The Jaquet Droz Grande Seconde Quantieme is instantly recognizable and unmistakably a Jaquet Droz to all the WIS out there and at 43mm it can hardly be missed. For most people, the sheer size of the watch will turn them away especially for a watch meant for dressier occasions. Jacquet Droz does offer a variant at 39mm however, to me, the proportion of the watch seems a little off. Had Jacquet Droz chosen to use a smaller movement and kept the same proportion as the 43mm it would have been a home run. To me the movement is well finished and from a respectable manufacture (Frédéric Piguet/Manufacture Blancpain) but the star of the show here is the unique design and incredible finish of the dial. The dial in this variant is satin-brushed anthracite with a sunburst effect. I’ve only had the watch for a few months but I would often find myself just starring at the dial and getting lost in it. The design is simple yet there is a lot of depth to the dial with the white gold hour markers and hands. The only dash of color is on the tip of the pointer date and the 31st date which adds that little bit of pop without drawing too much attention.

With that said, I do have a few minor gripes with the watch. Like many people I do feel a 43mm dress watch is on the big side even though this watch is quite comfortable on my 7.20 inch wrist. My other issue with the Jaquet Droz Grande Seconde is the deployant clasp which I feel isn’t as well finished. It is by no means cheap, just not what I expect for a watch retailing close to $10,000. Speaking of retail price, had this watch been anywhere close to it, I think I probably would have passed on picking this watch up. In a world where everyone is after Rolex stainless steel sports watches, I am glad I went against the grain and decided to try something outside of the norm and boy was it a good decision.