By Harlan Chapman-Green
It’s nearly that time again, isn’t it? The oh so exciting time of international watch shows, press reveals and much more! First up on the list is SIHH which our Masthead will be covering (jealous!) in January, but before that we have all the different upcoming watches to talk about, so let’s get started with one of our favourite companies, the reference point for all Haute Horlogerie watch companies, Jaeger-LeCoultre. This year shows off their new updates to the Duomètre collection, a set of watches which push technology to the very cutting edge while promising not to break the bank, giving them tremendous bang per buck values in the long run.
The Duomètre collection, as already stated, is a set of watches by JLC which revolutionises the construction of watches. The idea is simple, whereas most “common” watches have all the components piggybacking off of the main movement, the Duomètre watches split them up, giving the complications their own barrel mechanism. The time and the complications only share the case, the winding through the crown and the regulating organ, giving impeccable accuracy in a system JLC calls DualWing®, where the complications cannot interfere with the running of the time. This makes it very simple in a way to add in different complications to the watch. You could, with a bit of what we’d brazenly call “jiggery-pokery” put in all sorts of things, and luckily JLC did just that. Chronographs, calendars with a moon-phase, travel time watches and even a sphérotourbillon version as well. But the watches have always had a bright dial, whether it’s white or cream or even blue in some cases, up until now that is.
Each watch in the new collection is presented in a rose gold case that’s 42mm in diameter. Each watch will also cost more than €35,000 when revealed, with the Quantième Lunaire coming in at around €40,000, the Chronograph in at €45,000 and Sphérotourbillon at the ungodly sum of €265,000 or near enough. Each watch also has a touch of openness on the dial, by this I mean that each member of the new family allows you to see a portion of the movement through the dial.
The Jaeger-LeCoultre Duomètre Chronograph Magnetite Grey
Remember the Top 5 Unusual Complications article we did a while back? The foudroyante is one that featured on the list, it was even present in the example on a JLC Duomètre watch, so it’s not a surprise to see it return on the chronograph version with the new dial looking sleek as ever. The power reserves (remember there are two barrels) are also on the dial, in the open parts of the dial.
The Jaeger-LeCoultre Duomètre Quantième Lunaire Magnetite Grey
The Quantième Lunaire watch is also treated to this unusual addition, the foudroyante. This time, though, it’s not connected to a chronograph and therefore will be running all the time. The Quantième Lunaire watch features a rotary date indicator with a moon-phase in there as well for good measure, adding a little touch of romance to the dial. There’s also a power reserve indicator for both barrels here, too.
The Jaeger-LeCoultre Duomètre Spherotourbillon Magnetite Grey
The big brother to these two watches, the Sphérotourbillon, also receives the rose gold ‘grained’ magnetite dial treatment, the difference being that there is a difference in the dial design here. The tourbillon in this watch, mounted at 9 O’clock on the dial, is mounted at 20 degrees and completes a sinusoidal motion once a minute, thereby aiming to reduce the effects of gravity on a wristwatch which is worn at several different positions, not something bothersome for the tourbillon’s original inventor, Abraham Louis Breguet, because watches were worn vertically in the pocket. It’s an inventive approach that shows off the inventiveness of the company as well as providing a visual feast for the watchaholic. The watch is finished with côtes soleillées decorations which adds even more to the art of the piece. For more info, please visit jaeger-lecoultre.com
Find out more in January 2017 when WristReview jets off to Geneva!
