INTRODUCING THE 101 SECRETS

KEY FACTS:

• Time, kept secretly: inspired by a heritage of secret watches, where horological ingenuity meets the art of discreetly concealing time

• Exceptional gem-setting savoir-faire: 124 brilliant-cut pink sapphires and 904 brilliant-cut diamonds represent 163 hours of gem-setting work

• The mastery of miniaturisation: the world’s smallest rectangular manually wound mechanical movement, Calibre 101 showcases precision and technical expertise

Enriching the Calibre 101 series of High Jewellery watches with a dazzling new version of 101 Secrets, Jaeger-LeCoultre reaffirms the unique alliance between High Jewellery and fine watchmaking made possible by this exceptional mechanism. The world’s smallest rectangular manual-winding mechanical movement is paired with pink sapphires, graduated in shades from vivid cyclamen to pale blush, diamonds and 18k Pink Gold (750/1000) – a new interpretation of 101 Secrets that will be produced in a limited edition of three pieces.

CALIBRE 101: A LANDMARK IN THE QUEST FOR MINIATURISATION

The art of miniaturisation: Since the early 16^th century, when clocks were first reduced to portable dimensions, the history of horology can be seen as a centuries-long quest for miniaturisation, as well as timekeeping precision. The fundamental challenge was to solve the conundrum that reducing the size of components almost invariably comes at the cost of robustness and reliability. From the mid-19^th century onwards, Jaeger-LeCoultre became known for developing very small movements – ensuring that mechanical quality did not need to be sacrificed for the sake of aesthetics and ornamentation. Among its innovations were the diminutive LeCoultre Calibre 7HP, introduced in 1880 for small enamelled and gem-set watches; and LeCoultre Calibre 6EB, introduced in 1908, which measured barely more than 1cm square.

The Duoplan breakthrough: By the 1920s, as wristwatches began to overtake pocket watches, a dramatic change in lifestyles had brought new demands, including a taste for smaller watches and more creative designs. LeCoultre’s solution was the Duoplan. Invented and patented in 1925, it was a rectangular movement with a two-level architecture (hence its name). By setting the escapement on one plane and the barrel and cogs on another, it effectively halved the amount of space required by the gear train of a conventional calibre. Equally ingenious, the mainspring is wound by a flat crown set into the caseback. The LeCoultre Manufacture went further and in 1929, introduced Calibre 101. Built on the Duoplan architecture, it represents the apotheosis of the quest to marry accurate timekeeping with tiny dimensions.

The world’s smallest rectangular calibre: At 14 mm long, 4.8mm wide and 3.4 mm thick (a volume of just 0.2 cm3), the 101 calibre comprised 74 parts and weighed barely one gram – the weight of two butterflies. Its balance wheel oscillates at 21,600 vibrations per hour (3 Hertz frequency) and the mainspring provides a power reserve of 33 hours. Created without the benefit of computer-aided design, laser cutting and CNC machining – all of which were at least half a century in the future – it was a remarkable feat. Underlining its unique value in watchmaking, it remains to this day the world’s smallest rectangular manually wound mechanical movement. It is also one of the world’s oldest movements to have remained in continuous production and has appeared in jewellery watches created by Jaeger-LeCoultre under its own name, as well as by other great Maisons.

A legacy in precision: Over the past nine decades, technology has enabled improvements in materials, gear-train design and production techniques but the calibre’s dimensions and architecture remain unchanged. Now with 98 parts – each of which must be custom-produced and adjusted due to their tiny size – the current version of Calibre 101 represents the fifth generation. Working in a specialised atelier dedicated to the calibre, only a handful of watchmakers have ever mastered the skills necessary to assemble movements at such a microscopic scale. Dexterity, extreme precision and great patience are required: it takes 40 hours to assemble the 98 components and production is, consequently, limited to only a few dozen pieces each year.

