• Showcasing the artistic talents housed within the Manufacture’s Métiers Rares® atelier 
• The complex Reverso case subtly redesigned to host this artistic expression of Calibre 179

Designed according to the harmonious proportions of the Golden Ratio, the Reverso is known in watchmaking as a canvas for artistic expression – and in 2023, Jaeger-LeCoultre presents the Reverso Hybris Artistica Calibre 179. This artistic expression of the Calibre 179 marries the technical tour-de-force of the Maison’s signature multi-axis tourbillon to the finest of artistic craftsmanship, harnessing the skills of the Manufacture’s Métiers Rares® (Rare Handcrafts) artisans to elevate this timepiece to a new level.

A tour-de-force of mechanical ingenuity

Representing mechanical sophistication of the highest order, Calibre 179 features the fourth evolution of the multi-axis tourbillon, developed by Jaeger-LeCoultre’s engineers specifically for the Reverso. The demand that the regulating mechanism be integrated into a movement that is shaped to follow the contours of the rectangular Reverso case and is slim enough to be comfortable on the wrist, makes the engineering feat all the more noteworthy. Moreover, Calibre 179 is a Duoface movement, displaying a different time zone on each dial as well as a 24-hour indicator for the second time zone on the reverse dial.

Visually enthralling to observe as it pirouettes around its twin axes, the structure of the Gyrotourbillon is highly complex: with a total of 123 components, it comprises one ultra-light titanium cage and a peripheral carriage mounted on ball-bearings; these two elements turn perpendicularly to each other at different speeds. The inner tourbillon cage rotates 360 degrees every 16 seconds and the peripheral carriage makes a full rotation once per minute; this peripheral carriage also provides a small seconds function, indicating the seconds on a ring that encircles the tourbillon aperture. A closer look reveals a blued semi-spherical balance spring beating at the heart of the mechanism, as well as the distinctive double-anchor shape of a Gyrolab balance ‘wheel’ – both elements paying testament to Jaeger-LeCoultre’s tireless quest for greater precision and mechanical efficiency. In this quest, the Manufacture’s engineers have created balance springs in several different forms over the years and this hemispherical shape, perfectly adapted to the hollow sphere at the heart of the Gyrotourbillon, adds aesthetic refinement as well as being highly efficient. The double-anchor shape of the Gyrolab was designed to reduce air friction and thus further enhance timekeeping accuracy.

Rather than being held in place by a conventional bridge, the tourbillon mechanism is supported by a ring of ball bearings. As a result, this flying gyrotourbillon appears to be floating in the space between the front and back dials of the Reverso, with no apparent means of support. The effect is amplified by the light reflected from the mirror-like surface of a polished blue lacquer disc positioned on the supporting cradle of the watch directly beneath the tourbillon aperture.

A showcase for the decorative arts

Anchoring the colour palette of the Reverso Hybris Artistica Calibre 179 and creating a rich contrast with the pink gold case, the glowing dark blue lacquer also appears on the front and reverse dials of the watch.

With its double-sided, Duoface movement, this Reverso offers two distinct personalities. On the front dial, in a subtle allusion to the geometric patterns of Art Deco that determined the original Reverso design, a fine lattice of golden lines contrasts with the blue lacquer background and complements the deep blue gradient lacquer of the time display.

These lines are in fact ultra-fine ribs of the calibre plate metal, which remained when the surface was hollowed out to create depressions to contain the lacquer. A work of extraordinary precision, the lacquer was deftly hand-applied between the metal ribs to achieve the desired richness of colour and exactly the right depth; the surface is then polished to a glossy finish so that its surface is flush with the golden ribs.

On the reverse dial, blue lacquer has been applied to the fine tracery of the skeletonised hours-minutes ring and its supporting bridges, highlighting the airy aesthetic and the contrast with the golden tones of various movement components, and the soft silvery texture of the micro-blasting. The decoration on the reverse dial is a fascinating marriage of technology and tradition, with laser skeletonisation complemented by hand chamfering and hand-applied lacquer – affirming Jaeger-LeCoultre’s deep commitment to tradition while constantly seeking innovative approaches to the art and science of horology. Representing approximately 14 hours of chamfering work just for the cage of the Gyrotourbillon and eight hours for the signature shape of one bridge on the reverse side, the Reverso Hybris Artistica Calibre 179 is testament to La Grande Maison’s commitment to hand-craftsmanship of the highest order.

