• New Calibre 953: a fully integrated movement including 7 patented inventions
• Métiers Rares^TM mastery: 4 hours of guilloché and 8 hours of enamelling on the in-house enamel dial
• Adjustable folding buckle: 46 pink gold (18k, 750/1000) components, weighing 30 grams, adjustable to 0.5mm
• Part of the new Nonantieme Collector’s Box: one of the six complicated Reversos part of an exclusive collector’s box celebrating the enduring watchmaking expertise of Jaeger-LeCoultre

With a new in-house movement, Calibre 953, Jaeger-LeCoultre reinvents the Reverso Tribute Minute Repeater. Its distinctive dials on both the front and reverse sides bring a new visual expression to the complication and showcase the work of the Manufacture’s Métiers Rares^TM atelier. To be issued in a limited edition of 30 pieces, the new Reverso Tribute Minute Repeater underlines how the Reverso’s unique swivelling case and Art Deco design have made it not only an icon of style but also an exceptional canvas for innovation in both the mechanical and aesthetic aspects of timekeeping.

FROM POLO FIELD TO HIGH COMPLICATIONS – THE EVOLUTION OF AN ICON

Created in 1931, the Reverso was designed to meet the demands of the newly fashionable ‘sporting gentleman’. A challenge was set by polo-playing military officers in India during the British Raj of 1858-1947 to create a watch that could withstand the rigours of the polo field. The Reverso was the answer – a masterful integration of form and function. Quickly adopted by tastemakers from all walks of life, the Reverso soon transcended its original sporting purpose as new variations appeared – for both men and women. However, its iconic double-sided case (historical patent CH159982) and distinctive Art Deco lines have remained constant, making the Reverso one of the world’s most recognisable wristwatches.  

The Reverso was born as a deft synthesis of style and function. Rooted in the Art Deco aesthetics it also embodied a mechanical revolution allowed by La Grande Maison’s expertise. From the very beginning of its production, Reverso’s calibres were shaped to follow the curves of its rectangular case, an ingenious answer to maximise space used and therefore the precision of the calibre. In 1931, it was seen as a revolution in Haute Horlogerie: an unusual rectangular case, powered by shaped calibres, set in a dedicated casing ring to protect them from shocks, humidity and the passing of time.

This technical challenge overtook by the Manufacture was fully embraced at the beginning of the 1990s, when Jaeger-LeCoultre introduced high complications in Reverso. In 1994, La Grande Maison presented the Reverso Minute Repeater. It was the first time Jaeger-LeCoultre had miniaturised a minute repeater for a wristwatch, and it was the Maison’s first rectangular minute repeater movement.

A LEGACY OF CHIMING WATCHES AND CONTINUAL INNOVATION IN MINUTE REPEATER CALIBRES

Considered by watchmakers to be the most challenging yet rewarding of all horological complications to master, a minute repeater is not only a timepiece but also a miniaturised musical instrument. Jaeger-LeCoultre has thoroughly mastered the complication, having produced its first minute repeater in 1870 and crafting nearly 100 such masterpieces before 1900. During the 20th century, the Manufacture has continued to innovate, and the Reverso Minute Repeater of 1994 marked a notable breakthrough with its redesign of the complication for a shaped movement fitted to a rectangular case. This was particularly demanding due to the smaller space for the ‘sound box’ (for resonance and amplification) and the necessary change in shape for the gongs.

Jaeger-LeCoultre has continually raised the standard for not only the mechanical efficiency of chiming movements but also for the clarity and beauty of the sound being produced and has been granted numerous patents for inventions that enhance sound quality. In recent years, these include crystal gongs (2005) – so named because they are adhered directly to the sapphire crystal watch glass, enabling a cleaner sound and increased volume – and trébuchet hammers (2009). Designed with an articulated arm that creates a ‘catapult’ action, these hammers strike the gong in a way that requires less energy without reducing the sound volume. Another important invention (introduced in Calibre 185 in 2021) eliminated the silent interval that, in classical Sonnerie calibres, occurs between the hour and minutes chimes at times when there are no quarter-hour chimes that would ‘fill the gap’.

Throughout its rich chiming mechanisms legacy, Jaeger-LeCoultre has pushed the mastery of sound to the Grande Sonnerie complication. A Grande Sonnerie is the pinnacle of chiming complications, automatically striking the hours and quarters as a clock would, while also allowing the wearer to activate the minute repeater at will. In 2009, Calibre 182 pushed the boundaries of innovation, housing 26 complications including the Grande Sonnerie, 12 patents, and 1,400 components within an astonishingly slim 10.4mm movement. This masterpiece exemplifies the Maison’s relentless pursuit of precision, artistry, and mechanical excellence.

