Jaeger-LeCoultre has long been a magical name among the famous Swiss watch manufacturers. From 1833 to the present day, this virtually self sufficient house has been a beacon of manufacturing excellence, superior quality, and horological innovation. Carrying on this noble tradition, the new Jaeger-LeCoultre Master Tourbillon provides an exclusive mechanism bearing watchmaking's most prized high complication, in conjunction with a plethora of interesting and unique technical details designed to optimize timekeeping precision and practical functionality.
The heart of the Jaeger-LeCoultre Master Tourbillon watch is the selfwinding Jaeger-LeCoultre 978 caliber. The full accumulated experience of the house in manufacturing innovative complications was employed to create a tourbillon which is true to the original spirit of the device -- an improvement to timekeeping performance, rather than a mere object of fashion or prestige. The large balance wheel chosen by Jaeger-LeCoultre in the interest of maximal stability and precision is then fitted with regulating screws; this proven system aids the balance in resisting shocks and sudden movement. Also, a technically desirable Breguet overcoil hairspring is employed to optimize the breathing of the hairspring during its contractions. The balance wheel oscillates at a rapid 28,800 vph frequency, which contributes to precision; to compensate for the added energy consumption this frequency exacts on the mechanism, Jaeger-LeCoultre has created a fine tourbillon cage from Grade 5 titanium, reducing mass to an absolute minimum. In the interest of improving efficiency to the greatest degree possible, the components of the escapement are finished to a very high degree. The precision of this tourbillon has proven exemplary, passing all of the 1000-hour Master Control tests, which corresponds to a precision of within -1 to +6 seconds, a level more demanding than the famous C.O.S.C. chronometer norms. The unidirectional winding system has also been carefully designed by Jaeger-LeCoultre to maintain optimal mainspring torque under typical day-to-day wearing conditions.
This beautiful Jaeger-LeCoultre timepiece holds other interesting and useful features in store for its wearer. A classic, pointer-type date display is employed; it has a clever jumping feature between the dates of the 15th and 16th which prevents the tourbillon complication from being obscured. Connoisseurs will appreciate the utility of this watch as a travel timepiece, thanks to the independently adjustable hour hand, and the supplementary 24-hour home-time indicator, located in the finely guilloched subdial at the 12 o'clock position. These functions, like that of the tourbillon device, were subjected to many extensive in-house Master Control tests, which give a demanding laboratory simulation of the considerable demands placed upon a watch worn in everyday scenarios.
The Jaeger-LeCoultre Master Tourbillon watch is offered in stainless steel, 18K pink gold, or platinum, its elegant round case following the well-ordered and classic design of the other models within the Master Control watch collection. In addition to the beautiful frontal view of the rotating tourbillon carriage and finely rendered dial work, a glance through the sapphire back confirms the high standard of haute horlogerie excellence cultivated at the Manufacture Jaeger-LeCoultre: the massive 22K gold rotor with its intricate design makes an immediate impression, as do the finely decorated bridges with their Cotes de Geneve striping, chamfered edges, blued screws, and countersunk and polished jewel settings. Equally appealing, is the extraordinary value this tourbillon watch represents, with suggested retail pricing well below that which is ordinarily associated with such truly "First Class" tourbillon executions.