Since its launch in 2005, Only Watch has been one of the most significant auctions in the watch world. A biennial charity auction founded by Luc Pettavino, Only Watch is organized by the Monegasque Association Against Muscular Dystrophy (MAAMD) under the patronage of Prince Albert II of Monaco.

Brands donate unique timepieces that are auctioned. The proceeds are used completely to help finance research against Duchenne muscular dystrophy, a debilitating and life-threatening genetic disorder that affects around one in 3,500 boys including Pettavino’s own son, who died of the disease in November 2016.

Jaquet Droz is one of the 50 watch brands taking part in this year’s edition of Only Watch by Christie’s, which is to be held in Geneva on November 11, 2017. In order to help raise money for this well-publicized fight against Duchenne muscular dystrophy, the traditional Swiss manufacture has created an exceptional Grande Seconde Off-Centered model with an exquisite cuprite dial.

Jaquet Droz Grande Seconde Off-Centered Cuprite for Only Watch 2017

Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication

It seems there is nothing that does not exist in contemporary high-end watchmaking; everything is possible these days!

There are perpetual calendars that can precisely tell the time well beyond the next secular year – 2100 – which the typical perpetual calendar usually needs help from a watchmaker with.

There are refined moon phases that won’t need adjusting before 122 years or more have passed.

There are sophisticated repeaters that chime the time in a way that sounds like music to our ears and astronomical aces that accurately capture the night sky.

But it is often the “simplest” timepieces that instantly win our hearts.

“Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication,” universal genius Leonardo da Vinci (1452-1519) once said.

Jaquet Droz Grande Seconde Off-Centered Cuprite for Only Watch 2017

Removing the obvious and reducing design to the essence is also the hallmark of Jaquet Droz’s Grande Seconde flagship model.

And for the premier international watchmaking charity event the prestigious luxury brand has once again pulled out all the stops with a timepiece whose dial represents simplicity, elegance, and refinement born out of genuine artisanship.

The ultra-clean styling reflecting Jaquet Droz’s typical figure eight dial thematic, which symbolizes infinity and completeness, glows against the backdrop of a cuprite dial.

A close look at the stone dial of the Jaquet Droz Grande Seconde Off-Centered Cuprite for Only Watch 2017

Cuprite, a minor ore of copper, is an oxide mineral that offers a vibrant red hue. Here, the expansive cuprite disk sets the stage for the two subdials, including the eponymous large seconds prominently displayed off center.

Jaquet Droz Grande Seconde Off-Centered Cuprite for Only Watch 2017

The slenderness of the red gold subdial outlines perfectly match the unobtrusive red gold hands, highlighting the overall graceful appearance of this timepiece.

The beautifully finished Jaquet Droz manufacture Caliber 2663A.P is visible through the display back of the Grande Seconde Off-Centered Cuprite for Only Watch 2017

This rings equally true for the inner workings of the Grande Seconde Off-Centered Cuprite: a peek through the sapphire crystal case back allows the observer to discover automatic manufacture Jaquet Droz Caliber 2663A.P featuring a superbly decorated and partially skeletonized 18-karat-gold oscillating weight.

With a silicon balance spring and pallet fork, this movement also offers state-of-the-art technology.

Jaquet Droz Grande Seconde Off-Centered Cuprite for Only Watch 2017

For more information, please visit www.jaquet-droz.com/en/news/time-commitment and/or www.onlywatch.com/the-watches/jaquet-droz.

Quick Facts Jaquet Droz Grande Seconde Off-Centered Cuprite For OW17
Case: 43 x 12 mm, red gold
Dial: red cuprite
Movement: automatic manufacture Caliber 2663A.P with silicon balance spring and pallet fork; double spring barrel; 4 Hz/28,000 vph frequency; power reserve 68 hours
Functions: hours, minutes, subsidiary seconds
Estimate: $31,000-$41,000 / €27,000-€36,000 / 30,000-40,000 Swiss francs

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