Every chime created by the Maison is meticulously recorded and preserved, allowing the watchmakers to analyse and refine its exact tonality. This archive of sounds allows for the most precise repair at any point in the future. This process ensures that each note resonates with absolute clarity and harmony, maintaining the highest standard of acoustic perfection. By continuously monitoring and comparing each chime, Jaeger-LeCoultre upholds an uncompromising commitment to sound precision and excellence.

A NEW CALIBRE AND FRESH AESTHETIC EXPRESSION FOR THE REVERSO TRIBUTE MINUTE REPEATER

The Reverso Tribute Minute Repeater is powered by a newly developed movement, Calibre 953, which – like all Jaeger-LeCoultre movements – has been entirely conceived, designed and produced in-house. It incorporates seven existing patents, including key inventions that enhance chime quality: trébuchet hammers (patent EP2048548A2), crystal gongs (patent CH698533) and silent-interval elimination (patent CH709152B1). The power reserve of the new calibre is 48 hours – a notable feat for an energy-hungry complication like a minute repeater.

The new Reverso Tribute Minute Repeater is distinguished by a newly designed enamel dial. While both dials display the same time and are decorated with great refinement, they are very different in character. The front dial showcases a radiant hand-guilloché barley-seed pattern that creates an optical illusion of movement as it catches the light from different angles. The guillochage is elevated by multiple layers of grand feu enamel in a new teal blue colour. Both the guillochage and enamelling are entirely created in Jaeger-LeCoultre’s in-house Métiers Rares™ atelier, with the guillochage requiring four hours of work, followed by an additional eight hours for the enamelling.

The reverse dial is open-worked, revealing the complexity of the repeater mechanism and presenting a fascinating display of moving parts when it is activated. The sense of visual depth and transparency is enhanced by faceted indexes that are cantilevered from the chemin de fer minutes track and appear to float above the mechanism. The bridges are hand-bevelled, the decorative finishes combine brushed and grained surfaces and the cool silvery tones of the metal provide contrast with the warm pink gold of the case (18k, 750/1000). The bridge that spans the entire breadth of the movement from 7 o’clock to 5 o’clock and supports the hammers is decorated with blue lacquer to match the front dial.

Set into the side of the watch case, the slider that activates the chimes has been redesigned for this version of the Reverso Tribute Minute Repeater to be as discreet as possible without sacrificing ergonomics.

Complementing the timeless aesthetic of the Reverso Tribute Minute Repeater, the pink gold case contrasts with a black alligator leather strap lined with small-scale alligator and an adjustable folding clasp. Crafted entirely in pink gold and weighing nearly 30 grams, the buckle features a double-wheel mechanism for micro-adjustments to the nearest 0.5mm. Comprising 46 components, it combines ergonomic innovation with timeless elegance.

Testament to the 180 skills gathered under one roof in Jaeger-LeCoultre’s fully integrated Manufacture, the new Reverso Tribute Minute Repeater celebrates the versatility and eternal modernity of the Reverso design, underlining La Grande Maison’s constant quest to innovate in both the mechanical and aesthetic aspects of timekeeping.

THE NONANTIEME COLLECTOR’S BOX

Along with the launch of the limited edition Reverso Tribute Minute Repeater, Jaeger-LeCoultre releases an exclusive collector’s box commemorating the 90^th anniversary of its iconic Reverso. This meticulously crafted case is designed to house six limited-edition Reverso timepieces, each representing a pinnacle of horological innovation and artistry.

Drawing inspiration from the collector’s box created for the Reverso’s 60^th anniversary in 1991, this new edition offers a unique opportunity for discerning collectors to own a piece of horological history. Each of the six compartments within the box is dedicated to a distinct Reverso model, showcasing the timepiece’s enduring legacy and the evolution of its celebrated complications. The box itself is a testament to Jaeger-LeCoultre’s commitment to exceptional craftsmanship, combining luxury, functionality, and a timeless aesthetic.

TECHNICAL CHARACTERISTICS

REVERSO TRIBUTE MINUTE REPEATER

Case: Pink gold (18k, 750/1000)

Dimensions: 51.1 x 31 mm x 12.6 mm thick

Calibre: Manually wound Jaeger-LeCoultre Calibre 953

Functions: Hours and minutes on both dials; minute repeater

Power Reserve: 48 hours

Front dial: Teal blue enamelled guilloché

Reverse dial: Open-worked

Water resistance: 3 bar

Strap: black alligator leather with small-scale alligator lining

Buckle: Adjustable folding buckle

Reference: Q7122480

Limited edition of 30 pieces

FROM MUSIC BOXES TO POCKET WATCHES

Before Antoine LeCoultre turned to watchmaking, he and his father invented a new type of ‘keyboard’ for mechanical music boxes. Cut from a single piece of metal and shaped like a comb (peigne in French), it improved the quality of the sound, and prevented the instrument from detuning. Variations of this device became standard for almost all music boxes. Jaeger-LeCoultre’s Heritage Collection features an early example from the 1820s, fitted with a LeCoultre ‘Peigne’ mechanism and set in a finely decorated tortoise-shell box.

