Possibly one of the best watches of 2018.

If you didn't already know, the Jaquet Droz Grande Seconde Skelet-One stole our hearts at Baselworld 2018, and we decided to go official with our love for the collection in no time, which you can see here.

Being a niche brand, Jaquet Droz has the tendency to fall off the radar for watch lovers who are still new to the game. Although we understand why – the brand makes very limited timepieces that can be categorised as highly artisanal and hence not your run-of-the-mill retro-this and sporty-that – Jaquet Droz’s contributions and place in high-end horology is nonetheless important and, in a perfect world, ought to be widely venerated.

But back to the Grande Seconde Skelet-One. Jaquet Droz celebrates its 280th anniversary this year with a slew of commemorative creations that express its virtues from animated mechanisms to decorative dials. The Grande Seconde Skelet-One spotlights two of Jacquet Droz’s signature facets – the Grande Seconde collection, an iconic line distinguished by a dial with figure of ‘8’ time display, and the brand’s expert, progressive artisanship.

Collectors familiar with the Grande Seconde watches will instantly recognise the Grande Seconde Skelet-One is cut from the same cloth. Yet, the latter has also been reinterpreted and modernised to a large degree, ironically by way of the traditional art of skeletonisation.

As with all great skeleton watches worth their salt, the Grande Seconde Skelet-One prides itself on optimal transparency. The watch is beautifully stripped, leaving only the barest traces of movement and dial architecture. At the same time, the Grande Seconde’s famous figure of ‘8’ display continues to anchor the design.

Interestingly, the Grande Seconde Skelet-One has also gone the way of modern skeleton watches in terms of looks. Eschewing ornate engravings on the remaining movement parts, the watch relies instead on artful and textured movement design (such as sapphire dial for the seconds display, as well as the inherent beauty of the automatic double-barrel movement with silicon balance spring and gold rotor) to carry the watch. It is hard for a watch like the Grande Seconde Skelet-One to go unnoticed. Even so, Jaquet Droz offers three attention grabbing options – in red gold, white gold or ceramic.

Case	41mm red gold, white gold, or ceramic
Dial	Skeletonised with sapphire dial
Movement	Jaquet Droz Automatic 2663 SQ
Strap/Bracelet	Alligator
Functions	Hours, minutes, seconds
Power  Reserve	68 hours
Price	S$39,000 (ceramic case), S$54,000 (red and white gold case)