Jaeger-LeCoultre

amanico
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From the Precision to the Complication, an interesting exhibition at the Manufacture.

Since July 2009, and till the 15th of March 2010, the Manufacture organizes a superb exhibition about some prestigious watches.

This exhibition is organized in 2 parts, which is logical, by the way.

First of all, the work on the precision, without which nothing would be possible.

Then, a journey into striking watches ( from the Alarm to the Minute Repeater ).

I / The fundamentals: The difficult quest of the precision.

From 1833 ( the very first moments of the Manufacture's Life ) to 1870, the main purpose was to master the precision and the perfect work of all the movement components.

This minuscule first element, called " pignon ", may look unsignificant, it is, in reality, capital, as it is the link which transmits the energy.



So, it has to be perfectly conceived.

To fill this purpose, you need to conceive tools, and there is a nice anecdote showed at the exhibition, a letter from Mrs Lecoultre herself:



" The pignon tools were created in the night, in the bedroom...I often woke up in the night, inviting my husband to rest, but he amways answered : I've finished soon .

The night was spent like that. "

In these conditions, the pignon tools were made...



And here, the Millionometre, invented in 1844, which is able to measure the ...Micron!



Of course, accuracy is one thing, but Antoine Lecoultre was also obsessed by the reliability of these minuscule parts, components.

So, it is not surprising to see that Lecoultre & Cie became THE supplier of some prestigious clients as ...Patek Philippe, since the middle of the 19th Century!

At this moment, the wristwatches didn't already exist, as it was the " kingdom " of pocket watches, and some of them, like the Torpedo Boat, made circa 1895, were bought and used by the US Navy circa 1900, for its precision virtues.

The Torpedo Boat, a fine chronometer, produded by Edmond Jaeger, housing a Lecoultre movement, the Cal 21 RV:





Regularity, accuracy, reliability...3 golden words to describe the main qualities of a chronometer.

So, it is not surprising to see 3 nice movements, the Cal 160, 162 and maybe one of the nicest, the Cal 170, which attended the Chronometry competitions held by Neuchatel and Geneva observatories at this moment.



Here, we are at the end of the 30ies, and in the middle of the 40ies!



Some of them were roughly cased, but once again, for Chronometry contests, you don't need a beautiful case!





And what to say about this marvellous Cal 170?



The next window is another step in History, with the Wrist Watch Chronometers.



Everybody knows the Geophysic, certainly the most famous JLC Chronometer made in 1958, but do we have to consider it as the first wrist watch chronometer made by the brand?

The window gives an answer, as we can also admire a ...Mark XI.

The cal 488 SBr used in this Military watch has an hacking second and offers an accuracy of more or less 15 seconds per day!

The Caliber 488 SBr:



The watch was submitted to the rigorous tests of the Kew Teddington Observatory, before being used by the British / Australian Air Force.

So, do we have to consider this watch as the first JLC Chronometer?

Then we have the Geomatic, which came just after the Geophysic disappeared from the catalogue, in 1961.

The model exposed behind the window is in yellow gold, using a Caliber 881 G, submitted to the control of COSC, after a test of 360 hours at the Manufacture.



It also has an hacking second.

This movement doesn't have the Beauty of those housed in the Mark XI and in the Geophysic, indeed, but it shares the same qualities and purpose: The accuracy and the reliability.

Then, we have the Star, the Geophysic ( 1958 - 1960 )



I will go deeper in the details about this watch in a review to be published next month, so I will make it short, here, but what I can say here is that it was a big pleasure to see in the flesh what I only saw in pictures, the nice " Sputnik " box , the warranty, and the brochure.



It seems that the " Sputnik " box was only used for the 2 Geophysic which were given to the Commanders of the USS Nautilus and Skate Submarines.

The " normal box " borrowed the shape of a red book you put in your library...

This watch was released to celebrate 2 events, the International Geophysical Year and the 125 Anniversary of the Lecoultre Manufacture.

The Caliber ( Cal P 478 BWSBr ) is a pure marvel.



But, here again, we'll come back to it in the review to come...

Then, the first part of this exhibition ends by a picture reprensting several prizes the Manufacture won while attending ot Chronometry competitions held by the Geneva and Neuchatel observatories:



Chronometry is part of the Present, at JLC, with the " 1000 Hours Control " test for all the Master Watches since 1992, and, since 2003, for ALL the watches produced by the Manufacture.

At the contrary of the COSC, the 1000 Hours programme includes testing of all finished and cased up watches, with hands and dial, under 6 positions, several temperatures, pressures of 5 ATM, in magnetic fields, and calculated shocks.

