1960s Jaquet-Droz 17 Jewels Electric Blue Dial Art-Deco 34.5mm
Ref: N/A
Specification
Lugs : 18mm
Condition : Pre-Owned
Box & Papers : None
Case Material : Gold-Plated
Warranty : 12-Months NON-Waterproof Warranty
Points of Mention
This watch is sold as "Watch only" and, therefore, comes with no original Jaquet-Droz box or paperwork. It comes paired with its original Jaquet-Droz 18mm leather strap and a generic pin buckle. The watch is from Circa. Late 1960s and is sold in worn vintage condition; wear and age can be seen throughout the watch, but overall, this is a fantastic and original example of its age. The watch comes with our 12-Months NON-Waterproof Warranty.
For more photos see here - https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1B2ZdpKOTj09IcyDNpeaLJnJtre_VrBhd?usp=drive_link
4K YouTube video, skip to 22:18 - https://youtu.be/5qbh-PXqUg0
The Watch
Here, we have a 1960s Jaquet-Droz 17 Jewels Electric Blue Dial Art-Deco with a 34.5mm gold-plated C-shaped case with curved flanks leading to a lug-to-lug length of 36mm, and a case thickness of 10mm ensures a comfortable fit on your wrist. On the right side is a slightly recessed coin-edged crown. The high-domed crystal sits above a striking sunburst Electric blue dial. An outer minute track has Tritium pips surrounding decorative Art Deco-applied gold-plated square indexes marking the hours, and elegant gold-plated Dauphine hands filled with Tritium are complemented by a tapered seconds hand. At 12 o’clock, we have the Jaquet-Droz motif “17 Jewels”, and at 6 o’clock “Shock Protected Waterproof” completes this dynamic vintage timepiece. On the reverse a screw-down stainless steel case back with the details of the watch engraved, inside a manually wound AS Cal. 1802, 17 jewels movement. It comes paired with its original Jaquet-Droz 18mm leather strap and generic pin buckle.
Personal Note
Quirky and affordable vintage watches, this is something I am always on the lookout for and often have a few in for service at any given time, slowly drip-feeding them onto the website, just like this awesome 1960s Jaquet-Droz with its striking and original electric blue dial and bold art-deco indices, this all contrasts perfectly against the gold-plated cushion case that sits effortlessly on the wrist. I would not hesitate to add this funky gem to your collection today!
The Brand
Pierre Jaquet-Droz opened his watchmaking workshop in La Chaux-de-Fonds in 1738. His reputation soon spread beyond Swiss borders. A trip to Spain to promote his work in 1758 made him extremely wealthy, and he was able to make a human-looking automaton. Helped by his son, Henri-Louis, and his adoptive son, Jean-Frédéric Leschot, they made four automata: The Draftsman, The Writer, The Musician and The Grotto. Jaquet-Droz showed off his automata in capital cities and at European royal courts, where large crowds were entranced and perplexed. Expansion came in the form of a workshop in London in 1775, a place renowned for its trading links with the Far East, China in particular. A third was opened in Geneva in 1784. Due to enormous financial problems, the death of both Pierre (1790) and then Henri-Louis (1791) saw the end of their business. In its new modern form, Jaquet Droz's story starts in 1989 when Investcorp, a Saudi-English company that already owned Breguet, Chaumet and Ebel, bought the rights to the Jaquet Droz brand name. The Jaquet-Droz brand was re-launched at BaselWorld in 1993. François Bodet and Yves Scherrer, who both had worked for the Breguet Group, acquired the rights in 1995 and soon began producing copies of Jaquet-Droz automatons before they launched an exquisite line of Jaquet-Droz branded watches.