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Better photos of the JDN Tourbillon

I had a friend take a turn photographing the Jean Daniel Nicolas Two Minute Tourbillon.  I like his results, which are better than any I have yet to take, and wanted to share them here.

First an artsy one:

Each of the photos below highlights an aspect of the watch that tickles me every time I see it.

The Dial:

Daniel Roth was instrumental in getting the Breguet brand up and running again in the 1970’s when the Chaumet brothers owned the firm, and the classic look of guilloche textured silver dial with printed Roman numbers and blued steel Breguet hands is integral to the Breguet aesthetic. Daniel however, also developed his eponymous brand and the characteristic look of his dials was an evolution from the Breguet look, with Roman numbers and blued steel arrow hands;

Stock photo from the Daniel Roth brand

The JDN inherits the guilloche and Roman numbers from Breguet, the arrow of the hour hand from the DR brand, and keeps it simple with a baton hand for the minutes.

Having trained in music, I enjoy counterpoint and contrary motion, and the JDN dial gives some visual counterpoint to the blued steel and Roman numbers by having a rose gold power reserve hand move counterclockwise, with the reserve time indicated with Arabic numbers.

The Bridge:

The tourbillon bridge is one of my favorite parts of the watch. It provides a visual transition from the classical dial to the mechanical heart of the watch. It showcases Daniel’s finishing skill in being able to put a mirror polish on such a large surface, where any flaw or deformation would be obvious. The photo above also highlights the black polish finish in contrast to the finely beveled edges. I especially like the interior angles around the jewel for the balance staff.

The Tourbillon:

With the traditional one minute tourbillon the fourth wheel is fixed, and inside the carriage the escape wheel circles around the balance staff. One quality that makes a two-minute tourbillon interesting is that the fourth wheel must be inside the carriage as it is the third wheel that is fixed. The addition of the extra wheel provides another visual counterpoint as the fourth and escape wheels move along quickly in contrary motion while the carriage slowly rotates over its 120 second period.

I also just love the mix of colors: the red of the jewels, the blued for some of the steel screws and one of the second hands, the yellow of the fourth and balance wheels and also the other second hand, and the finely polished silver of the steel parts and interior bridge that holds the fourth and escape wheels.

Regarding the watch in its entirety, I appreciate that the case, dial, and movement were all conceived together, and as nice as each of the individual components are, the sum of all of them together is simply sublime.

Bill

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