Watchismo Times

Days ago at the Venice Film Festival, Jaeger LeCoultre presented (in a custom 2600 pound German Doettling vault shown above) by JL CEO Jérôme Lambert, the most complicated watches ever produced, the Hybris Mechanica 55 Trilogy.

via Perpetuelle

Regular readers of Perpetuelle Blog may recall that back in June First In Watches gave you the first look at the Jaeger-LeCoultre’s Hybris Mechanica Grande Sonnerie – a piece deemed at the time as the new “King of Complications” for its tally of 26 functions and 1300 components in one – yes one – single watch (if you missed this article go check it out now!). At this time we previewed not only the Grand Sonnerie but also the 2 other grand complications (the Gyrotourbillon and the Reverso a Tryptique that Jaeger-LeCoultre would be offering as a part of a 3-piece, $2.5 million set, complete with a 2,600 pound German-made Doettling safe (which by the way has a special sound system installed that enables the actual chiming of the Grand Sonnerie to be heard outside the safe even when it is securely locked!). The set was created in part to showcase Jaeger-LeCoultre’s greatest achievements over the brand’s long history.

At the time of our original article it was not clear to us what the significance of the number “55″ in “Hybris Mechanica 55″ was – but now we know. 55 is the total number of complications represented in this incredible trio of watches.

Now, as for those “26″ complications in the Grand Sonnerie (the left-most watch in the above photo)- we have seen Jaeger-LeCoulter’s official listing, which we present to you here:

1. Westminster Carillon

2. 4 crystal-gongs

3. Grande sonnerie

4. Petit sonnerie

5. Silence

6. Minute repeater

7. and 8. Flying tourbillon

9. and 10. Perpetual and instant calendar

11. Days

12. Retrograde days

13. Months

14. Retrograde months

15. Date

16. Retrograde date

17. Jumping hour and minutes

18. Regulation device with inertia-blocks

19. Strike power reserve indicator

20. Watch power reserve indicator

21. Secured incremental hours setting

22. and 23. Secured incremental minutes setting forward and backward

24. Striking mode selector

25. Instant minute repeater activation

26. Automatic modes’ switch

With such an amazing set of watches, there is so much to say, so little time to say it – but thankfully Jaeger-LeCoultre created a really cool website dedicated to the Hybris Mechanica 55 trio that says a lot already! The site is full of close up photos and explanations of the various components of thewatches, in particular the Grand Sonnerie – and so I highly recommend you check out it out by clicking here: Jaeger LeCoultre Hybris Mechanica Trilogy Website

via;
Perpetuelle First in Watches
Kronos

Related Posts at The Watchismo Times;
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Suspended in a bubble block of Baccarat crystal and powered by temperature change, Jaeger LeCoultre's Atmos 561 mechanical clock is the work of Australian super-designer Marc Newson (known for designing the Ikepod watch and a million other sleek objects). Newson is reportedly a huge fan of the Atmos and approached the company to collaborate. The result is this eightieth anniversary Atmos.

The Atmos clocks don't need to be wound up. they get all the energy to run from small temperature changes in the encapsulated environment, and can run for years without human intervention.

Its power source is a hermetically sealed capsule containing a mixture of gas and liquid ethyl chloride, which expands into an expansion chamber as the temperature rises, compressing a spiral spring; with a fall in temperature the gas condenses and the spring slackens. This motion constantly winds the mainspring. A variation in temperature of only one degree in the range between 15 and 30 degrees Celsius is sufficient for two days' operation.








The Atmos clock was invented by Neuchâtel engineer Jean-Léon Reutter (1899- 1971). From his youth, he wanted to produce a clock that could be wound by atmospheric fluctuations, and in 1928 he succeeded. Reutter’s patent was first licensed to a French company who exploited it until 1935. Subsequently, it was purchased by Jaeger-LeCoultre. via Antiquorum

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Debuting in April 2008 at SIHH in Geneva, Jaeger LeCoultre will be introducing another mindblowing Gyrotourbillon movement but this time as part of the Reverso collection. The Gyrotourbillon features a spherical tourbillon with two carriages spinning on two axes freeing the regulating organ from effects of gravity in all positions. Reverso watches can be flipped over for alternative displays. The 2006 Reverso a Triptyque, one of the most complicated watches ever made and also the world's first three faced watch.

The Gyrotourbillon 1 (above), first introduced in 2006 features a double cage tourbillon with equation of time and perpetual calendar and the Master Minute Repeater that produces tones at 55 decibels or double the volume of the world’s next loudest minute repeater.

