Jaquet Droz created a unique 42mm Tourbillon in Plasma Ceramic for a Supercar Owners Circle collector, featuring a hand-painted Oberalp Pass dial and a record-complexity rotor.
A Point of Departure
- Commissioned at a private Supercar Owners Circle dinner above the Oberalp Pass, this piece began with initial sketches completed overnight by the Jaquet Droz design team and presented to the collector the following morning.
- The 42mm case is produced in Plasma Ceramic, an in-house process fired at over 20,000°C that converts a white base material into matte asphalt grey.
- The movement is the Jaquet Droz 8-Day Tourbillon, finished in black galvanic treatment with a polished tourbillon cage standing proud against the dark surface.
- According to Jaquet Droz, the white-gold oscillating weight, machined as a six-spoke wheel rim with helical geometry, represents a level of rotor complexity without precedent in haute horlogerie.
Case, Setting and Finishing
Plasma Ceramic is Jaquet Droz’s proprietary material process, producing a sandblasted matte surface in asphalt grey from a base material that is white. The transformation occurs through firing at temperatures exceeding 20,000°C, a process the maison describes as an exclusive offering unavailable elsewhere. The collector chose this material specifically for its resonance with the aluminium chassis architecture of his V12 grand tourer: light, technically demanding, and visually uncompromising.
At 42mm, the case sits firmly in performance territory. The yellow mixed folding clasp, combining ceramic and steel elements, carries the chromatic accent found across the car’s interior and wheel centre cap, drawing a direct visual line between the two objects. For collectors in the Gulf, where both exotic supercars and complex timepieces occupy the same conversation, this coherence of language across disciplines carries genuine weight.
Dial and Stone Artistry
The dial demanded the full range of Jaquet Droz’s miniature painting tradition. Artisans worked on a sapphire crystal plate positioned over a gold dial base, depicting the collector’s V12 on the Oberalp Pass bend, with the snow-capped peaks of Andermatt occupying the background. Every element was executed by hand. The scene functions simultaneously as a record of a specific place and a portrait of a specific machine, which is precisely what distinguishes a true commission from a personalisation exercise.
The two-tone movement aesthetic, black and silver, frames the polished tourbillon cage so it reads as a mechanical centrepiece rather than a technical necessity. Colour and finish decisions across both the dial and the movement were validated by the client during remote sessions connected to the workshop’s 4K cameras at Studio 8 in La Chaux-de-Fonds, an arrangement that allowed for real-time review of prototyping stages without requiring travel for every iteration. For the coverage of comparable haute horlogerie events, see our reporting from Watches and Wonders.
Movement and Material Engineering
The 8-Day Tourbillon is the natural choice for a collector whose primary reference is mechanical performance. Beyond the movement itself, the engineering challenge fell on the oscillating weight. The collector’s wheel rims are among the most complex in the automotive world: multi-spoke alloy with an aerodynamic profile and a yellow centre cap requiring precise replication at watchmaking scale. Jaquet Droz artisans selected white gold for the rotor, then profiled its six spokes across multiple levels with a helical geometry.
The Fondation Haute Horlogerie has long catalogued the boundaries of rotor complexity; by the Jaquet Droz team’s own assessment, no rotor of this geometric intricacy had previously been machined in haute horlogerie. The Tourbillon Plasma Ceramic Oberalp is, on that basis, a unique piece in the strictest sense: one object, one owner, one engineering problem solved for the first time. Learn more about Jaquet Droz and its bespoke commission process on the brand’s official site.
| Movement | Jaquet Droz 8-Day Tourbillon |
| Case size | 42 mm |
| Case material | Plasma Ceramic (asphalt grey, fired at over 20,000°C) |
| Dial | Hand-painted miniature on sapphire crystal plate over gold dial base; Oberalp Pass motif |
| Strap | Yellow strap with mixed folding clasp (ceramic and steel) |
| Availability | On request from the maison or an authorised retailer in the Middle East |
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Frequently Asked Questions
What is the Jaquet Droz Tourbillon Plasma Ceramic Oberalp?
The Tourbillon Plasma Ceramic Oberalp is a unique commission created by Jaquet Droz for a member of the Supercar Owners Circle. The 42mm case is crafted in Plasma Ceramic fired at over 20,000°C, producing a matte asphalt-grey surface from a white base material, and the piece houses the brand's 8-Day Tourbillon movement.
What makes the oscillating weight of this watch exceptional?
The rotor is machined in white gold to replicate the wheel rim of the collector's V12 supercar, including six spokes profiled across multiple levels with a helical geometry and a yellow centre cap. According to Jaquet Droz, no rotor of comparable complexity had previously been machined in the history of haute horlogerie.
How was the dial of this piece made?
The dial decoration was executed entirely by hand in miniature painting on a sapphire crystal plate set over a gold dial base. It depicts the collector's supercar on the iconic bend of the Oberalp Pass, with the snow-capped peaks of Andermatt in the background.
Is the Jaquet Droz Tourbillon Plasma Ceramic available to purchase in the Middle East?
This piece is a unique commission and not a production reference. Collectors interested in a comparable bespoke creation from Jaquet Droz may enquire through the maison or an authorised retailer in the Middle East.
What is Jaquet Droz's connection to the Supercar Owners Circle?
Jaquet Droz has partnered with the Supercar Owners Circle during its meetings in Switzerland for two years. The collaboration is built on shared values of authenticity, proximity, and a passion for fine engineering, bringing the brand's designers into direct contact with collectors at Alpine driving events.
