Some commissions begin with a brief. This one began over dinner.
After a day navigating the roads around Andermatt and the Oberalp Pass with the Supercar Owners Circle, a Jaquet Droz collector spoke to the brand’s team about his newest acquisition: an Italian V12, among the increasingly rare naturally aspirated engines of its kind still in production.
By the following morning, the first designs for a watch inspired by the car were already on the table.
The result is the Tourbillon Plasma Ceramic – Oberalp, a one-of-one timepiece that brings together Swiss haute horlogerie, automotive engineering and the landscape that helped inspire it.
Jaquet Droz has partnered with the Supercar Owners Circle for its gatherings in Switzerland for the past two years, connecting the worlds of exceptional automobiles and fine watchmaking. It was within this setting that the idea took shape, before evolving into a highly personal collaboration between the collector and Jaquet Droz’s artisans.
From Sketch to Unique Piece
The initial concept was produced in a single night, but creating the finished watch became a far more considered process. Through Jaquet Droz’s Studio 8, the client remained closely involved in its development, following prototyping remotely through the workshop’s 4K cameras and refining details with the team in La Chaux-de-Fonds.
The final watch is housed in a 42 mm Plasma Ceramic case, chosen for its combination of strength and lightness. Jaquet Droz’s proprietary treatment transforms a white ceramic base into a matte, subtly sandblasted asphalt-grey finish through an extreme firing process.
Inside sits the Jaquet Droz 8-Day Tourbillon, its movement finished in black galvanic treatment, with the polished tourbillon providing a sharp contrast. A signature yellow strap adds another direct visual link to the collector’s supercar.
The dial takes the automotive inspiration further through traditional métiers d’art. Hand-painted in miniature on a sapphire crystal plate over a gold base, it depicts the car negotiating the celebrated bend of the Oberalp Pass, with the snow-covered peaks surrounding Andermatt in the distance.
A Wheel in Motion
Perhaps the most technically demanding detail, however, remains hidden from view.
The collector wanted the oscillating weight to reproduce one of his car’s distinctive wheel rims. Its complex aerodynamic design, six profiled spokes and iconic yellow centre cap presented an extraordinary challenge on such a miniature scale.
Crafted in white gold, the rotor features a multi-level, helical geometry designed to echo the original wheel while retaining its function within the movement. According to Jaquet Droz, no oscillating weight of such complexity has previously been machined in haute horlogerie.
It is an appropriately obsessive finishing touch to a watch born from an equally specific passion. From an Alpine drive to an overnight sketch, the Tourbillon Plasma Ceramic – Oberalp demonstrates what can happen when the worlds of supercars and high watchmaking share more than just an appreciation for engineering.