After it was established in 1833, the LeCoultre atelier quickly gained a reputation for both inventiveness and quality and, by the 1860s, was known for its complicated watch movements, incorporating calendars, chronographs and chiming mechanisms. Around 1880, a decade after developing its first minute repeater, the Manufacture LeCoultre created Calibre 19/20 RMS, a Minute Repeater with Three Hammers, rather than the standard two hammers and gongs. Thanks to the third hammer, it creates a unique melody, with a distinctive three-note chime for the quarters.

As the Maison broadened its expertise, watchmakers also incorporated automata into chiming watches. The best-loved of these were jacquemarts – human figures with articulated limbs, set on the watch dial. Animated by the watch movement to coincide with the striking of time, they provide a visual representation of the chime. The intricate dial of an early 1890s Jacquemart Pocket Watch by LeCoultre, features a pair of jacquemarts in a romantic scene, decorated with enamel and engraving.

In 1895, Jaeger-LeCoultre invented and patented the silent strike-governor, also known as the silent regulator. This eliminated the background buzz characteristic of traditional regulators, thus producing a clearer chime. Different versions of that invention have since become an industry standard in chiming watches. Among the examples in the Heritage Collection is a 1914 pocket watch powered by Calibre 19 IMCCV, which unites a mono-pusher chronograph and a minute repeater.

In the early 20th century, LeCoultre was one of the few Manufactures to master triple-complication watch movements. For the 1910 Minute Repeater Triple Complication, LeCoultre Calibre 19/20IMCSQ brought together a minute repeater, a chronograph and a perpetual calendar in a classical hunter-style case.

To create an aesthetic worthy of the technical complexity, decorative crafts were often lavished on the more complicated watches. In a 1928 Lépine-style pocket watch, LeCoultre Calibre 17JSMCCRVQ combined a minute repeater with a perpetual calendar and a chronograph, providing a magnificent canvas for the crafts of skeletonisation, enamelling and engraving. Lépine refers to a style of watch movement architecture developed in the 1760s by the French watchmaker Jean-Antoine Lépine, which made calibres thinner.

MEMOVOX

In the mid 20th Century, as people increasingly sought watches with practical functions, Jaeger-LeCoultre drew on its mastery of chiming mechanisms to develop alarm watches. In this form of chiming calibre, the extremely rapid strikes of the hammer create a continuous single-pitch sound, closer to a buzz than to the bell-like chime of a minute repeater. The Memovox (its name, taken from Latin, means ‘voice of the memory’) has remained the reference in alarm watches for 70 years.

In 1950, the Maison introduced Calibre 489 in the first Memovox watch. The design was classically understated: on the dial, a triangular pointer on a mobile central disc indicated the alarm time, and the two crowns – one for winding and time-setting and the other to set the alarm – were set close to the case-sides.

Having created its first automatic wristwatch movement in 1946, the Manufacture launched the first automatic alarm movement, Calibre 815, a decade later. The oscillating weight is fixed at the centre of the movement, its swings limited by two bumpers, equipped with tiny shock-absorbing springs.

In 1958, Jaeger-LeCoultre introduced the Memovox Calibre 814 in two new variations. With international businessmen in mind, the Memovox International incorporated a 24-hour world time display on the dial’s inner disc. The Memovox Parking was designed to help motorists avoid fines for exceeding the pre-paid time on their parking meters by buzzing when the allotted time expired.

In 1959, responding to the rapid growth of leisure diving and the corresponding demand for purpose-built watches, Jaeger-LeCoultre introduced the world’s first diving watch with an alarm, the Memovox Deep Sea (Cal. 815). To enhance underwater safety, the alarm sound provides an acoustic signal and the vibration of the watch a tactile reminder of the elapsed diving time.

Introduced in 1963 and updated in 1968 with the addition of a date display (Cal. 825), the Memovox Polaris further enhanced the diving functionality of the alarm watch. A rotating inner bezel provides a visual indication of elapsed dive time, and a super-compressor case with a triple-layered caseback amplifies the alarm sound when submerged, while ensuring water resistance to 200 metres.

In 1970 the Memovox Speedbeat introduced Calibre 916, the first of a new generation of higher-frequency automatic movements by Jaeger-LeCoultre. Increasing the balance-wheel frequency to 28,800 vph made the movement more stable and thus more accurate. A new automatic winding system introduced an oscillating weight that turned 360 degrees around its axis to wind the mainspring.

Fitted with Calibre 918, the Master Réveil was introduced in 1994. In this new alarm mechanism, the hammer struck a gong rather than striking directly on the case, as it had done previously. The result was the distinctive ‘school bell’ sound that has remained the signature of Memovox to this day. The Master Réveil was also the first Memovox to undergo the demanding 1,000 Hours Test, which is recognised as one of the most stringent in-house quality control protocols in the watchmaking industry.

