Jaquet Droz L’Origine Email

The new Jaquet Droz L’Origine Email automatic watch that was recently revealed by a renowned Swiss watch Manufacture is yet another (and by far one of the most interesting) member of the Hommage Londres 1774 Collection family.

Featuring an elegant mirror polished stainless steel case around 43 millimeters in diameter with elongated horns and a finely crafted setting crown, as well as Grand Feu enameled dial and delicate hour and minute hands, the new L’Origine Email is one of the best “classic” dress watches that are currently available on the market.

And it is more or less affordable, too.

Being affordable, these simple beauties will be offered at a recommended street price of CHF 9990, which roughly converts to $8700 or €6600.

For the money, you will get a very elegant watch with a stainless steel case 43 mm in diameter with either ivory or black (my favorite) Grand Feu enameled dial.

While many modern watches try to impress you with their elements crafted from forged carbon fiber, silicium or some other high-tech materials that are usually employed in rocket building, Grand Feu is a name of an old technique of creating enameling, which is particularly pure and resistant to dents and scratches.

To make such enamel, a craftsman takes a metal dial, covers it with a special mix of ceramic and then bakes it in an oven at a very high temperature.

Since the process is very complex and requires a lot of manual labor, Grand Feu enameled dials are usually offered only with very expensive, hand-crafted timepieces.

The watch with the ivory dial comes fit with blued hour, minute and central sweep second hands, while the timepiece with a black dial sports a set of white gold hour and minute hands and, again, a blued second hand.

The Jaquet Droz L’Origine Email comes powered by the Jaquet Droz 1153, self-winding mechanical movement, which is, to my understanding, based on the Frederic Piguet Cal. 1153 movement (you can also find this caliber in, say, some Panerai Radiomir and Blancpain models.)

Of course, the movement features a nicely decorated oscillating weight made of 22-carat white gold.

This is a really nice timepiece. Too bad, it is still a little bit out of my budget limits.

Photos: Jaquet Droz

Jaquet Droz L’Origine Email automatic watch specification:

Price range: CHF 9990
Movement: Jaquet Droz 1153, mechanical, automatic, ultra-thin, double barrel, 28,800 vph, 22 ct gold rotor, hand-decorated
Complications: N/A
Power reserve: 68 hours
Case material: Stainless steel
Case dimensions: 43 mm
Case height: N/A
Dial: Ivory or black, enameled
Water resistance: 30 m
Strap: Rolled-edge hand made black alligator leather strap with a stainless steel ardillon buckle
Crystal: Sapphire