WatchTime New York, America?s largest luxury watch show, returns to the Big Apple in October. As we countdown to the big event, taking place at Manhattan?s Gotham Hall on October 26-27, we?ll be previewing many of the new watches that guests will discover there. Today, we?re taking a look at the Jaquet Droz Grande Seconde Skelet-One that is noteworthy for being the brand’s first step into the world of skeletonization.

As you probably know, Jaquet Droz, a 280-year old brand made famous by its eponym?s venture into automata production during the mid-to-late 1700s, isn?t one to follow a trend. Since its revival by the Swatch Group in 2000, Jaquet Droz has leaned toward the conservative side of Swiss watchmaking. There is nothing wrong with that; in fact, its ability to captivate the industry through the continued use and development of automata, and time-only dress watches, creating a fascinating play between the worlds of horology and craftsmanship as a whole. And it?s not like the watches weren?t distinct in their own right, the off-centered dials of the extensive Grande Seconde line were a recognizable Jaquet Droz motif. So, as you might expect, if CEO Christian Lattmann had decided to move forward with a skeletonized watch, it was going to have to be a showstopper. The Grande Seconde Skelet-One keeps the same dual-dial structure that the line is known for. There?s a medium-sized dial displaying hours and minutes (Roman numerals) starting around where 12 o?clock woul...