INTRODUCING MASTER HYBRIS ARTISTICA CALIBRE 945

KEY FACTS:

• Artistic reinterpretation: showcasing the skills of the Manufacture’s Métiers Rares^TM atelier, featuring grisaille enamel as part of Jaeger-LeCoultre’s repertoire of rare artistic crafts, requiring 24 hours of work

• Technical and celestial mastery: the exquisite chimes of a minute repeater complement the celestial timekeeping with a Cosmotourbillon comprising 73 components and orbiting the dial in one sidereal day alongside a Northern Hemisphere sky chart

• An exclusive masterpiece: offered in a limited edition of 5 pieces

Jaeger-LeCoultre highlights its expertise in celestial complications with an artistic reinterpretation of the Master Hybris Artistica Minute Repeater Cosmotourbillon, in a limited edition of five pieces. With a new 18K white gold (750/1000) case, this new opus celebrates the Maison’s artistic creativity and mastery of haute horlogerie decorative crafts while reaffirming its technical ingenuity. Originally created in 2010, Calibre 945 unites a star chart indicating the constellations in the Northern Hemisphere moving in real time, a minute repeater and Jaeger-LeCoultre’s unique flying Cosmotourbillon, which displays sidereal time.

ARTISTIC CREATIVITY: A STRIKING CELESTIAL AESTHETIC THANKS TO MÉTIERS RARES™

The new edition of the Master Hybris Artistica Calibre 945, reinterpreted in 18K white gold (750/1000), showcases the exceptional expertise of the Manufacture’s Métiers Rares™ atelier. Entirely hand-decorated by its artisans, the multi-level domed dial creates a striking sense of depth, bringing the celestial display vividly to life.

To recreate the beauty of the night sky, Jaeger-LeCoultre employs grisaille enamel, a rare decorative art introduced into the Maison’s repertoire in 2022. Originating in 16th-century France, this demanding technique builds delicate chiaroscuro effects through successive layers of enamel, each individually fired. The deep blue background is gradually composed before the celestial motif is painted by hand using a white enamel known as Blanc de Limoges, creating subtle contrasts and a remarkable illusion of three-dimensional depth.

Echoing the dome of the night sky above us, the dial is constructed on multiple levels. A midnight-blue disc, finished with translucent lacquer over opaline, forms its deepest layer and carries the months and tourbillon seconds indications. Above it, the domed gold dial is decorated with grisaille enamel depicting the celestial landscape, while the star chart and constellation names are delicately transferred onto its surface. Together, these elements create an immersive interpretation of the heavens, with the tourbillon seconds scale radiating from the Cosmotourbillon like beams of light.

INTERPRETING THE HEAVENS: THE COSMOTOURBILLON AND CELESTIAL TIME

Elevating time through celestial mastery: evolving the tourbillon beyond its purely technical function as a regulating mechanism designed to defy gravity, Jaeger-LeCoultre has created the Cosmotourbillon. A celestial flying 60-second tourbillon, it also measures the passing of time by completing an anti-clockwise circuit of the dial in one sidereal day. Lasting 23 hours, 56 minutes and 4 seconds, a sidereal day corresponds to Earth’s rotation relative to the fixed stars, whereas the 24-hour solar day, used for civil time, is defined by the Earth’s rotation on itself, compared to the Sun. It moves in harmony with the Northern Hemisphere sky chart, which tracks the real-time positions of the constellations as seen from Switzerland’s Vallée de Joux, Jaeger-LeCoultre’s home since 1833.The flying Cosmotourbillon is secured on the movement side only, revealing its full kinetic beauty. Comprising 73 components, the entire mechanism is held within a lightweight titanium carriage, ensuring an unobstructed view of the regulating organ. Mounted on lubricant-free ceramic ball bearings, its 10-millimetre monometallic balance wheel beats at a frequency of 4 Hz.

In line with Jaeger-LeCoultre’s commitment to functional precision, the celestial display is driven by a calendar complication enabling the precise setting of the constellation positions as they appear in the sky. Indicated by a golden sun-shaped pointer at the edge of the rotating dial, it completes a full revolution in 24 hours, marking civil time.

THE SOUND OF THE HEAVENS: A MINUTE REPEATER MARKS TIME

Powerful chime with extreme purity: the exquisite chimes of a minute repeater complement the romance of celestial timekeeping and so this exceptional timepiece also takes Jaeger-LeCoultre’s expertise in chiming watches – one of the most challenging and rewarding of all horological complications for a watchmaker to master – to new heights by uniting the astronomical complications with it. The technical difficulty of creating a minute repeater lies in the complexity of the mechanism needed to transcribe the precise time shown by the hands into a series of perfectly programmed strikes with different sounds for hours, quarters and minutes. The artistic challenge is that the chimes must be pure, harmonious and clearly audible.

At Jaeger-LeCoultre, this continuing quest for the ideal sound has produced several patented innovations – at least five, including Cathedral crystal gongs wrapping 1.5 times around the calibre and fixed to the rear sapphire crystal for maximum resonance and as an amplifier of sound. Trébuchet hammers also patented, that vastly improve the acoustic qualities of the striking mechanism, stronger chime – the hammer shank is cut in half to give even more energy to strike twice more strongly on the gong obtaining an even stronger sound. A patented silent governor is here so there is no distraction from the crystal-clear sound of the magical mechanism.

In the minute repeater mechanism of Calibre 945, these inventions contribute a special magic that complements the romance of celestial timekeeping.

THE COMPLEXITY OF SIMPLICITY: AN EXCEPTIONAL CASE FOR A REMARKABLE WATCH

The case is a perfect complement to the artistic dial and mechanical sophistication of the Master Hybris Artistica Calibre 945. Measuring 45 mm x 16.05 mm and comprising more than 80 parts, its convex bezel is complemented by broad bevels on the lugs, while micro-blasted finishes inside the lugs add dynamic tension; the repeater slide is tapered to harmonise with the curving case sides. Different surfaces are micro-blasted, polished and satin-brushed to maximise the play of light and emphasise the details. Enhancing both aesthetics and ease of use, the watch has no recessed buttons in the side of the case for setting: all functions and displays are set via the crown. The minute repeater is activated by a slide on the left side of the case.

The watch is presented on a blue alligator strap with small-scale lining, carefully matched to the colour and texture of the dial. Completing the design, the 18K white gold (750/1000) folding clasp features a patented double-wheel adjustment mechanism, allowing precise adjustment in 0.5 mm increments for optimal comfort on the wrist.

The essence of the Master Hybris Artistica Calibre 945 lies in the way it artistically and visually interprets astronomical timekeeping for the wrist, using the dial to display our link to the cosmos on both literal and philosophical levels, combining mechanical creativity with intricate decorative crafts.

TECHNICAL CHARACTERISTICS

MASTER HYBRIS ARTISTICA CALIBRE 945

Case: 18K White gold (750/1000) with micro-blasted, satin and polished finishes; sapphire caseback

Dimensions: 45 mm x 16.05 mm

Calibre: manual Jaeger-LeCoultre Calibre 945

Frequency: 28,800

Functions: hours/minutes, months, 24-hour indication; Cosmotourbillon indicating sidereal time; celestial disc with star chart indicating the constellations in the northern hemisphere in real time; minute repeater

Power Reserve: 40 hours

Dial: blue dial with grisaille enamel

Water resistance: 5 bar

Strap: Blue alligator with small-scale alligator lining

Reference: Q5263482