While the appetizers were great, the main event was just about to happen. After the short historical overview of JD, the staff at the Tourbillon boutique invited us to become a JD artist for the night. At the table for each attendee was a real JD watch dial with the outline of the two Bengal tigers. Included also was a small painter’s plate with a fine brush and fresh paint in the different colors to get the tigers roaring.

What became apparent to me (and many others based on their vocal comments) is that painting on a dial is hard work! It takes patience, dexterity, and most of all, talent. Using a loupe and two dials (I asked for a new one after completely messing up the first) I was able to complete mine to something that vaguely resembled two tigers. Other, more artistically talented than I, were able to produce something better.

However, the clear consensus was that the exercise was a blast, almost like going back to kindergarten and doing communal painting with your hands. And it was clear to all that to produce the realistic painting that the JD artist Heidi does is hard stuff and requires talent.

After almost an hour of painting, the JD representative took our dials to “cook” them and the Tourbillon staff invited us to a wonderful dinner with chocolate desert that included JD markings. What transpired was great conversations about the common experience we just had and simply fun discussions with fellow watch lovers.

The evening ended with each participant getting their dial and a souvenir bag for home. And for me, I came away with how hard it is to paint miniature enamel dials and that JD watches are works of art. Plus, knowing that you can ask JD to customize your dial with your own pictures and make it a unique piece, accentuates the fact that Jaquet-Droz watches are really wearable art. So with that we ended a truly wonderful experience from a brand that represents the poetic love affair that man has with time and the instruments that allow us to measure it. jaquet-droz.com