HANDS-ON: The Jaquet Droz Petite Heure Minute Relief Dog

Andy Green

You’d be forgiven if you missed the Jaquet Droz Petite Heure Minute Relief Dog when it was released at Baselworld as a novelty piece as part of the brand’s Ateliers d’Art collection. However, once you’ve seen it, it truly is hard to forget. The JD PHM Relief Dog was created specifically to celebrate The Year of the Dog, which is the eleventh of the 12-year cycle of animals that appear in the Chinese zodiac related to the Chinese calendar.

Now, aside from the caseback, which we will get to, the dial on the PHM Relief Dog really is something special, thanks to an extraordinary amount of detail and craftsmanship. With just hour and minute hands, Jaquet Droz have kept functionality simple on this time-only watch, creating a piece that is about the more delicate details.

The dial really is a showpiece, featuring an 18k yellow gold hand-engraved Pekingese dog playing with butterflies under plum trees, which are made from 23k yellow gold. A black onyx subdial pops against the passionate red cuprite dial, which itself is an unusual dial material (cuprite is an oxide mineral composite).

Movement-wise, the in-house Jaquet Droz 2653.Si, with a 68-hour power reserve, will keep the PHM Relief Dog ticking along nicely through any celebrations. The sapphire crystal caseback provides a window to the wonderfully finished movement, which features an 18k red gold oscillating weight, decorated with a 23k yellow gold hand-patinated dog appliqué, again contrasted against the beautiful cuprite we see on the dial.

There’s no doubt this statement piece has some wrist presence; however, like the beautiful dial details, it remains subtle and not at all overbearing. At 41mm in diameter and 13.7mm thick, the 18k red gold case is certainly wearable. The black alligator leather strap is well paired with the red-gold case, offering luxurious contrast, especially to all the red touches.

Jaquet Droz Petite Heure Minute Relief Dog Australian pricing and availability

Jaquet Droz Petite Heure Minute Relief Dog, limited to 28 pieces, $91,250