To really appreciate the Gyrotourbillon, you must see it in action as shown on the video below;


History of the Reverso - In 1931 British Polo Players in India requested a watch that could be worn during the hard charging clashes on the field. Responding to this Jacques-David LeCoultre and the Societe Jaeger turned to the most capable design engineer of the time, Rene-Alfred Chauvot. Chauvot’s solution was to make a watch that was a case inside a case. The inner case contained the movement and could be pivoted within the outer case (or carriage) that comprised essentially of a skeleton and watch lugs. Once the case was pivoted or reversed, the crystal was completely protected from blows. In 1991, Jaeger-LeCoultre’s CEO Gunther Blumlein unveiled the Reverso remade into a modern high complication with the Reverso 60eme. This was followed by a Reverso tourbillon in 1993 and a Reverso minute repeater in 1993. This year to celebrate the 75th anniversary of the Reverso, Jaeger-LeCoultre has exploited the unique architecture of the Reverso case to create the world’s first three faced watch. Fittingly this marvel dubbed the Reverso a Tryptique offers up a golden harvest of haute de gamme complication. (via Horomundi/Revolution)

Reverso Tourbillon via Timezone

See Also;
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Mens Vogue fashion director Stephen Watson and photographer Raymond Meier have sunk to new heights with their stunning new spread of today's best Diver watches. Shot inside actual tanks at the Monterey Bay Aquarium, the watches including the Panerai Luminor 1950 Submersible, Movado Series 800, Glashütte Original Sport Evolution Panoramadatum, Bell & Ross BR 02, and the Jaeger-LeCoultre Master Compressor Diving Pro Geographica are all featured with real sea creatures molesting them. See the whole series here-->Link

Jaeger-LeCoultre's Master Compressor Diving Pro Geographic ($22,000; jaeger-lecoultre.com) sports a push-button depth gauge. The sea nettle (Chrysaora fuscescens) travels up to 3,600 vertical feet daily.

Bell & Ross's BR O2 Steel ($4,000; bellross.com) is also water-resistant up to 1,000 meters, while the Sand Rose Anemone (Urticina Columbiana), spends its life stuck to a rock.

I recently met with Stephen who conceptualized this shoot and was impressed to learn that this was the real deal, not some photoshopped trickery. He described the custom tanks Monterey Aquarium staff set up for each watch and the buckets of tiny animals they poured into them.

Quite honestly these are the best thematic watch photographs I've ever seen. The bar has been raised to the bottom of the sea.

See the full spread at the Mens Vogue website here-->Link


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And there can't be any definitive triangular retrospective without the mysterious world of Masonic watches...


Enter The Watchismo Times 1st anniversary vintage chronograph giveway!-->LINK


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The TEMPUS TIME TEMPLE All‐Black Commemorative Collection

I'm not sure what happened or when but it seems everyone and their mother wants an all black watch these days. Whether it's PVD coated, carbonized, ceramic or whatever, people want to be apart of the horological Blacksploitation of luxury timepieces. So...that brings me to the September 2007 Tempus "Temple of Time" watch festival in Singapore. Put together by The Hour Glass, it's the largest watch event in Asia and likely becoming one of the most influential. KokChoon of Horomundi.com has detailed the information for this All Black series here-->Link

He's also has taken some great photographs of the prototype black PVD RM016 by Richard Mille (shown above) and more here-->Link

The RM016, encased in special micro-sandblasted, titanium, features a skeletonized automatic winding movement with hours, minutes, date and adjustable rotor geometry. The design allows the wearer to optimize and personalize the movement's winding mechanism to suit both sporting and non-sporting environments. Edition of 25
PDF


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The 1953 LeCoultre Futurematic, the worlds first fully automatic watch -- featuring no traditional crown (time set on back of watch) and power reserve indicator. Two calibers were produced, the 497 with a handed power-reserve 'gas gauge style' and the 817 with color changing display.









Futurematic information-->Link
Futurematic restoration project-->Link
Jaeger LeCoultre History-->Link

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Triangular cased watch by LeCoultre (circa 1940). Angled on the wrist allowing time-viewing while driving. Featuring a stainless steel case, stepped bezel, 15 jewel movement and back-winder. Drivers watches by LeCoultre are very rare.

The Duoplan movements, developed in 1925 to aid reliability in increasing miniaturization, were arranged on split levels leading to the creation of the world's smallest Caliber 101.





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Photo - Antiquorum


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