he Tourbillon Skelet Sapphire embodies both the continuity and irreverence of Jaquet Droz in the twenty-first century. It’s a disruptive piece that has only one goal – to create uniqueness. The Tourbillon Skelet Sapphire is not so much a watch as a creative platform on which each collector can personally create their own, bespoke timepiece.

How so? By customising their hour markers, hours, minutes and seconds rings, hands, and the colour of the strap, movement screws, crown, logo, folding clasp, oscillating weight and engraving – and above all that of the sapphire that at once clads and reveals the timepiece, with three new colours adding to the number of available options: green, blue, and yellow.

In this respect each colour must be assertive enough to add contrast to the Tourbillon Skelet Sapphire, but also translucent enough to let the light shine through and reveal the automatic caliber and 8-day power reserve – one of the largest on the market for a skeleton tourbillon. In addition to this almost infinite choice of combinations, Jaquet Droz offers countless jewel settings: any shade of ruby, sapphire, diamond and emerald can be hand-set on the Tourbillon Skelet Sapphire’s bridges and hour markers.

Assembling a water-resistant, all-sapphire case without a single screw is a huge technical challenge – but it’s a price worth paying to make the movement look as though it’s suspended in mid-air. It’s hand-finished throughout, something previously believed to be impossible. And at the end of the day, each Tourbillon Skelet Sapphire will be unique – just like its collectors.

TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS

Transparent sapphire dial and yellow sapphire base. Sapphire case. Self-winding skeleton tourbillon movement. Power reserve of 7 days. Diameter 42 mm.

MOVEMENT Jaquet Droz 2625SQ, self-winding skeleton tourbillon movement, gray treatment, silicon balance spring and pallet horns, titanium tourbillon frame, single barrel, 18-karat white gold oscillating weight with black treatment

INDICATIONS Off-centered hours and minutes at 6 o’clock Tourbillon frame and off-centered seconds at 12 o’clock

JEWELING 30 jewels

POWER RESERVE 7 days

FREQUENCY 21,600 v.p.h.

CASE Sapphire case 18-karat white gold tube and bar inserts, black ceramic crown Diameter 42 mm Height 13.76 mm

WATER RESISTANCE To 3 bar (30 meters)

DIAL Transparent sapphire dial and yellow sapphire base 18-karat white gold indexes with black treatment, 18-karat white gold dial fixing axes

HANDS Hours and minutes in 18-karat white gold with black treatment, seconds in 18-karat red gold with black treatment

STRAP Rubber strap