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When I first wrote about this watch back in March, just before Baselworld began, I did so with a few reservations. I generally like the Grande Seconde as an archetype – there's something about the asymmetry and boldness that just get me. However, I was worried that some of that would be lost with the introduction of so much transparency and the sapphire dial sections. I said I'd reserve judgement until I saw the watch in the metal, and I was excited to finally have the chance to really spend time with the watch outside of a display case and to arrive at a more well-reasoned conclusion. So, what did I think?
I won't leave you holding your breath here: overall, I was impressed with the Skelet-One Ceramic and found many of the things I was worried about to be non-issues. But let's review the basics of the watch before we get too into that. The Skelet-One Ceramic is 41.5mm across and 12.48mm thick, making it a little bigger than its red and white gold siblings (which come in at 41mm x 12.3mm, in case you're curious). Despite the complex look of the dial, it's a simple time-only watch with the hours and minutes in the smaller dial up top and running seconds in the larger dial down below. The finishing on the black ceramic case is a little shiny, but the bezel has a sort of soft, semi-matte finish that I really like. This carries over to the tops of the lugs, so looking straight on the watch isn't flashy. There's a red gold crown in place of a ceramic one, echoing the accent color found on the dial and the movement.
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The main thing I was concerned about when I saw the press images of this watch was the dial. I thought it might end up looking cluttered and all over the place instead of clean and graphic like the Grande Second is meant to. When you get the watch in your hands, you realize that Jaquet Droz has done a number of things to prevent this. First off, there's a ton of depth, so the dials really do stand out above the openworked movement. Second, the sapphire seconds dial and the brushed track of the main dial catch the light in similar ways. You can see above that they create a hint of glare to make themselves easier to read, and in a way that gives you the pleasing figure-eight shape. I didn't expect this at all, but it was a pleasant surprise. In most lighting conditions though, the seconds dial appears almost invisible and it creates an optical illusion of sorts.
You can see plenty of the caliber 2663 SQ from the front of the watch, but turn it over and you get even more. The red gold winding rotor is essentially the frame of a rotor, with the whole middle section open. This gives you a crazy good view of the caliber. While the bridges are sandblasted on the front surfaces, they have an iridescent brushing on the reverse sides, so the movement sparkles a bit more from this vantage point. You can also clearly see the pair of barrels that provide the 68-hour power reserve and the balance beating away. Let me be clear here – this is a very skeletonized movement. The slim sections of bridges expand out from the center like lattice work and there's so much negative space in the case that it's a little disorienting at first.
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On the wrist, you get...a lot of wrist. This is my usual complaint with skeletonized watches: I don't really want to stare at my wrist hairs and pale skin all day. Sure, I could go get a tan, but I'm not sure that would improve the situation too much. As far as skeleton watches go, this watch is no better or worse than any other, and it's got a lot of presence despite all the transparency. It also wears more like a 40mm watch than a 41.5mm watch, which really surprised me. The case tapers to the wrist, making it comfortable and the textile strap was flexible and breathable. I don't think I could see this as a daily-wearer, but if you wanted something to sport for a fun night out that would attract a few "Whoa, what is that!?" questions, this is pretty spot on.
Beyond this watch's inherent merits, it provides a good lesson: watch's are three-dimensional objects that really need to be handled, held up to the light, and strapped to the wrist to be enjoyed and assessed. I could easily have dismissed this watch from some renderings, but instead I was able to see it for myself and experience it for real. Ultimately, the Grande Second Skelet-One Ceramic is a watch that achieves exactly what it set out to do, which is reinterpret a design many of us think we know but in a new, unexpected way. And it does so to great effect.
The Jaquet Droz Grande Second Skelet-One Ceramic retails for $24,200, while the white gold and red gold Skelet-One editions retail for $33,600. For more, visit Jaquet Droz online.
Editor's Note: A previous version of this article stated that this watch is a limited edition of 88 pieces (as you might infer from the "18/88" engraved on the rotor. The watch seen here is actually a prototype and Jaquet Droz has since decided to make this an unlimited series. We have updated the story accordingly.
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