Jaeger LeCoultre...Price of perfect time

02 august 2004

Article by: the star Online (Sunday August 1, 2004)

Price of perfect time

DZIREENA MAHADZIR is bowled over by Jaeger-Le Coultre’s million ringgit Gyrotourbillon watch.

Jerome Lambert, CEO of Jaeger-Le Coultre, says that the watch demonstrates the finest art of watchmaking.
JUST what makes a million ringgit watch? Jaeger-Le Coultre’s newest baby, the fancily named Gyrotourbillon 1, costs a little over a cool million (RM1,174,069 to be exact, but when you’re paying that amount, there no need to trifle about “change’’!). In the world of timepieces, this is indeed a true treasure for its mammoth price tag comes not from gem-studded decoration but from the finest, most precise art of watch-making.

For one, the Gyrotourbillon boasts a unique spherical tourbillon movement. Tourbillons were initially conceived for use in pocket watches, which were usually carried upright. When the concept is used in a wristwatch, it needs to be adapted to allow multi-directional rotations. In this new watch – which, incidentally, took a whopping two thousand working hours to create – this special movement is known as the Jaeger Le-Coultre 177.

To make this innovative timepiece all the more special, it allows the wearer to literally watch how his watch works! When I saw the patent of the Gyrotourbillon at the recent watch fair in Geneva, Switzerland, I realised that no awesome carat can ever compare with the fascinating inner workings of a timepiece .

The tourbillon’s spherical carriage sits at tilted angle with its spinning external carriage making a complete turn about its axis every sixty seconds. Also, there is an titanium and aluminium carriage which supports the balance, balance-spring and escapement, which rotates round an axis that runs at a right angle to the first, completing a turn every 24 seconds. So in effect, this watch has a complex dual-axis tourbillon movement.

Does it take real watch connoisseurs to fork out so much money for one of these pieces? According to Jerome Lambert, CEO of Jaeger-Le Coultre Manufacture, there are plenty of people who appreciate good watch-making.

“It is all about demonstrating the finest art of watch making,” he says.

Jaeger Le-Coultre's million ringgit Gyrotourbillon I.

“The new concept of tourbillon makes it two or three times more accurate than the best watches in the market.’’

On a recent tour through South-East Asia the watch certainly garnered plenty of attention for its precise timekeeping. Lambert proudly shows how the perpetual calendar automatically adjusts the time equation – apparently a function that is extremely rare nowadays.

As the earth’s axis is tilted, the length of a solar day constantly changes and the time difference between the longest and shortest day is a significant 30 minutes and 45 seconds. At present, watches only display a uniform 24 hours (mean time) , thus ignoring the difference between the mean time and true solar time. For people who want to make every second count, the Jaeger-Le Coultre Calibre 177 comes equipped with a second running minute hand to illustrate the difference between true and mean time.

And just who is prepared to pay a million bucks to keep perfect time?

According to Lambert, the first Gyrotourbillon won’t appear in the market until January 2005, and even then, numbers will be limited. South-East Asia can look forward to 10 pieces, of which Malaysia will get two. And just in case you were interested, both have already been booked well in advance!

Article by: the star Online (Sunday August 1, 2004)