Arguably the most distinctive dials offered by the brand – which says a lot since Jaquet Droz specialises in unusual dial materials – the paillonné enamel dials just got a little bit more exotic.

All Jaquet Droz Paillonnée dials to date used antique paillons, tiny pieces of gold foil wrought into intricate, floral forms, as inlays on translucent champlevé enamel dials.

The “Gold Arabesques” watches, however, include modern day paillons produced by Jaquet Droz, including one that takes the form of a tiny bird, historically a motif of the brand.

The “Gold Arabesques” collection is six-strong, with the Grande Seconde Tourbillon Paillonnée (ref. J013033243) being the flagship. A limited edition of eight pieces, the tourbillon features a red enamel dial and a flying tourbillon at 12 o’clock. The case is 18k red gold and 43mm in diameter, equipped with a self-winding movement that has a seven-day power reserve.

Also 43mm in diameter and red gold, the Grande Seconde Paillonnée is available with the dial in either red enamel (ref. J003033431) or blue enamel (ref. J003033424), both limited to eight pieces.

More unusual but bearing the same signature Jaquet Droz style is the Pocket Watch Paillonnée (ref. J080033047). Also limited to eight pieces, it has a blue enamel dial and a 50mm red gold case that contains the calibre 2615, which is actually a hand-wound, extra-thin Frederic Piguet pocket watch movement.

Finally the Petite Heure Minute Paillonnée is available in three iterations, each limited to eight. Both the 43mm (ref. J005033258) and 39mm (ref. J005013247) editions have blue enamel dials. The smallest is the 35mm in red gold (ref. J005003243) with a red enamel dial featuring a mother of pearl sub-dial at 12 o’clock.

From left: 35mm, 39mm and 43mm

Price and availability 

Pricing has yet to be announced but with past editions of the Paillonnée priced at a shade over US$50,000 for the Grande Seconde, expect this to cost the same. And the tourbillon will retail for approximately US$120,000.