Subtle new refinements for an iconic case

Instantly recognisable, the rectilinear geometry and harmonious proportions of the Reverso case – designed according to the Golden Ratio – belie the complexity of a design that incorporates the signature slide-and-swivel mechanism. The inside of the cradle is decorated with a deeply engraved sunray pattern that radiates out from the blue lacquer disc. With its strong Art Deco lines, emphasised by the signature gadroons above and below the dial, the case is a perfect foil for the intricate decoration of the two dials of the Reverso Hybris Artistica Calibre 179.

Comprising 382 components, including a Gyrotourbillon, a movement as complex as Calibre 179 naturally requires a generously sized case. However, with an overall thickness of 13.63mm and newly reconfigured and refined lugs, the Reverso Hybris Artistica Calibre 179 is designed to be elegant and wearable.

Crafted for true connoisseurs of art and mechanics, the Reverso Hybris Artistica Calibre 179 is a noble expression of the 180 skills brought together under one roof at the Manufacture Jaeger-LeCoultre – a remarkable collaboration between watchmakers and artisans who are at the peak of their powers.

TECHNICAL CHARACTERISTICS

REVERSO HYBRIS ARTISTICA CALIBRE 179

Case: Pink Gold 750/1000 (18 carats)

Dimensions: 51.2 x 31 mm x 13.63 mm thick

Calibre: Manually-wound Jaeger-LeCoultre Calibre 179

Functions: Hours and Minutes on both dials; second time zone with 24-hour indicator on reverse dial, Gyrotourbillon (visible on both front and reverse dials)

Power Reserve: 40 hours

Front dial: Blue lacquer

Back dial: Skeletonised, coated with blue lacquer

Water resistance: 30m

Strap: Dark Blue alligator leather

Reference: Q39424E1 - Limited edition of 10 pieces

In 2013, Jaeger-LeCoultre first introduced the Master Grande Tradition Gyrotourbillon 3 to mark the Maison’s 180th anniversary. Combining a third-generation interpretation of the Gyrotourbillon with an intriguing and highly unusual instantaneous digital display chronograph, it represents mechanical sophistication of the highest order.

But still, Jaeger-LeCoultre wanted to do more. And so, this new version of Gyrotourbillon 3 harnesses the exceptional skills of the Manufacture’s Rare Handcrafts™ (Métiers Rares®) artisans to elevate the rare and precious timepiece to a new level. With various elements of the dial showcasing the traditional Rare Handcrafts™ of hand-guillochage, engraving and grand feu enamel, this new model introduces the rarely seen craft of meteorite inlay.

On the dial side, the intriguing geometric markings of the silvery-grey meteorite are complemented by the subtle glitter of deep blue aventurine and the glow of pure white grand feu enamel. This harmonious interplay of materials, colour and surface pattern is complemented by the warmth and richness of the pink gold case and dial details.

Found in Namibia, the Gibeon meteorite chosen for this watch is an iron-nickel alloy with an octahedrite crystal structure, formed by the cooling of the asteroid fragment in outer space over the course of billions of years before it crashed to earth in prehistoric times. The abstract geometric patterns of the intersecting crystal structures shimmer gently when the material catches the light, their irregular arrangement making every slice of meteorite subtly different from all others.

In addition to the meteorite inlaid on the German silver bridges, a disc of meteorite sits at the centre of the time display dial, surrounded by a ring of aventurine with applied indexes. On the chronograph display, an aventurine disc is encircled by a ring of white grand feu enamel, marked with elapsed seconds. The Day/Night display comprises a 24-hour plate on which two gold semi-circles are applied, one each for day and night. The white day section is decorated with hand-guilloché, hand-engraved sunrays and an applied polished pink gold sun; the night section features applied polished pink gold crescent moon and stars, set on a rich blue background.

Asymmetrical yet perfectly balanced, these three overlapping dials are layered, adding visual depth to the watch face – and, despite tempting glimpses of the movement, drawing the eye irresistibly to the tourbillon as it spins in space, with no immediately visible means of support.