This great legacy in chiming watches has provided Jaeger-LeCoultre with a deep well of expertise on which it continues to draw to this day. The Manufacture’s constant evolution of its chiming watch repertoire epitomises the deep respect for tradition and constant quest for innovation that have driven La Grande Maison throughout its 187-year history.

The long, harsh winters have contributed to the development of two sounds that are special signatures of the valley. Due to the cold, the spruce forests grow slowly here, producing a wood with exceptional resonance qualities, which has been sought after by luthiers for centuries. The icy winters meant countless hours spent indoors, allowing the valley’s early watchmakers the time needed to develop and build complicated chiming watches.

In 2020, Jaeger-LeCoultre celebrates THE SOUND MAKER, paying homage to its valley and its great legacy of chiming timepieces, expressing a century and a half of accumulated expertise in fresh new ways.

THE SOUND OF TIME

For more than 600 years, the passing hours have been marked by sound, with people all over Europe organising their daily routines according to the chimes of the turret clocks on village churches and town halls. Indeed, the word clock itself is derived from “cloche”, the Old French word for bell (which can in turn be traced back to the Latin “clocca” – the sound of a chime).

It is often said that minute repeaters – tiny versions of those historic clocks – were invented in the era before electric light so that people could tell the time in the dark. It is a charming story, if not entirely true. The real impetus for the miniaturisation of chiming timepieces came from the early watchmakers’ fervent desire to innovate, and from their wealthy clients’ wish to possess these wearable symbols of status and connoisseurship.

In this, the Manufacture’s founder Antoine LeCoultre played a key role, not just as a watchmaker, but as the inventor of machines that could measure and cut components more accurately and on a smaller scale than ever before. As a result, the Vallée de Joux became celebrated for producing both chiming watches and music boxes of ever-greater complexity, smaller size and more beautiful sound.

A DISTINGUISHED HISTORY

Considered by watchmakers to be the most challenging – and rewarding – of all horological complications to master, a minute repeater is not only a timepiece but also a miniaturised musical instrument. To make such a watch requires an ear for music as well as extreme dexterity.

Since producing its first minute repeater in 1870, Jaeger-LeCoultre has developed more than 200 chiming watch calibres, producing some 100 minute repeaters before the year 1900. It has mastered all forms, from relatively simple alarms to the most complex of all, the grand sonnerie and Westminster chimes. Until the mid-20th century, while making repeater and sonnerie watches under its own name, La Grande Maison also supplied chiming movements to many of the most exalted names in watchmaking.

Although the structure of chiming watch mechanisms has remained essentially unchanged since the early 19th century, Jaeger-LeCoultre has constantly worked to improve both the mechanical efficiency of its movements and the clarity and beauty of the sound being produced. Its early innovations included cathedral gongs (1870) and a triple-hammer mechanism (1880). In 1895, the Maison invented the silent strike governor, thus eliminating the background buzz characteristic of traditional lever type regulators. Today, versions of that invention are used in almost all chiming watches. In 1900, Jaeger-LeCoultre produced the first ultra-thin minute repeater.

In the mid 20th century, as society changed and people increasingly sought watches with practical functions – whether for urban life or sporting activity – Jaeger-LeCoultre drew on its mastery of chiming mechanisms to develop alarm watches. While the hammer-and-gong mechanism of repeater watches is also used in the Memovox calibre, the extremely rapid strikes create a continuous single-pitch buzz, rather than a delicate bell-like chime.

Introduced in 1950, the Memovox – with its characteristic “school bell” sound – has remained the reference in alarm watches for 70 years. Over time, additional, practical functions have been offered, including a world time display and a car-parking reminder, and in 1959, the Maison introduced the world’s first diving watch with an alarm. Since 2000, the Memovox has reappeared in various forms, including in a perpetual calendar watch, a Master Compressor model and a series of diving-watch tribute pieces.

MARRYING TECHNOLOGY AND TRADITION

Since the mid-1990s, when La Grande Maison revisited its noble legacy of minute repeaters, its engineers and designers have worked to redefine the benchmark for acoustic quality, harnessing technology to serve and safeguard horology’s most treasured traditions.

Capitalising on the superior sound transmission qualities of synthetic sapphire crystal, Jaeger-LeCoultre’s patented ‘crystal gongs’ (introduced in 2005) are soldered directly to the dial crystal of the watch. The square-profile gongs introduced two years later provide a flat striking surface for the hammers, ensuring that the strikes are more consistent and more powerful. The articulated trebuchet hammers (introduced in 2009) use a similar mechanical principle to the medieval counterweight catapults that they are named after, to improve the speed and force of the hammer strike. A silent-interval reduction function, introduced in 2014’s Master Ultra Thin Minute Repeater Flying Tourbillon, 11^th opus of the Hybris Mechanica Collection, ensures that even when the quarter-hours are not struck, there is no time delay corresponding to those missing quarters before the minutes are struck.