The acceptable accuracy is depending on the level of complication of the watch, from -1 + 6 to - 8 + 14 seconds per day.

In 2009, JLC launched the " 1 000 Hours Chrono " Test, which associates the JLC 1 000 Hours control to the COSC Chronometry Tests, BUT as said before, the tests are made on a complete movement, fitted with its complications, and cased up.

Here, the average accuracy is - 1 / + 4 seconds per day.

Note that for the moment, the 1 000 Hours Chrono are only achieved on the Master Grande Tradition Watches, id est, the Master Grande Tradition Perpetual Calendar Tourbillon, the Grande Tradition Minute Repeater, and the latest Grande Complication.



Here is the exhaustive list of the achieved tests:



II / The Developments: A journey into striking watches.

As previously said, the 2d part of the exhibition focuses on Striking watches, being Alarms or Minute Repeaters.

You will certainly be interested to know that the Manufacture produced more than...200 different repeating movements ( !!! ), including a 3 hammer chime, a silent regulator, and a Jack automaton.

It is also important to have in mind that since 1870, LeCoultre makes Minute Repeaters movements, associated or not with other complications, such as Chronographs and / or Perpetual Calendars, and that 1994 represents the re birth of the Minute Repeaters for Jaeger Lecoultre, with the release of the Rose Gold Reverso Minute Repeater.

Let me warn you...This part of the exhibition is pure madness.

You're invited to enter a dark aerea, where you will see, admire, and listen to 15 extraordinary pieces, with a light successively focusing on each of them.



A small screen, just above each of these watches, let admire the interplay of gear wheels and racks in action, while the sound is enhanced through a special wooden panel.

Light and sound, magic and fascination!

Here, a Grande Complication, for example: ( Minute Repeater, Chronograph and Perpetual Calendar )



Another very nice Minute Repeater:



An old friend, the RG Reverso Minute Repeater is also attending this exhibition:



And the latest Master Grande Tradition Minute Repeater, which proudly attend the event as a descendant of 139 years of Musical History, with its innovative approach of the Complication:





Among all these Beauties, you can make the difference between 3 kind of sounds:

- The big pocket watches, which have the advantage of their case volume, to offer a generous sound, in terms of richness, volume and musicality.

- The RG Reverso Minute Repeater, whose melody is a bit restricted, compared to the pocket watches you just heard, and I would say...acoustically matter.

- The Latest Yellow Gold Master Grande Tradition Minute Repeater, which is really impressive in terms of richness and strength for a wrist watch.

After this dizzy approach of the magic Minute Repeaters World, just take your breath, turn your back, and you will " dive " into THE JLC favourite complication, the Alarm Watches.

As for the Minute Repeaters, there is an awesome diversity of Alarm Watches exposed, a kind of brief summary of the most significative models.

So, you will admire and hear from the most simple to the most complicated Memovoxes.

The " Veteran " E 855:



The more recent and most complicated Master Grand Reveil, with its stunning combination of a Perpetual Calendar, Alarm, and / or Vibration :



If you're a fan of Alarm Diving watches, JLC did something for you...

The 3 most important JLC Alarm Diving Watches are exposed, too, in an impressive summary of a 50 years History.

An European Deep Sea Alarm ( 1959, cal 815 ), a Memovox Polaris ( 1965, Cal 825 ), and the latest Navy Seals Alarm ( 2009, Cal 956 ):



Once again, it is not only a visual show, but also an audio one.

You will hear the " big frog " sounding Cal 815 / 825, while the modern Cal 909 / 1 ( Master Grand Reveil ) and 956 sound more like a School Bell.

The different perceptions of Time are here, all in same place, from the most accurate to the most delicious expressions, which, paradoxically, make you totally loose any notion of Time.

Like in a Dream...

A Dream which turns to Reality, as the Past strangely coincids with the Present, too:

This year, JLC not only won the Chronometry Contest, with two movements at the 2 first places, and like the Cal 170, some 60 years ago, the winners are 2 modern Tourbillons, the Cal 978 and Cal 174 ( Master Tourbillon and Gyro II ), but also presented a sublime striking novelty, the Hybris Mechanica à Grande Sonnerie.



So, if you have the possibility to visit " La Grande Maison ", don't forget to ask to see this Exhibition, and hurry up, because in a few days, it will be too late!

Folr those who won't be able to attend, I hope that, through this post, you felt like being there...

Best to All.

Nicolas.

PS: I want to thank here my contact at JLC who provided me the pictures of the 2d part of the exhibition, as the room was too dark to take any good pics, there. This message has been edited by amanico on 2010-03-07 02:15:14 This message has been edited by amanico on 2010-03-11 08:20:44

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