hand watches on the market? In the Grande Heure Minute Quantième, Jaquet Droz provide their own answer, and the outstanding visual feature is the date window. The actual window is the customary small rectangle, but this is framed by long bevelled wings. The other unusual feature is the blue Côtes de Genève dial finish in one of the two versions, giving it a sort of pinstripe suit appearance. The watch is available in 39 mm and 43 mm versions, thickness 11.09 mm in the 39 mm version and 10.85 mm in the 43 mm version. It’s a very contemporary design, virtually a dress watch in its purity and restraint. Technically, the watch has an advantage with respect to a lot of the competition: 68 hours power reserve, which should just be about enough to keep it going through a weekend spent in a drawer at home. All this, plus the excellent movement finish and the Jaquet Droz name – it’s one of the top-tier brands in the Swatch Group – produces a price tag of just over €9,000.
The only touches of colour (in addition to the blue dial in those versions) are the red-tipped second hand, and the red numeral 31 in the date window, which helps remind the user that the date will have to be adjusted five times over the course of the year.
The self-winding movement is the new in-house JD1150P calibre, which has an anti-magnetic silicon balance spring, and double mainspring barrels providding 68 hours power reserve. It runs at 28,800 vph (4 Hertz). The movement is finely finished, and it can be viewed through the sapphire caseback. The watches have individual serial numbers engraved on the caseback: they are not limited editions.
References and approximate prices
The Jaquet Droz Grande Heure Minute Quantième is available in four references:
J017530240, 43 mm, silvered opaline dial, €9,400
J017530241, 43 mm, blue Côtes de Genève dial, €9,400
J017510240, 39 mm, silvered opaline dial, €9,200
J017510241, 39 mm, blue Côtes de Genève dial, €9,200