It is on the back of the movement that the meteorite truly takes centre stage. A lively yet subtle mixture of colour and texture – blued screws, ruby jewels, the shiny aspect of the hand-chamfered and hand-polished jewel countersinks, bridges and plates, and the matt finish of the brushed borders of the German silver plates – offsets the abstract geometric patterns of the meteorite, which adorns all of the plates and bridges.

A skill mastered by very few craftsmen in the world, meteorite inlay requires a rare degree of precision and dexterity. First, the artisan must hollow out the surface of the German silver plate or bridge, to a depth that exactly matches the thickness of the meteorite fragment, leaving only a fine fillet of German silver at the borders. Once the new surface has been polished, the meteorite must be laid so that its edges fit seamlessly within the complex, curving borders and its surface lies exactly flush with them, to form a completely flat and unified plane. It is work of the utmost refinement and precision, measured in fractions of a millimetre.

Such exacting work complements the remarkable precision of the Gyrotourbillon mechanism. Exceedingly rare and complex, this multi-axis tourbillon comprises two cages, set at two different angles, turning opposite directions, at different speeds, with a blued spherical balance spring beating like a heart in their centre. In the absence of a tourbillon bridge, the cantilevered all-aluminium cages of Gyrotourbillon 3 appear to be suspended in space.

Hand-wound movement, calibre 176, incorporates a fully integrated chronograph, which displays the seconds on a traditional round dial and elapsed minutes on an instantaneously jumping digital counter.

Conceived and crafted for true connoisseurs of art and mechanics, the new Master Grande Tradition Gyrotourbillon 3 ‘Meteorite’ represents the highest expression of Jaeger-LeCoultre’s codes.

Technical characteristics:

Dimensions: 43.5 mm

Thickness: 15.8 mm

Calibre: manual mechanical movement, Jaeger-LeCoultre Caliber 176

Functions: digital instant monopusher chronograph, hours/minutes, day/night indicator, gyrotourbillon

Power reserve: 45 hours

Case: pink gold

Dial: aventurine, white enamel, meteorite, hand-guilloché day/night indicator

Caseback: open

Water resistance: 50 m

Reference: Q5032441

Limited to 8 pieces

Key points of the Jaeger-LeCoultre Master Grande Tradition Gyrotourbillon Westminster Perpétuel

• The fifth multi-axis tourbillon from Jaeger-LeCoultre, with a size reduction in the redesigned tourbillon component to create a more wearable watch
• A Westminster carillon minute repeater that replicates the chime of the famed Big Ben clock tower in London, with a silence-reduction mechanism to optimise melody cadence
• Incorporates a one-minute constant-force mechanism to provide consistent energy to the sensitive tourbillon, resulting in a precisely jumping minute hand and a more precise minute repeater mechanism
• A sleek new contemporary aesthetic that pairs traditional haut-de-gamme finishing with modern, wearable watches at the top of the mechanical watchmaking hierarchy

JANUARY 2019 — The Master Grande Tradition Gyrotourbillon Westminster Perpétuel is the latest generation of multi-axis tourbillon to emerge from Jaeger-LeCoultre, following the 2004 Master Gyrotourbillon 1, the 2008 Reverso Gyrotourbillon 2, the 2013 Master Grande Tradition Gyrotourbillon 3 Jubilee and the 2016 Reverso Tribute Gyrotourbillon.

Precision tourbillons are a noted speciality of Jaeger-LeCoultre, as proven by the 2009 Concours International de Chronométrie timing competition, in which the top two prizes were awarded to Jaeger-LeCoultre. The strength in creating high-precision tourbillons goes hand-in-hand with the mastery required to engineer the visually spectacular Gyrotourbillon watches. Even with the considerable energy demands of the large multi-axis tourbillon, chronometric performance must not be affected. Reconciling the needs of the Gyrotourbillon with impeccable chronometric requirements is a balancing feat that can only be accomplished with the experience and skill of a 186-year-old watchmaking manufacture.