In 2019, in Calibre 950, Jaeger-LeCoultre introduced a new ‘duplex’ gong design. Rather than lying in flat coils, the gongs make a circle before bending upwards then diverging to form two semi-circles around the top of the movement. In this way, by using the maximum space available within the case, acoustic resonance is significantly increased.

While constantly working to improve the mechanics of the strike-works, Jaeger-LeCoultre’s engineers have also met the challenge of combining repeaters with other complications, most recently uniting a perpetual calendar, the multi-axis Gyrotourbillon and a Westminster chiming mechanism (Calibre 184); combining a perpetual calendar with the new “duplex” gong system and automatic winding (Calibre 950); and bringing together a sidereal calendar and orbital flying tourbillon in this year’s new-generation Master Grande Tradition Grande Complication, (Calibre 945).

For 150 years, chiming watches have been a particular forte of Jaeger-LeCoultre, complementing its expertise in the other classic complications. This year, the new generation of striking watches takes the spotlight, honouring the Manufacture’s great patrimony, while reaffirming the spirit of innovation that has always driven La Grande Maison.

The Master Grande Tradition series epitomises Jaeger-LeCoultre’s horological ingenuity and artistic creativity, bringing innovations and complications together in fascinating new ways. As the latest addition to this series, the new Master Grande Tradition Calibre 945 harnesses more than a century and a half of accumulated expertise. This masterpiece of mechanical engineering incorporates two of the most romantic yet technically challenging complications in horology – a minute repeater and a celestial vault. The complex mechanism is further elevated by an orbital flying tourbillon. This limited edition of eight pieces each in rose gold and in white gold features a new aesthetic that reaffirms Jaeger-LeCoultre’s mastery of the artistic crafts.

A MINUTE REPEATER FOR THE MODERN AGE

Considered by watchmakers to be the most challenging – and rewarding – of all horological complications to master, a minute repeater is not only a timepiece but also a miniaturised musical instrument. The technical difficulty of creating one lies in the complexity of the mechanism needed to transcribe the precise time shown by the hands into a series of perfectly programmed strikes. The artistic challenge lies in ensuring that those strikes produce a sound that is rich, harmonious, pure and clearly audible.

Over the past 150 years, minute repeaters have had a major presence in Jaeger-LeCoultre’s portfolio of complicated timepieces. La Grande Maison’s mastery of chiming watches is confirmed by more than 200 calibres, including some 100 minute repeaters made before the year 1900. Since the mid-1990s, when Jaeger-LeCoultre revived this noble horological legacy, its engineers and designers have worked to redefine the benchmark for acoustic quality, harnessing technology to serve and safeguard horology’s most treasured traditions.

One of the most important elements of a chiming watch is the way in which sound is transmitted from within the watch to be heard by the human ear. Capitalising on the superior acoustic qualities of synthetic sapphire crystal, Jaeger-leCoultre’s patented ‘crystal gongs’ (introduced in 2005) are soldered directly to the sapphire crystal, which acts as an amplifier. The square-profile gongs introduced two years later provide a flat striking surface for the hammers, ensuring more consistent and powerful strikes, while the additional material provides a greater vibrational mass and thus a fuller sound. The articulated trebuchet hammers (introduced in 2009) use a similar mechanical principle to the medieval counterweight catapults that they are named after, greatly improving the speed and force of the hammer strike.

Even the most beautiful chime can be marred by background noise – a problem that Jaeger-LeCoultre resolved 125 years ago, with its patented silent strike governor. Using centrifugal forces to regulate chiming, it eliminates the background buzz characteristic of older striking mechanisms. Recognised as a benchmark, it is now used in almost all chiming watches of the Grande Maison.

A HEAVENLY DISPLAY

The new Master Grande Tradition Calibre 945 embodies Jaeger-LeCoultre’s mastery of astronomical complications in its celestial vault complication, which defines the dial of the watch.

Jaeger-LeCoultre first brought together the technical innovations of its new-generation minute repeaters with an astronomical display in the original Master Grande Tradition Grande Complication of 2010. That watch also introduced the Orbital Flying Tourbillon, integrating it into the mechanism as a regulating device.

As well as turning on its own axis in 60 seconds, the tourbillon makes a complete, anti-clockwise circuit of the dial in one sidereal day. Slightly shorter than a solar day (on which we base civil timekeeping), a sidereal day is based on Earth’s rotation measured relative to the ‘fixed’ stars, which takes precisely 23 h, 56 min and 4.1 seconds. The sidereal day is used by astronomers to follow the apparent movement of the stars across the night sky.

