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11 February 2025Grand Designs
Jaeger-LeCoultre aims to be the most innovative luxury watch manufacturer in the world
A
ntoine LeCoultre was something of a visionary. Born in 1803 into an established family of blacksmiths in Switzerland’s Vallée de Joux, metallurgy was a skill he grew up with.
Jaeger-LeCoultre aims to be the most innovative luxury watch manufacturer in the world
A ntoine LeCoultre was something of a visionary. Born in 1803 into an established family of blacksmiths in Switzerland’s Vallée de Joux, metallurgy was a skill he grew up with.
There was a good living to be had in the business. In partnership with his father, he invented new alloys, produced vibrating blades for music boxes and had a hand in the technology that would become the razor blade.
In 1833, however, he took a step that would ensure his name endured for centuries. He branched out into watch making.
Ever the innovator, he looked to create machinery that would allow him to produce watches that surpassed anything then available. In 1844 he created the Millionometer, the first instrument capable of measuring the micron.
Three years later he perfected a pivoting winding device – the first system that allowed a watch to be wound and set without the use of a key.
Today, the company that he created is still to be found among the pastures and peaks of the Vallée de Joux. Now allied with Jaeger of Paris, the firm employs over 1,000 people, who fit into 40 professions.
Jaeger-LeCoultre’s CEO, Jérôme Lambert, says: ‘Technical performance and finesse are the things that count. We have been making watches for more than 175 years. History sets a grande maison like Jaeger-LeCoultre apart.’
The company has registered 300 patents and created over 1,000 calibres. These range from Calibre 101, the world’s smallest mechanical movement, to the most ingenious technologies including tourbillons, perpetual calendars, minute repeaters, moon-phase displays, power-reserve indicators, chronographs, alarms and dual time-zone models.
There have been many ground-breaking watches produced by the company. Special mention should perhaps be made of the Gyrotourbillon I – which uses two carriages set at 90° angles, to offset the effect of gravity on a watch’s precision.
The Reverso, first launched in 1931, was – as its name implies – a reversible watch – originally designed for polo players who wanted to protect their timepiece during a chukka.
The company recently presented HM Queen Elizabeth II with a 101 jewellery timepiece – an homage to the watch she wore at the time of her coronation
Some 75 years after that particular watch first appeared, the company unveiled the Reverso grande complication à triptyque; with three faces encompassing a tourbillon, a zodiacal calendar, with an equation of time and sunset and sunrise charts, and a perpetual calendar.
Equally remarkable is the Master Compressor Extreme LAB, which operates entirely lubricant-free, and is capable of running for years without any wear or deterioration in its performances.
The watch is also capable of withstanding extreme temperatures; even at -40°C, when the oils in a conventional watch would freeze, the Master Compressor carries on regardless.
Says Lambert: ‘At Jaeger-LeCoultre, we always want to be a little different, a little surprising with our collections. But the reason why our customers love the brand has always been the same. Take the “Grand Reverso” as an example, where you can adjust the time by stopping the second hand with the crown so you can precisely regulate time by the second. It’s this kind of precision that matters at the end of the day.
Jaeger-LeCoultre continues to innovate and a recent highlight was the presentation to HM Queen Elizabeth II of a 101 jewellery timepiece – an homage to the watch she wore at the time of her coronation 60 years ago.
‘The entire family of Jaeger-LeCoultre is particularly proud to see the 101 in the Royal collection again,’ adds Lambert.
First unveiled in 1929, the Calibre 101 consists of 98 tiny parts weighing barely one gram.
Lambert adds: ‘With 60 kinds of craftsmanship, we have the skills to create something unique: miniature, enamel. Craftsmanship has a great impact on the world of watch-making, and gives every watch a strong identity. Our mission is to be the most inventive manufacturer.’
Words: Staff
