As the Year of the Snake slithers onto the horizon, watchmakers have been quick to seize the opportunity, unveiling creations that celebrate this enigmatic creature. From Jaeger-LeCoultre’s Reverso Snake to IWC Schaffhausen’s Portofino Moon Phase 37 Year of the Snake, serpentine motifs are having their moment. But few have captured the elegance and mystique of the serpent quite like Jaquet Droz’s latest masterpieces: the Ophidian Hour.
This pair of one-of-a-kind timepieces offers a mesmerising blend of artistry and unconventional displays. And, naturally, Jaquet Droz has brought its trademark poetic craftsmanship to these creations, offering a horological tribute to the snake unlike anything it has produced in over a decade.
Serpent in the Spotlight
The centrepiece of the Ophidian Hour is, of course, the exquisitely rendered snake. Jaquet Droz elevates the serpent from symbol to sculpture, its sinuous body formed from five solid blocks of white gold. The segments are joined with such precision that they flow seamlessly, embodying the fluidity of the serpent’s movements. Rising up to 4mm from the dial, the snake appears to almost brush the underside of the sapphire crystal, creating a quasi-tactile connection between wearer and watch.
The craftsmanship doesn’t end with form. Jaquet Droz’s artisans have enamelled the snake’s curved body, a technique notoriously challenging on such irregular surfaces. Graduated hues – from deep crimson to luminous green – are applied with precision, their vibrancy enhanced by hand polishing.
John Howe, the acclaimed illustrator best known for his work on ‘The Lord of the Rings’, contributed a Ruyi motif to the design. Traditionally a symbol of good fortune, this intricate pattern is etched into the snake’s body, adding another layer of meaning to an already rich narrative.
Dial Delights
The La-Chaux-de-Fonds brand offers two unique interpretations of the Ophidian Hour, each placing the snake within a habitat that mirrors its elegance.
The first features a mother-of-pearl dial, adorned with a delicately engraved bamboo motif. This sumptuous canvas is brought to life with miniature painting, its soft colours complementing the snake’s green enamel accents.
The second variant takes a bolder approach with a dial crafted from Sonora Sunrise, a rare and striking gemstone. This marks the first time Jaquet Droz has incorporated this material, chosen for its dramatic interplay of red and green tones.
Extracting such vibrant colours from a small fragment of the stone was no easy feat, and the resulting dial – just 0.8mm thin – is a mark of the brand’s quest for artisanal excellence.
Ingenious Displays
The Ophidian Hour breaks new ground for Jaquet Droz, marking its first timepiece without traditional hands. Instead, the snake itself tells the time, with its head pointing to the hour on one rotating disc and its tail indicating the minutes on another. This approach aligns nicely with the watch’s naturalistic theme.
At the heart of the Ophidian Hour beats a self-winding movement equipped with a silicon hairspring that is resistant to magnetic fields. The transparent display back reveals views of the 18K rose gold oscillating weight, decorated with either a mother-of-pearl or Sonora Sunrise insert bearing the same Ruyi motif as the dial.
Finally, the 41mm red gold cases serve as perfect frames for the artwork within. Adding a contemporary twist, the light green and mid-green textured rubber straps complement the snake’s vibrant enamel colours and harmonise with the distinctive dial materials.
To find out more about the Ophidian Hour, please visit the Jaquet Droz website.
