In the early 12th and 13th centuries, European glassmaking techniques had not yet advanced to produce large, pure, transparent panes. The small, low-transparency, dark and mixed-color glass created a patchy and dimly lit interior. Inspired by the glass mosaics of Byzantine churches, ingenious craftsmen inlaid entire windows with pictures, and stained glass windows created a mysterious and brilliant scene inside the church, thus transforming the otherwise gloomy and oppressive atmosphere caused by poor lighting. If “stained glass windows” formed the aesthetic guide of church architecture, then “plique-à-jour enamel” interprets the unique glory of enamel craftsmanship.
SMALTA CLARA TIGER small seconds watch
J005504500
Enamel dial with “plique-à-jour” grand feu enamel and 18K white gold, white mother-of-pearl sub-dial, 18K white gold raised bezel
18K white gold case set with 100 diamonds, total weight 0.89 carats
Automatic mechanical movement
Power reserve of approximately 38 hours
Diameter 35 mm
Limited edition of 28 pieces
About Jaquet Droz Watch Company
Since Pierre Jaquet-Droz founded his first watch workshop in La Chaux-de-Fonds in the late 1730s, Jaquet Droz has not only been a professionally leading watchmaking company but has also successfully evolved into a luxury watch brand with an infinite longing for art and an ultimate pursuit of beauty.
In the 18th century, Jaquet Droz created three purely mechanical automata — “The Writer,” “The Draughtsman,” and “The Musician.” When exhibited in Geneva and Paris, they won the favor of royalty and became immensely popular among European royal families in France, Spain, and beyond, making them undisputed stars in the world of complex mechanical devices at the time. At the same time, Jaquet Droz’s achievements and reputation spread as far as China, making it one of the earliest watch brands to enter the Forbidden City and winning the favor of Emperor Qianlong of the Qing Dynasty. Today, several Jaquet Droz pieces are also housed in the Palace Museum in Beijing, bearing witness to the brand’s long-standing connection with China.
In 2000, Jaquet Droz Watch Company joined the Swatch Group, ushering in a new chapter of legendary history. Upholding the philosophy of “preserving craftsmanship while continuously innovating,” the brand has consistently integrated design, materials, and expert craftsmanship with its precision watch mechanisms, continuing the mechanical artistry that originated in the 18th century. It combines automaton craftsmanship with haute horlogerie and art to create automaton watches that are true works of art. The brand’s art workshops are both guardians of historical craftsmanship and laboratories for aesthetic innovation, benefiting from the brand’s master artisans who closely link legendary history with wonderful reality, continuously highlighting the values that Jaquet Droz upholds: innovation.
Jaquet Droz firmly believes that no matter how time passes, people’s longing for art and their ultimate pursuit of beauty remain timeless — and this is precisely why the brand, though classic and age-old, remains ever fresh. Jaquet Droz is committed to cultivating a brand philosophy that pursues excellence and innovation, while continually inheriting brand values that emphasize emotion and poetry.