Jaeger-LeCoultre

tony p
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JLC Goes Large in Shanghai - Part 3: The Mighty Duomètre à Chronographe

Mea culpa: not only did I get the name around the wrong way the other day, when I posted a reply (see thread below) stating that I had just examined three production Duomètres...but I also neglected to observe the bleedin' great inscription "PROTO" embedded on the caseback of each.

So at this point, ladies and gentlemen, I need to ask you all to forget all the stuff I said about the movement finishing and the minute reset problems. These are fully functioning prototypes, to be sure, but they are NOT to be taken as indicative of the true quality of the final product "as delivered". Well at least, I hope not.



In the flesh, this is definitely a large, and yet inimitably refined, timepiece. JLC have created a completely new case design for the Duomètre, with a thinner bezel than the familiar one of the recent "upgraded" Master series, and slightly different lugs. The dial layout is pure Janek: classical, understated, debonaire, and yet undoubtedly masculine. (nb did Janek actually do this design? I'm going to look like a damn fool if he didn't!)

The time-keeping and chronographic functions are nicely demarcated via use of two colours for the hands: gold and blued steel. The "leaf" hands themselves are a departure for JLC, and give the watch a somewhat Patek-like feel - which I like!



A constantly rotating chrono-minutes disc in a little fan window allows the owner to make a line call when the elapsed minutes are ambiguous, ie, right near the 60-second mark:



Another version of the watch, which I think is in stainless steel (in the heat of the moment, I forgot to ask), exhibits an unusual dial surface treatment which, for want of knowing its official title, I will dub "sand-blasted":

[Editor's Note: Author has identified this as the "Platinum version"]



Note the 1/6-second foudroyante hand at 6 o'clock, as well as the fact that both the running and chrono seconds hands are centrally mounted. This leads to a weird effect when the chrono function is running: the two seconds hands maintain a constant angle between themselves, almost as if they are stuck together or at least mounted on the same pinion. But of course they are not, and indeed their separation is complete, as they are being propelled by two completely independent drive trains!

It's quietly strange, and strangely exciting, to observe this synchronous "dance of the seconds", in the knowledge of what's really going on inside.

Speaking of which, isn't it time we flipped one of these suckers over and checked out the innards? I think so.



OK, the dirty great "PROTO" warning on the caseback gives us fair warning - and yet I think you'll agree, this is nothing short of a stunning visage. Rarely has the raison d'être of a watch been so clearly delineated in its movement design. Not only are the two big barrels given unmissable pride-of-place at the top, they also wear their heart on their sleeve (as it were), with their centrally-unwinding ratchets gloriously uncovered for all to see. JLC have even thoughtfully labelled them so we know which is which. Delightful!



My previous comments about movement finishing were not far off the mark. (But remember, this is a prototype.) It can be seen that some bridges are anglaged, some are not, some are perfunctorily so. It also appears that rhodium-plated nickel has been mounted onto raw brass for some of the bridges at least. Is this normal? Hey, I'm not a watchmaker, go ask someone else.



Note also in the above shot, the visible heart cam and reset hammer for the chrono seconds wheel. These details are usually hidden, at least on all the chrono movements I've seen. Is there something specific about the independent-power-train concept that allows this stuff to be laid bare? If so, JLC are to be congratulated for capitalising on the opportunity.

The côtes du soleil bridge finishing, radiating outwards from the balance wheel, has become something of a signature touch for JLC over the past few years, and I'm glad they have employed it here:



Inevitably I feel that this movement will be compared with a similarly courageous microengineering/design statement from a very different (although also Richemont-owned) manufacture: the Lange Double-Split. The two movements are like chalk and cheese; the Lange is all filigrees, sexy curves and topological complexity; this new JLC calibre 380 is perhaps a little less beautiful, but equally audacious. It eschews the rococo flourishes of the Lange for a chunkier, funkier, and yet equally invigorating aesthetic:




Would I buy this watch? You bet I would. It will not be an investment piece, but as a moment of horological history-in-the-making, I rank it as being of equal importance to the Double Split. From now, chronograph fanatics will have to ask themselves whether their collection is complete without a Duomètre. For me, the clincher is the foudroyante function: it shows how this manufacture is prepared to go the extra distance to create products which really knock our socks off. The only unanswered questions now relate (a) to the movement finishing: yes, these are prototypes, and yes, the finishing is already pretty good, but at this price, and in this company, it needs to be even better; and (b) the functionality and reliability: an all-new concept in an all-new movement design is always going to be a heart-in-mouth proposition. Time, as ever, will tell.

I'd like to thank Joanne Wong, Assistant Marketing Manager for JLC (China), and Lily Wang, JLC Shanghai Boutique Manager, for their patience and assistance in letting me compile this down-'n-dirty report for you all.

Cheers
Tony P

JLC Goes Large in Shanghai Part I:  The Manufacturer Comes to You - CLICK HERE
JLC Goes Large in Shanghai Part II:  The New Boutique at Plaza 66 - CLICK HERE

added links to Part I & II

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