Sponsored: New Jaeger-LeCoultre Watches Pay Tribute to Astronomy at SIHH 2015

“Captivating” is a word that aptly describes the night sky over the Vallée de Joux, this secret hollow nestling in the Swiss Jura that gave birth to the Maison Jaeger-LeCoultre. Very few lights disturb its luminous beauty that remains imperturbably serene, softly enveloping those who take the time to observe it, accepting to reveal its secrets to them. The sky harbors the origins of time, while the sun, moon and stars are the keys that enabled humankind to tame this impalpable phenomenon. They are thus the be-all and end-all of horology.

In 2015, Jaeger-LeCoultre is keen to share its fascination for the movements of the heavenly bodies, drawing upon these inexhaustible sources of inspiration and using them as a privileged means of expressing its expertise.

Because they speak to the mind and the heart, calendar complications have the ability to fire the imagination. Lunar calendar, sidereal zodiac calendar — the very terms used to describe them are a voyage into a universe that stretches far beyond our grasp and yet governs us. Through its new creations, Jaeger-LeCoultre illustrates the phenomena observed by ancient civilizations and which punctuate our daily lives. The calendar year represents a complete turn of the earth around the sun. Moon-phases gave rise to the week and the month. The 12 hours represent the 12 decans visible during the night of the spring solstice. Minutes and seconds were adopted in order to facilitate complex astronomical calculations. By bringing them within reach of connoisseurs of fine objects, Jaeger-LeCoultre wanted the complete calendar and the moon-phase to occupy the place they rightly deserve in our daily lives.

To embody the magnetic beauty of the sky, moon and stars, Jaeger-LeCoultre opted for materials directly related to its source of inspiration, such as meteorite stone and lapis lazuli. Meteorites, the shooting stars that cross the sky while leaving a luminous trail, have been crafted by the artisans of the Manufacture with a blend of passion and determination, in order to reveal the beauty they have concentrated across the ages. The highly symbolic lapis lazuli was the favorite stone of ancient kings, who associated its color with the sky chart. Its deep pigmentation is indeed rivaled only by the infinite depths of the heavenly canopy. These rare and mysterious materials are an integral part in the design of the watches, while offering a singular experience through the energy and intensity they convey.

Since its founding in 1833, Jaeger-LeCoultre has played a key role in countless landmark introductions, from the keyless lever winding system to the silent regulators that serve to enhance the quality of sound emitted by repeater watches, and from the barely one-gram Jaeger-LeCoultre Caliber 101 to the iconic Reverso, along with unprecedented concepts such as the Dual-Wing. Calendar functions have long since been part of the watchmaking culture of the Grande Maison, complementing other complications such as the tourbillon or the minute repeater. This year, they are expressed in their own right and thus find themselves resolutely in the spotlight. Above and beyond their utility, the very nature of all functions provided by Jaeger-LeCoultre is to offer the person wearing the watch an elegant scaled-down interpretation of the surrounding universe. Each of its new creations is destined to make the heart of devotees of fine objects beat a little faster. They can thus eagerly look forward to discovering models such as the Duomètre Sphérotourbilloon Moon with its infinitely accurate moon-phase display.

 Jaeger-LeCoultre Duometre Sphérotourbillon Moon

Whether it comes to the effects of gravity on the earth, the discrepancy that creeps into the moon-phase indication, or the impact on a watch’s precision when a complication is activated, the Duomètre Sphérotourbillon Moon of Jaeger-LeCoultre invented its own solutions. The Duomètre Sphérotourbillon Moon, equipped with a moon-phase display endowed with a reliability stemming from lengthy research, it embodies the age-old wisdom of traditional astronomy as well as the inventive power of Jaeger-LeCoultre. A classical moon-phase shows a one-day discrepancy every two and a half years. For a Jaeger-LeCoultre Perpetual Calendar, that difference amounts to just one day every 122 years. The Duomètre Sphérotourbillon Moon is from a whole different galaxy, since when its moon-phase is properly adjusted, it is designed to remain accurate for a full 3,887 years.

For Jaeger-LeCoultre, pushing boundaries and daring to dream bigger is backed by the conviction that the fundamental nature of a watch should not be impaired by horological culture nor by technical feats. The Duomètre Sphérotourbillon is thus intended to be worn with pleasure. Its 42-millimeter diameter and its 14.3-millimeter thickness ensure a definite sense of comfort, while hinting at the wealth of talent lavished on accommodating such a masterfully accurate mechanism within such a modest space.

Astronomy lovers are passionate about the earth’s axis. Each planet spins around an axis that is never perpendicular to the orbital plane. The angle formed by the earth’s axis is around 23°. This natural tilt explains the successive seasons and it is to this posture that we owe the alternating weather patterns that delight us or occasionally upset our plans. This penchant is shared by the additional rotation axis that gives the Sphérotourbillon its true magic. As well as performing a full turn around the axis of its titanium carriage, the Sphérotourbillon also spins around a second axis inclined at a 20° angle – a nod to the inclination of the earth that follows an imaginary line stretching to Ursae Minoris, the polestar.

One of the Duomètre collection’s most captivating aspects lies in the fact that technical performance does not override aesthetic appeal. While undeniably eloquent in horological terms, it is endowed with an elegance revealing considerable creative force.
Part of the strength of the design characterizing the Duomètre Sphérotourbillon Moon, reworked to ensure even greater readability, lies in the symmetrically choreographed dance of the functions displayed on the finely grained dial. A shrewd observer will doubtless note that the moon-phase appears at 3 o’clock, whereas Jaeger-LeCoultre generally places it at 6 o’clock. A tribute to astronomy, this disc is made of lapis lazuli, a rock that looks as if it has landed there down from the sky chart. It features a dusting of stars echoing the moon, hands and hour markers, creating a two-tone ambiance also differing from the traditional identity codes of the Grande Maison.

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