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Jaeger-LeCoultre Special - Master Ultra Thin - Minute Repeater Flying Tourbillon

SIHH 2014




Master Ultra Thin 1907 - Grande Reverso Night & Day - Master Grande Tradition à Quantième Perpétuel 8 Jours SQ - Duomètre Unique Travel Time - Rendez-Vous

PUSHING THE BOUNDARIES OF FINE WATCHMAKING
Birth of a new challenge: Ultra-thin grand complications

2013 marked the 180th anniversary of the Manufacture Jaeger-LeCoultre, founded in 1833. 180 years of inventions that have seen the company register 398 patents, develop 1,242 different calibres, and master the entire range of horological complications.

Since the dawn of the 21st century, this exceptional history has been further deepened and broadened with the creation of unique Grand Complication models in the Manufacture, all embodying the heritage and authenticity of its longstanding watchmaking tradition. This evocatively named Hybris Mechanica collection is intended to express the full wealth of Jaeger-LeCoultre’s inherent excellence and expertise. However, its purpose is also and above all to propel this expertise towards the future with the aim of creating ever more astonishing complications, while never losing sight of their horological goals: precision, functionality, readability and beauty.

From the early years of the 21st century onwards, the Manufacture has thus introduced a steady stream of extremely innovative timepieces, each in its own way striving to push the boundaries of Fine Watchmaking.

2003, the extraordinary Atmos Mystérieuse clock with a remontoir (constant-force device), in which the wheeltrains appear to be hanging in mid-air;

2004, the Master Gyrotourbillon 1, the first Grand Complication multi-axis tourbillon watch;

2006, the Reverso Grande Complication à Tryptique watch, uniting 18 complications on three different faces;

2007, the Master Compressor Extreme LAB, the world’s first lubricant-free watch, a concentrated blend of technical feats protected by six patents;

2008, the Reverso Gyrotourbillon 2 model, which achieves the feat of fitting a spherical tourbillon with a cylindrical balance-spring inside the legendary swivel case;

2009, the Hybris Mechanica à Grande Sonnerie, one of the most complex watches in horological history, comprising over 1,400 parts and for which ten patents were filed;

2010, the Master Grande Tradition Grande Complication which features a flying tourbillon, minute repeater and astronomical indications against a night sky map of the Northern hemisphere;

2011, the Reverso Répétition Minutes à Rideau, a magical watch on which the chiming mechanism is activated by sliding back the Venetian blind covering the dial;

2012, the Duomètre Sphérotourbillon, the first watch adjustable to the nearest second and driven by the incredible Sphérotourbillon mechanism;

2013, to mark the 180th anniversary, the Master Grande Tradition Gyrotourbillon 3 Jubilee watch paying tribute to the company founder Antoine LeCoultre. A powerful wellspring of innovation that shows no sign of drying up…

2014 brings not only a continuation of this philosophy that is the driving force behind all those who have forged and are still forging the success of the Manufacture, but also a determination to meet the most daunting technical challenges by pooling the talents required to develop and produce unprecedented timepieces: ultra-thin Grand Complication models.

Source: Europa Star SIHH 2014 Special Supplement - Featured in Europa Star February / March 2014