CALIBRE 101 SECRETS: A NEW HEIR TO A LONG LEGACY OF HIGH JEWELLERY WATCHES

Where jewellery meets time: The tradition of jewellery watches can be traced back to the Royal Courts of 18^th and 19^th-century Europe, when portable timepieces were potent symbols of privilege and wealth. In keeping with this status, the cases and dials were embellished by goldsmiths, lapidaries, enamellers, engravers and gem-setters. Thus, the arts of horology and jewellery – of technical ingenuity and aesthetic beauty – became inextricably linked. By the early 20^th century – decades after women had preceded men in wearing watches on the wrist – wristwatches were recognised as the most useful piece of jewellery that a woman could own.

A legacy of secret watches: Uniting superlative craftsmanship and micro-mechanical ingenuity with timeless design and beauty, the new 101 Secrets watch takes inspiration from the Maison’s long heritage in jewellery watches, including a series of fully diamond-set ‘secret’ watches from the mid-20^th century. Secret watches derived from the notion that ladies of the social elite did not need constant reference to the passing of time and, with a hinged cover over the dial that revealed the time only on demand, were not only the ultimate in discretion but also provided an ideal canvas for the jewellery arts.

Sapphires in perfect harmony: The new 101 Secrets watch adheres faithfully to the classical codes of High Jewellery: its double rivière-style bracelet is crafted in 18k Pink Gold (750/1000) and set with 124 pink sapphires (approximately 16.39 carats) graduated in both size and colour, from intense cyclamen to barely-there blush, encompassing 10 sizes and 7 shades. Separated by a contrasting band of grain-set white diamonds, the two rows of precious stones are claw-set to maximise the light that passes through them and thus amplify their colour and sparkle. The case sides are also grain-set with sapphires and diamonds – the latter extending the entire length of the bracelet. The time, when revealed, is displayed on a glowing white mother-of-pearl dial surrounded by a rectangular 18k Pink Gold (750/1000) bezel grain-set with diamonds, bringing the total to 904 brilliant-cut diamonds (approximately 13.26 carats). This tour de force of gem-setting, crafted in the Métiers Rares™ atelier in the heart of the Jaeger-LeCoultre Manufacture required 163 hours to complete.

Micromechanics, hidden in plain sight: In a marriage of micromechanics, technology and traditional craft, the development of the 101 Secrets watch required countless hours of research and many different areas of expertise to perfect the design of the case, the opening and closing mechanisms, the precisely articulated bracelet and the positioning of the gemstones. Designing the secret elements of the watch added to the challenge. The mechanism that reveals the dial had to be so tiny that it could be completely hidden within the rows of gemstones – its position known only to the wearer and activated by a hidden button at 6 o’clock. When the button is held down, a section of the bracelet pops open like the pages of a book, to reveal the time. Once the button is released, the dial disappears again into the ribbon of pink sapphires. A second tiny mechanism – also completely hidden – had to be developed for the clasp that fastens the bracelet to the wrist.

Showcasing Jaeger-LeCoultre’s exceptional expertise in both the technical demands of miniature watchmaking and the refined craft of gem-setting, the new 101 Secrets watch is a dazzling celebration of the creative freedom allowed by Calibre 101. The High Jewellery watch will be produced in a limited edition of three pieces.

TECHNICAL CHARACTERISTICS

CALIBRE 101 SECRETS

Case: 18K Pink Gold (750/1000)

Dimensions: 29.07 x 12.22 mm x 9.88 mm

Calibre: Manually wound, Calibre 101

Functions: Hours, minutes

Power Reserve: 33 hours

Dial: Mother-of-pearl

Gemstones: 124 pink sapphires (approximately 16.39 carats)

904 diamonds (approximately 13.26 carats)

Strap: 18k Pink Gold (750/1000) set with brilliant-cut pink sapphires and brilliant-cut diamonds; wrist size 160 mm

Reference: Q2872310

Limited edition of 3 pieces