Further advancing the art of multi-axis tourbillons, the Master Grande Tradition Gyrotourbillon Westminster Perpétuel features a tourbillon that is significantly smaller than those in the preceding Gyrotourbillon timepieces. As a rule, reducing the size of a mechanism also reduces its error tolerance, which is why successful miniaturisation efforts are so highly valued and complex. In creating a smaller tourbillon, Jaeger-LeCoultre has created a truly wearable Gyrotourbillon, bringing high complication out of the watch safe and onto the wrist for everyday enjoyment.

The Westminster chime is familiar to everyone as the famous melody of the Big Ben clock at the Palace of Westminster in London. Its four-phrase melody is composed of four notes played in different sequences and different quantities at each quarter of the hour. The Master Grande Tradition Gyrotourbillon Westminster Perpétuel uses four sets of gongs and hammers to create the Westminster chime to indicate the quarters when the minute repeater is activated, incorporating a complex mechanism that places it at the most prestigious tier of chiming watches.

The most beautiful chime can be marred by interruptions and gaps of silence between the strikes. In order to create a chime of unmatched euphony, the Master Grande Tradition Gyrotourbillon Westminster Perpétuel has a silence-reduction function built into its chiming mechanism. This ensures that even when the full set of Westminster quarters is not struck, there is no time delay corresponding to the missing quarters before the minutes are struck. In every instance of the chime when the Master Grande Tradition Gyrotourbillon Westminster Perpétuel is activated, the hour strikes, quarter strikes and minute strikes are seamlessly joined.

Precision lies at the heart of the Master Grande Tradition Gyrotourbillon Westminster Perpétuel, with a one-minute constant-force mechanism that provides a consistent level of power for the energy-hungry tourbillon without affecting its chronometric ability. The constant-force mechanism consists of a spring, known classically as a remontoir d’égalité, that is periodically re-armed by the mainspring and acts as a secondary power source to protect the regulating organ of the movement.

In the Master Grande Tradition Gyrotourbillon Westminster Perpétuel, the constant-force mechanism has an additional advantage. It regulates the motion of the minute wheel, creating a jumping minutes hand that offers greater precision in time display. More significantly, the mechanism that controls the minute strike also follows this one-minute jumping system, which completely eliminates the chiming error that can occur when the repeater is activated between minutes, when the chime played and the time shown can be one minute apart.

Besides the multi-axis tourbillon, which highlights the cinematic virtuosity of fine watchmaking at Jaeger-LeCoultre, and the minute repeater, which showcases in-house mastery of the most sophisticated complications, the Master Grande Tradition Gyrotourbillon Westminster Perpétuel also features the one horological function with the greatest everyday relevance and pragmatic value — the perpetual calendar. As the name suggests, the perpetual calendar is designed to work in perpetuity. It automatically displays the correct date without the need for manual adjustment between months of different lengths. It even takes into account the extra day at the end of February during leap years. The most common configuration of the perpetual calendar mechanism can only be adjusted in one direction, but the Master Grande Tradition Gyrotourbillon Westminster Perpétuel emphasises the experience and convenience of the user, and its date can be adjusted forwards or backwards without harming the movement. The pointer-style date indication further reinforces the precision aspect of the timepiece, as it jumps over the tourbillon aperture in order to provide the best possible view of the visually stunning rotating escapement.

The Master Grande Tradition Gyrotourbillon Westminster Perpétuel is the result of 186 years of fine watchmaking expertise and a spirit of innovation that continues to this day. Reflecting the blend of patrimony and modernity is the design of the watch, which emphasises the round profile of the Master Grande Tradition case. A retractable minute repeater pusher, first seen in the Master Ultra Thin Minute Repeater Flying Tourbillon, preserves the smooth lines of the case. Hand guillochage, fine hammering (martelage) and grand feu enamel are part of the canon of fine watchmaking finish and have been practiced at Jaeger-LeCoultre throughout its history — most outstandingly in the dazzling Hybris Artistica collection. In the Master Grande Tradition Gyrotourbillon Westminster Perpétuel, however, these finishes are expressed in a subtle and contemporary way, culminating in the openworked dial — produced either in a striking deep-blue grand feu enamel or in a more classic silver-grained version — showcasing the mesmerising multi-axis tourbillon. These age-old techniques are skilfully practised by master artisans from the in-house Metiers Rares atelier of Jaeger-LeCoultre, where haut-de-gamme traditional finish is also applied to the movement by hand.