A golden sun-shaped pointer set at the edge of the disc of constellations indicates the date, the month, and the signs of the Zodiac, as well as the 24-hour scale that is marked on the inner flange of the dial. Civil time is read on the two concentric rings that complete the dial: applied hour indexes on the first ring and minutes on the silvery-white outer ring.

AESTHETIC

An exceptional movement merits an exceptional habillage and the new Master Grande Tradition Calibre 945 brings fresh artistic expression to this marriage of complications. Reaffirming Jaeger-leCoultre’s expertise in design and mastery of artistic crafts, the timepiece is offered in two versions: one marries the warm glow of pink gold to a black dial, while the other combines deep blue tones with the coolness of white gold and the discreet sparkle of baguette-cut diamonds, which are set on the bezel.

A multiple-level dial amplifies the beauty of the celestial theme while also showcasing the orbiting tourbillon. On the deepest level of the dial, a midnight blue or black disc (depending on the model) is decorated with tiny stars. Above it, a delicate filigree forms a dome, its structure echoing the pattern of the constellations marked on the convex celestial disc. The star chart depicts the Northern Hemisphere night sky, as seen from the 46th parallel – the latitude of Jaeger-LeCoultre’s home in the Vallée de Joux.

The new Master Grande Tradition case, introduced in 2019’s two minute repeaters, is a perfect complement to the artistry of the dial and the sophistication of the movement. Comprising more than 80 parts, its convex bezel is complemented by broad bevels on the lugs; the hollowed-out sides of the lugs add dynamic tension, while the repeater slide is tapered to harmonise beautifully with the curving case sides. Different surfaces are microblasted, polished and satin-brushed to maximise the play of light and emphasise the details.

In every sense, the new Master Grande Tradition Calibre 945 is testament to Jaeger-LeCoultre’s enduring expertise in chiming watches and its dedication to maintaining the fine balance between a passionate drive to innovate and profound respect for tradition.

TECHNICAL CHARACTERISTICS

Dimensions: 45 mm

Calibre: manual mechanical movement, Jaeger-LeCoultre Caliber 945

Functions: hours/minutes, month, 24-hour indication, orbital flying tourbillon indicating the sidereal time, minute repeater with cathedral ‘crystal gongs’ soldered directly to the sapphire crystal, celestial disc with star chart indicating the constellations in the north hemisphere

Power reserve: 40 hours

Case: satin, micro-blasted and polished finishes, pink gold or white gold with bezel set with baguette-cut diamonds (44 diamonds – 3.76 carats)

Dial: black dial with golden laser welded structure (pink gold version) or blue dial with silvered laser welded structure (white gold version)

Case back: open

Water resistance: 5 bar

References: Q5262460 (pink gold version, limited to 8 pieces), Q5263480 (white gold version, limited to 8 pieces)

This second chapter under the theme “The Art of Precision” was unveiled for 2019 in Japan. It’s no accident that the Manufacture elected to set the event in the impressive city of Kyoto, known for its special atmosphere, beautiful architecture, and finely wrought craftsmanship that relies on precision in action.

The Home of the Art of Precision

This event provided a unique opportunity to discover the powerful bond linking Japan’s former Imperial capital to the Grande Maison, uniting them around a common preoccupation with precision. For Jaeger-LeCoultre, this ceaseless quest ranges from the technical precision of a movement – intended to tell the time, as well as giving more complex indications – to the precision of the strictly controlled gestures and artistic rigour of the 180 specialised trades and Rare Handcrafts "Métiers Rares®" perpetuated by our artisans under one roof. The Japanese arts have strived to meet this calling and challenge for centuries, with the same rigour and extreme attention to detail.

A living, vibrant testimony

The evening showcased some of the most highly regarded watchmaking skills and applied art techniques in the world, mastered by Japanese Living National Treasure artists: Mr. Kiju Fukuda, Mr. Kenji Suda and Mr. Kazuo Yamagishi. Alongside these artists were two Jaeger-LeCoultre watchmaker and enameller artisans, who travelled from the Vallée de Joux especially for the event. Not only watchmaking precision, but also enamelling – a centuries-old decorative technique reintroduced at the Manufacture in 1999 – drew parallels with the secrets of Japanese embroidery and marquetry, skills that were presented along with a number of rare and precious objects. Guests got a fascinating insight into genuine works of art which, like Jaeger-LeCoultre watches, require many hours, if not months, to craft.

The power and beauty of extreme precision

A similarly exacting degree of precision gave rise to the new limited edition watch that the Manufacture is honoured to present to you in an exclusive preview, the Master Grande Tradition Répétition Minutes Perpétuelle. Drawing inspiration from the aesthetic codes of the celebrated Master Grande Tradition Collection, this new masterpiece confirms Jaeger-LeCoultre’s expertise in the field of chiming watches. Its innovative gong system was designed to reproduce the idealised chime made by antique chiming pocket watches, with a rich acoustic clarity rarely attained in Grand Complication watches. Housed in a highly compact (13.72 mm) white gold case that optimises the wearer’s experience, this exceptional timepiece represents the next generation of chime-related innovation, both in terms of mechanical innovation and miniature decorative arts. The truth of this is evident from just one glance at the two dial variations available for this watch – one a neoclassical silver-grained dial and the other a deep blue translucent guilloché enamel dial.

