40: Passion 40: Passion
The Hora Mundi is Cesar Jean-Mairet’s favourite watch and inspiration for this collection came while he was on a flight to Madrid. Considering buying a module for a new world timer, he realised that he could create the same timepiece by using an existing JMG movement and adapting it. The automatic piece features a lacquered dial, and individually handset, rhodium city names.
Timelines and Bloodlines
A classic gentleman’s dress watch, the Grand Date features a gold or stainless steel, 41mm round case, Breguet styled numerals and rhodium or rose gold arrow-shaped hands. The date is shown through two windows positioned at 12 o’clock and a small seconds sub dial is positioned at 6 o’clock.
Gillman dual time zone model. All we needed to do was to open up the dial and incorporate the 24 time zones. I think it works very well – it’s stylish and practical.” Also rather nifty is the Continentes, which looks like a demure version of an old school Roger Dubuis design. It features a square case and three retrograde hands, each dedicated to different continents, with home time being read from a central, conventional dial.
The enamel dial Tourbillon GMT Caesar Auguste is powered by a specially developed Christophe Claret movement and is available in a limited edition of 12.
And, being Indian, another of Nayak’s passions is cricket, which explains the recent appointment of England Twenty20 captain Stuart Broad as the first global ambassador for JMG. Appropriately enough, the globetrotting hero of the 2009 Ashes series wears a Continentes model with a sporty, blackened case. Further information: www.jean-mairetgillman.com
The most ambitious JMG to date, however, has been the enamel dial Tourbillon GMT Caesar Auguste (the founder’s forenames) for which Christophe Claret developed a special movement. Limited to an edition of 12, it’s a true connoisseur’s watch and it comes with a connoisseur’s price tag of SFr.228,000 and, according to Jean-Mairet, there is no shortage of takers. “I think there are still people out there who want to buy a watch rather than buy a brand name – these are the people JMG is aimed at and I’m very happy to make watches for them, even though it means we will never sell huge numbers,” he enthuses. The brand is already popular throughout the Far East and, following the arrival of investor Uday Nayak – an Indian aviation tycoon and watch fanatic who is now JMG’s president – is set to grow steadily. (Two outlets are due to open in London this summer).
JMG’s first global ambassador, Stuart Broad.