The great tradition of Jaquet-Droz in focusBASELWORLD 2016: The Grande Seconde Off-Centered Onyx

Imagined in the eighteenth century by Pierre Jaquet-Droz, the Grande Seconde has never ceased to reinvent itself, balancing a sense of history with modern elegance. For this supremely sober interpretation, the craftsmen at Jaquet Droz have revisited the "figure 8" aesthetic by offsetting the seconds and, at the same time, enveloping the two interlocking rings in an air of mystery.

Presented for the first time in a 43-mm steel case, the Grande Seconde Off-Centered amplifies the intensity of black with an onyx dial that has been painstakingly cut and polished, in the grand tradition of mineral dials by Jaquet Droz. Like darts of light across a liquid surface, it creates a voluptuous play of brilliance. Equally captivating is the extraordinary sense of aesthetic in this mechanical timepiece, whose point of equilibrium extends onto the case with the discreet winding crown, also off-centred.