Under the bright night-time lights of Kyoto, city of art and history, Jaeger-LeCoultre had the immense pleasure of paying homage yet again to the precision that has guided every gesture of its master watchmakers and artisans since 1833. This precision in both technique and aesthetics mirrors that same rigour that has been practised for thousands of years in Kyoto – a city of particularly emblematic status in Japan, that is highly esteemed by lovers of beautiful objects and heritage pieces.

Catherine Rénier, CEO of Jaeger-LeCoultre:

“We are delighted to present our collection of watches dedicated to Art of Precision in the city of Kyoto, known for its uniquely refined atmosphere and heritage. Resembling a perfectly executed theatre act, where the role of precision is of utmost importance: in nature, in architecture, in culture and customs. Precision everywhere and all around …. Precision is the common denominator between the city of Kyoto and the Jaeger-LeCoultre Manufacture dedicated to watchmaking savoir-faire and technical expertise since 1833 in the Vallée de Joux. It was a perfect opportunity to immerse our guests in the Art of precision theme, paying attention to detail, and traditional gesture accomplished to create piece of arts, as our collection of watches.”

With close to two centuries of horological expertise, Jaeger-LeCoultre stands alone in its command of complicated watchmaking. This includes unparalleled in-house experience in chiming watches, the most prestigious and exalted domain of mechanical savoir-faire. As a matter of fact, La Grande Maison du Sentier has the distinction of being the only manufacture in the world to have over 200 chiming watch calibres in its historical and modern inventory.

In May 2019, following the success of the Master Grande Tradition Gyrotourbillon Westminster Perpétuel at the Salon International de la Haute Horlogerie (SIHH), Jaeger-LeCoultre debuts a timepiece that once again brings new levels of excellence to its mastery of chiming watches.

The Master Grande Tradition Répétition Minutes Perpétuelle features an innovative gong system that resurrects the idealised chime of antique pocket sonneries, paired with an evolutionary case design that transmits timelessness and modernity.

Key points of the Jaeger-LeCoultre Master Grande Tradition Répétition Minutes Perpétuelle

• A new gong system that replicates the richness and strength of antique sonnerie pocket watches
• Evolutionary case design that redefines the timelessness and modernity of the Master Grande Tradition timepieces
• Heightened focus on customer experience with automatic winding system and intuitive perpetual-calendar setting

A new chime

Innovation in the domain of chiming watches has been one of the foundation stones of mechanical expertise at Jaeger-LeCoultre since 1895, when the company was awarded a patent for the world’s first silent strike regulator. In the 21^st century, Jaeger-LeCoultre channelled its creativity in sonnerie watches towards producing the most energy-efficient and volume-optimised chime possible.

The Master Grande Tradition Répétition Minutes Perpétuelle represents the next generation of chime-related innovation at La Grande Maison. Its movement, the automatic calibre 950, unites the two apex values of chime quality that were previously thought to be incompatible — power and beauty. This combination of qualities has largely eluded the best watchmakers in history, the understanding being that one can come only at the cost of the other.

The research and innovation team of Jaeger-LeCoultre have achieved this idealised chime by creating an entirely novel gong configuration, unlike any other. Instead of lying flat in overlapping coils like the most commonly seen minute repeater gongs, the gongs of the Master Grande Tradition Répétition Minutes Perpétuelle depart radically from convention by incorporating unprecedented height and space. Two gongs, welded together at their base, travel in the same direction around the periphery of the movement, making one near-complete tour before dramatically arching upwards, traversing the entire height of the movement. They then diverge and take a terminal semi-arc around the other side of the movement, stopping just before their ends meet.

By maximising the space occupied by the element that creates sound vibrations — the gongs — the calibre 950 boosts its capacity for sound transmission. Further increasing this capacity is the proximity of the gongs to a larger proportion of the watch case, according to the acoustic principles that instinctively guide us where to position a relatively weak audio source in relation to an resonator (such as when a personal music player is placed in a glass dish to amplify the sound).

Signature chime innovations of Jaeger-LeCoultre, such as the square gong cross-sections and the articulated “trebuchet” hammers, ensure that the gongs are struck with the greatest possible impact and the least interference from hammer recoil. These set the stage for the meticulously engineered acoustic profile of the Master Grande Tradition Répétition Minutes Perpétuelle chime.

The lower-pitched gong takes a helical path from gong heel to tip. Though irregular in shape, its unidirectional flow allows it to vibrate in a way that creates the harmonic overtones giving fullness and balance to bass notes.

