Hands-On: The Jaquet Droz Grande Seconde Tourbillon Ivory Enamel (And What Is And Isn't A Tourbillon)

Since tourbillons have become much more common since the end of the 20th century – largely due to modern manufacturing and assembly techniques that make it easier to achieve the precision necessary for them to work properly – now more than ever, it's not so much a question of whether you can do it, but how well it's done. With that in mind, let's take a look at an unusual, and unusually designed, example of the tourbillon as a piece of wearable, high-craft, design: an objet d'art for the wrist from Jaquet Droz.

As always, with tourbillons it's good to have some context for what you're looking at. In this case, we've got a tourbillon that's a little different from the usual run-of-the-mill tourbillon (to the extent that there is such a thing in the first place).  

This is not the first self-winding tourbillon ever made, of course – that honor goes to Audemars Piguet, who created the still record-holding self-winding tourbillon, caliber 2870, which we wrote about not long ago in a fair amount of detail. They're still not very common, though, which makes this a little off the beaten tourbillon path already.

Up above, you're looking at what's probably the most unusual feature of this particular automatic tourbillon wristwatch, at least from a technical standpoint: the tourbillon carriage. In most tourbillons, the balance staff (the central pivot for the balance) is on the same axis as the center of the cage, or carriage. In this configuration of the tourbillon, however, the balance is set off the center axis of the cage. This type of tourbillon first appeared in Blancpain's watches, all the way back in 1989, and it was developed for that brand, and for the Swatch Group, by independent watchmaker Vincent Calabrese.

That movement was (and is) the Blancpain caliber 25; the movement used in this JD tourbillon is designated caliber 25JD. They're not identical – there are different jewel counts and a different bridge layout – but they are both seven-day, self-winding tourbillons and it seems reasonable to speculate that the 25JD was probably developed from the BP caliber 25.

Calabrese's brand and patents were acquired by Blancpain in 2008 and "joined the Blancpain team full time" as the Swatch Group's press release said on the occasion.

This type of tourbillon is sometimes called a carrousel (not to be confused with the Bonniksen karrusel, which has a revolving platform holding the escapement, fourth wheel, and balance but is technically distinct from a tourbillon or carrousel tourbillon). It has a couple of potential advantages over a conventional tourbillon, including the ability to make a flatter watch, and the ability to use a straight line lever instead of the side-lever ordinarily used in tourbillons (which, from a power delivery standpoint, has a slightly less optimal geometry than a straight line lever). This is not, however, an especially flat watch – this is simply due to the very long power reserve. The longest power reserve we're aware of in any tourbillon wristwatch is probably the Hublot MP-05 LaFerrari, which has a 50-day power reserve (but is not self-winding, of course). The watch, therefore, wears a bit big on the wrist, and as is often the case with Jaquet Droz there's a distinct pocket watch vibe (the case, in red gold, is 43 mm x 13.10 mm). A matching red-gold folding clasp holds it on; the clasp is very secure and obviously very well and carefully made and finished, as you'd expect from this brand at this price.

When the Calabrese/Blancpain tourbillon came out, there was immediately some question as to whether or not it was a "real" tourbillon. I think the answer is that it is. Cartier's Carole Forestier pointed out to me last year that there is nothing in Breguet's patent that specifically requires the tourbillon balance to be on the same axis as the carriage (and also that the patent doesn't specify that the cage must be driven by the third wheel around a fixed fourth wheel either, for that matter) so my feeling is that here we have to say that yes, this is certainly a tourbillon, and also acknowledge Calabrese's ingenuity in coming up with it.

Spending time taking a close look at this watch really leaves you with an impression of something very finely made; in general, finish is very good to excellent throughout (I miss just a bit the presence of hand-finished sharp inner angles in the anglage, however). Overall the visual effect of the movement's really impressive, which I suspect is helped not a little by the contrast of perlage, polished steel, and Geneva stripes with the red gold oscillating weight, and its enamel insert, with the twin signature Jaquet Droz stars (also in red gold).

The impression of fineness is really admirably consistent throughout the Grande Seconde Ivory Enamel, in fact – you always expect superlative dial work and flawless (and tasteful) execution of the hands and dial furniture from Jaquet Droz and there is absolutely nothing disappointing here at all. The bulk of the watch is noticeable, and somewhat at odds with the sophistication of the rest of the execution, but overall, this is a really harmonious, carefully done example of an artfully crafted self-winding tourbillon wristwatch, with an unusual tourbillon configuration, and an interesting history in its own right.

A reasonable question nowadays is to what extent we can, or should, continue to care about the tourbillon as a complication at all. I think the answer to that one is, if we're interested in watches, we can and should continue to care about the tourbillon to the extent that it's done really well – there has to be obvious pride in craft in a luxury tourbillon, and there has to be something at least sort of irresistible about them from a design standpoint as well.  Here I think we've got a tourbillon worth enjoying on both counts. This is a very expensive watch, at $91,700, but it does bring to the table its own distinctive identity and value proposition – and a history that, even for those of us who aren't clients for high five figure watches, is worth knowing about, as it's so woven into the fabric of the history of modern watchmaking.

The Jaquet Droz Grande Seconde Tourbillon Ivory Enamel, $91,700 as shown, in red gold. Movement, caliber JD25, seven-day power reserve, 21,600 vph, automatic carrousel tourbillon. Grand Feu enamel dial. Case, red gold, 43 mm x 13.10 mm. More info at Blancpain.com.

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