HomeWATCHESJAQUET DROZJaquet Droz x Académie de Meuron: A Sculptural Dial Heads to Auction

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Jaquet Droz x Académie de Meuron: A Sculptural Dial Heads to Auction

A unique 41mm Jaquet Droz piece, designed with student Fiona Djukanovic, heads to the TimeForArt charity auction in New York on 5 December 2026.

What Sets It Apart

  • Produced as a single unique creation, this 41mm piece departs from the rest of Jaquet Droz’s output by originating entirely from a student brief — designed by Fiona Djukanovic of the Académie de Meuron and realised through the Maison’s champlevé enamel expertise.
  • The dial is conceived as a three-dimensional sculpture: hollow enamelled volumes follow the curve of the case middle, with enamel surfaces that slope downward and required hand-polishing at each stage.
  • A broad X spans the full dial face, marking the collaboration between Jaquet Droz and the Académie de Meuron, while intuitively orienting the viewer toward the hours (below) and minutes (above).
  • All proceeds from the TimeForArt auction on 5 December 2026 in New York will be donated to the Swiss Institute, which champions emerging artistic talent globally.

What Sets It Apart

Three large applied volumes — hollow, enamelled on their upper surfaces, and curved to follow the case middle — are the technical centrepiece of this dial.

Hand-polishing their sloped enamel surfaces, each supported by an invisible counter-enamel layer, presented one of the more demanding finishing challenges in recent Métiers d’Art production. Fiona Djukanovic’s brief was geometric and architectural: straight lines countered by gently curved champlevé profiles. Jaquet Droz translated that language literally into material, producing a dial where the X motif both names the project and structures how time is read.

Jaquet Droz x Académie de Meuron unique piece showing the bold X champlevé enamel dial designed by Fiona Djukanovic
Fiona Djukanovic reviews large-format design renderings of the Jaquet Droz sculptural dial at a presentation table.

Origins and Artistic Vision

Jaquet Droz has sponsored the Académie de Meuron, a multidisciplinary visual arts school in Neuchâtel, for two years.

The relationship deepened in 2026 when the Maison invited one of the Académie’s students to co-author a unique timepiece for the TimeForArt charity auction, itself held every two years in New York. Djukanovic’s response was a composition in which the reading of time becomes secondary to form: hours and minutes are present, but they are subordinate to the sculptural object surrounding them.

Close-up of the three-dimensional champlevé enamel volumes on the Jaquet Droz x Académie de Meuron dial
Two professionals in focused discussion, evidently reviewing work for the Académie de Meuron collaboration.

The Piece in Context

The auction on 5 December 2026 in New York places this object at the intersection of contemporary collecting and Haute Horlogerie.

For Gulf collectors already engaged with Jaquet Droz through platforms such as Watches and Wonders or the Fondation Haute Horlogerie, this piece represents a different proposition: a unique work that will never be repeated, acquired at auction with the full sale price redirected to artists’ residencies and public programmes at the Swiss Institute. The 100% Swiss Made triptych — Jaquet Droz, the Académie de Meuron, the Swiss Institute — gives the object a cultural biography as specific as its physical construction.

Jaquet Droz x Académie de Meuron 41mm case detail showing curved case middle and sculptural dial profile
A designer at work on what appears to be a creative atelier project for Jaquet Droz.
Specifications
Case size41 mm diameter
DialThree-dimensional champlevé enamel sculpture; broad X motif; hollow enamelled volumes; hours below, minutes above
AvailabilityUnique piece auctioned at TimeForArt, New York, 5 December 2026; proceeds donated to the Swiss Institute

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Frequently Asked Questions

What is the Jaquet Droz x Académie de Meuron piece being auctioned in 2026?

It is a unique 41mm timepiece co-conceived by Jaquet Droz and Académie de Meuron student Fiona Djukanovic. The dial is sculpted in three-dimensional champlevé enamel featuring a broad X motif, with hollow enamelled volumes that guide the eye to the hours and minutes displays.

Where and when will the Jaquet Droz x Académie de Meuron piece be auctioned?

The piece will be auctioned at the TimeForArt charity auction in New York on 5 December 2026. All proceeds will be donated to the Swiss Institute.

Who designed the dial of the Jaquet Droz x Académie de Meuron unique piece?

Fiona Djukanovic, a student at the Académie de Meuron in Neuchâtel, Switzerland, conceived the geometric, architectural and minimalist design. Jaquet Droz realised it through its Métiers d'Art expertise in champlevé enamel.

Is this Jaquet Droz piece available to purchase outside of the auction?

No. The piece is a single unique creation produced exclusively for the TimeForArt charity auction. Collectors in the Gulf and elsewhere must register to bid at the New York event on 5 December 2026.

Osama Haseeb
Osama Haseeb
Osama Haseeb is the Horology Editor at WATCHESPEDIA, covering luxury watches for collectors and connoisseurs throughout the Middle East, with close attention to technical detail - movements, materials and specifications - alongside the market context that matters to Gulf buyers. He believes in doing things the right way, favouring accuracy and craftsmanship over shortcuts. Away from the desk, he is a keen mountain trekker.

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