The higher-pitched gong switches direction, effectively folding back on itself like the tines of a tuning fork. This configuration emphasises the fundamental vibration of the gong, producing a purer tone that imparts the clarity and brilliance prized in treble notes.

This new optimised combination of chime volume and acoustic quality marks out new territory for Jaeger-LeCoultre in sonnerie watches, an expansion that is fully supported by the other customer-centric aspects of the Master Grande Tradition Répétition Minutes Perpétuelle.

Focus on the wearer

Perpetual calendars are among the most practical and useful mechanical complications that can be incorporated into a timepiece. Their ability to display the correct calendar information, taking into consideration the varying lengths of the months — even during leap years — provides everyday convenience for the wearer, especially when combined with an automatic winding system for low-maintenance upkeep when worn regularly.

Traditional-style perpetual calendars are mostly hand-wound, as the prestige of a high complication generally demands that the finely finished movement should be fully visible for admiration. Automatic minute repeaters are even rarer, with occasional exceptions such as the Jaeger-LeCoultre Master Ultra Thin Minute Repeater Flying Tourbillon and the Jaeger-LeCoultre Rendez-Vous Ivy Minute Repeater.

The winding rotor of the calibre 950 is hidden within the movement, positioned between the perpetual calendar and minute repeater mechanisms, in order to a have full view on the mechanism at the back of the watch. The Master Grande Tradition Répétition Minutes Perpétuelle is thus continuously supplied with energy without the need to obscure a single finely finished component, whether chamfered, satin-finished, decorated with côtes de Genève, or any combination of the above.

Another feature of the watch that puts the needs of the wearer foremost is the intuitive Security zone that appears in a dial aperture near the axis of the hour and minute hands. This indication appears between the hours of 10pm and 1am, when adjusting the time or calendar is not advised due to the possibility of stressing or even damaging the movement. This reminder takes the onus off the wearer to remember when the time and calendar indications can be adjusted.

Despite the multiple complications and the automatic winding system, all of which are known to add bulk to a timepiece, the Master Grande Tradition Répétition Minutes Perpétuelle is highly compact, with a diameter of 43mm and a height of 13.72mm.

Design evolution

The Master Grande Tradition collection has always been a platform for high watchmaking at Jaeger-LeCoultre, emphasising classic design in order to let the sophisticated mechanisms take centre stage. In the Master Grande Tradition Répétition Minutes Perpétuelle, Jaeger-LeCoultre recalibrates the balance of technical prowess against aesthetic refinement to arrive at a new equilibrium of power and beauty.

A new case, comprising more than 80 separate hand-finished parts, was created for the Master Grande Tradition Répétition Minutes Perpétuelle. Particular attention was paid to the ergonomics of the case, from the deeply convex bezel and broad bevels on the lugs to the smoothly tapered minute repeater slide.

Parts are alternately polished, satin-finished or sandblasted, the latter being highly challenging to execute on the exterior segments of a watch. The extremely porous surface of a sandblasted component causes it to easily pick up oils from even the slightest contact with human skin, leaving a mark that can be seen as unsightly (though easily removed) blemish. In its finishing and Métiers Rares ateliers, Jaeger-LeCoultre has perfected the technique of applying a sandblasted finish that is resistant to such oil transfer.

The Master Grande Tradition Répétition Minutes Perpétuelle comes in two dial variations, a neoclassical silver-grained dial and a deep blue translucent guilloche enamel dial that is produced by hand in the Atelier des Métiers Rares.

A dial of solid white gold is first decorated with guillochage on century-old rose engines, each round of guilloché work repeated several times in order to achieve the correct depth of engraving. The perpetual calendar counters are then precision laser-welded onto the dial, before the remaining spaces are filled with translucent enamel in another multi-stage process. The enamel is then polished, resulting in the final dial of shimmering vitreous blue that changes in hue with the light and angle.

The Jaeger-LeCoultre Master Grande Tradition Répétition Minutes Perpétuelle is the result of 149 years of experience in sonnerie timepieces, combined with an unparalleled patrimony in mechanical innovation and the most exalted levels of miniature decorative arts. With this latest masterpiece, La Grande Maison du Sentier recommits itself to furthering the frontiers of 21st-century watchmaking.

Master Grande Tradition Répétition Minutes Perpétuelle

Dimensions: 43 mm

Thickness: 13.72 mm

Calibre: 950 – Automatic

Case: White gold

Water resistance: 5 bar

Functions: Hours/Minutes, Minute repeater, Perpetual calendar (Day, Date, Month, Moon phase, Year)

Power reserve: 38 hours

Dial: Blue guilloché enamel / Silver grained

Case-back: Open

Reference: Q52334E1 (Limited to 30 pieces), Q5233420 (Limited to 30 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