The Sound of Precision

There are extremely few watchmaking manufactures that possess in-house expertise in sonnerie wristwatches. There are even fewer that have been making them since 1870, accumulating one and a half centuries of experience and savoir-faire. There is only one watchmaking manufacture in the world that has over 200 chiming watch calibers in its historical and modern inventory — La Grande Maison du Sentier.

The Master Grande Tradition Gyrotourbillon Westminster Perpétuel brings together a panoply of chiming innovations and improvements that were first debuted by Jaeger-LeCoultre, representing the epitome of horological creativity and ingenuity at La Grande Maison.

In the 19^th century, repeater chimes were regulated primarily by an anchor-and-flywheel mechanism, which resulted in a characteristic buzz that can be heard underlying the chime of antique repeaters and some modern watches that still use the old system. Jaeger-LeCoultre patented a new silent strike governer in 1895 that uses friction and centripetal forces to regulate chiming. Today, this mechanism is used in the majority of chiming watches, including the Master Grande Tradition Gyrotourbillon Westminster Perpétuel.

The minute repeater of the Master Grande Tradition Gyrotourbillon Westminster Perpétuel also benefits from more recent innovations, such as the patented crystal gongs that first appeared in the Master Minute Repeater Antoine LeCoultre in 2005. These crystal gongs were welded to the dial crystal of the watch, capitalising on the superior sound transmission qualities of synthetic sapphire crystal to produce the loudest and clearest wristwatch chime ever created. Trebuchet hammers, articulated and sprung to deliver strong and quick strikes to the gongs, can be found in the Master Grande Tradition Gyrotourbillon Westminster Perpétuel, as they first appeared in the only other Westminster chime wristwatch of Jaeger-LeCoultre, the 2009 Hybris Mechanica Duomètre à Grande Sonnerie. Gongs with circular cross sections are the norm in minute repeater watches, but the square cross-section gongs seen in the Master Grande Tradition Gyrotourbillon Westminster Perpétuel are engineered to provide the greatest area of contact with the striking hammers, and have been a mainstay of Jaeger-LeCoultre chiming watches since 2006.

The Whirlwind of Precision

Of utmost importance in any watch movement is the regulating organ, the balance and hairspring assembly that allows a watch to measure time in precise beats. The tourbillon is a chronometric amplifier that can improve the timekeeping performance of a regulator by averaging out its positional errors. The in-house expertise of Jaeger-LeCoultre in tourbillons is unmatched, extending over a range of rotating escapements from the award-winning classic tourbillon calibre 978, the unbridged flying tourbillon, the various multi-axis Gyrotourbillon watches, the inclined-axis Sphérotoubillon and the groundbreaking flying tourbillon with flying balance in the Master Ultra Thin Minute Repeater Flying Tourbillon.

Along with this unparalleled variety of tourbillons comes an equally profound understanding of hairspring technology, which Jaeger-LeCoultre has developed with its own in-house tools to form the sophisticated spherical hairsprings used in some of its most evolved tourbillon watches.

The Master Grande Tradition Gyrotourbillon Westminster Perpétuel takes this exploration of precision to a new level with its constant-force mechanism. With the inclusion of the constant-force spring remontoir, the focus on precision is expanded far beyond the whirling dimensions of the tourbillon and its precision regulation. The Master Grande Tradition Gyrotourbillon Westminster Perpétuel constant-force mechanism highlights the precision of power delivery in one-minute cycles, the precision of time display in the jumping minutes hand and the precision of the repeater chime.

Master Grande Tradition Gyrotourbillon Westminster Perpétuel

Dimensions: 43 mm

Thickness: 14.08 mm

Calibre: 184 - Manual

Case: White gold

Water resistance: 3 bar

Functions: Hour/Minute, Jumping Date, Two-way perpetual calendar (Day/Date/Month/Year), Gyrotourbillon, Minute repeater with Westminster chime

Power reserve: 52 h

Dial: Blue guilloché enamel or Silver grained

Case Back: Open

Limitation: 18 pieces

Reference: Q52534E1, Q5253420