Travel has a special significance for Jaquet Droz. Over 300 years ago, Pierre Jaquet-Droz, his son Henri-Louis and Jean-Frédéric Leschot travelled across continents to share their mechanical marvels with the world, from Switzerland to Spain, and from France to China via England. It is safe to say that the Jaquet-Droz family were pioneers of the international clock-making trade.

As such, the new Grande Seconde Dual Time is a special watch, being a traveller’s timepiece; it has also evolved from the original, with the design aesthetics being revised. Beginning with the same self-winding mechanical caliber (with silicon balance spring and pallet lugs), the travel complication now nestles in the bottom half of the Grande Seconde’s signature figure 8 dial.

At its centre, the continents are seen flat from the North Pole, in an azimuthal projection. The powdery finish chosen by the brand brings the modern-day ‘mappemonde’ to life, with the realism and volume of the earth’s texture. The continents are depicted on a mirror-polished backdrop, in a choice of black or anthracite.

The 24-hour home time display is split into two 12-hour segments: white is for daytime and black is for night, making the reading of home time more intuitive. The local time, on the top half of the Grande Seconde dial, is regulated by jumping an hour, which makes it quicker to set the time on arrival at the destination. The date adjusts automatically to this change and is indicated by a red-tipped hand that sweeps around a circular satin-finish applied ring.

There are four versions of the Grande Seconde Dual Time that display this new aesthetic. Two with steel cases (in onyx or silvery opaline dials) have a minimalist look, and the two red gold versions (in ivory or black Grand Feu enamel dials) have the classic Jaquet Droz heritage.