WATCHES & WONDERS 2021: The most complicated Jaeger-LeCoultre Reverso ever made and all the Reverso novelties
Jaeger-LeCoultre Reverso Hybris Mechanica Calibre 185 Quadriptyque
Jaeger-LeCoultre Reverso Hybris Mechanica Calibre 185 Quadriptyque is the first watch in the world with four faces of timekeeping indications. Liberated by the unique design of the iconic Reverso, Jaeger-LeCoultre has created a world’s first: a double-faced case continuously driven by the in-house Calibre 185, and a double-faced cradle with indications synced and updated by the primary movement every day at the stroke of midnight by an ingenious mechanical system proprietary to Jaeger-LeCoultre.
If executed through conventional mechanical means, the 11 complications of the Jaeger-LeCoultre Reverso Hybris Mechanica Calibre 185 Quadriptyque would result in a timepiece far more suited for a desk than a wrist. Thanks to nearly two centuries of expertise and a thoroughly modern approach to innovation, Jaeger-LeCoultre tells the story of cosmic and terrestrial time within the confines of a 51mm by 31mm by 15mm case, a story told in four chapters of horological virtuosity.
The tourbillon is one of the main protagonists of the new Jaeger-LeCoultre Reverso Hybris Mechanica Calibre 185 (Quadriptyque). Occupying the 7 o’clock position on the recto face of the case, a flying tourbillon (thus called because the absence of an upper bridge allows it to appear as if it is floating) makes one rotation a minute, continuously varying the position of the balance in order to achieve a single corrected average time measurement.
The recto face of the Quadriptyque case, illustrating the uppermost abilities of mechanical horology, shows the indications of a perpetual calendar, a centuries-old mechanism that always displays the correct date despite the irregular number of days each month. It also takes leap years into account, displaying a 29th day in the month of February every four years. Highlighting the precision of the Jaeger-LeCoultre Calibre 185 construction, the perpetual calendar indications are instantaneous, changing at the stroke of midnight.
Visible through apertures on the movement plate hand-decorated with the guillochage motif known as clous de Paris are elements of the chiming mechanism uniquely associated with the sonnerie expertise of Jaeger-LeCoultre. Debuting in the Reverso Hybris Mechanica Calibre 185 is a completely novel engineering of the chiming components to create a seamless chime with no pauses in between the hours, quarters and minutes.
This year, for the first time ever in the history of mechanical horology, Jaeger-LeCoultre unites three displays of lunar information — the synodic cycle, the draconic cycle and the anomalistic cycle — in a single wristwatch. This unique micromechanical combination of indications, located on the interior face of the cradle of the Reverso Hybris Mechanica Calibre 185, allows the determination of eclipse events (both solar and lunar) and rare lunar phenomena such as supermoons. While conventional displays of the moon phase accumulate one day of error after 32.5 months, the moon phase display of the Quadriptyque requires only one adjustment after 1,111 years.
On the last face of the Quadriptyque, the exterior face of the cradle, a representation of the phases of the Moon in the Southern Hemisphere is shown. Most indications of the moon phase are of the Northern Hemisphere perspective, and the Quadriptyque’s display of the Southern Hemisphere moon phase on its fourth face is the fulfilment of the Reverso’s fundamental dualism.
The Jaeger-LeCoultre Reverso Hybris Mechanica Calibre 185 – limited to 10 pieces – comes in an exceptional presentation box with a built-in mechanism that allows the wearer to quickly and intuitively set all the calendar and astronomical displays of the watch after a period of being unworn.
Reverso Tribute Small Seconds Green
For 2021, recalling the early use of colour that distinguished the Reverso, La Grande Maison presents the Reverso Tribute Small Seconds in Green. The rich tone of the sunray-brushed lacquer dial and matching leather strap is reminiscent of the deep green of the pine forests that surround Jaeger- LeCoultre’s home in the Vallée de Joux.
The dial features all of the signature design elements of the Reverso Tribute: the hours are marked by applied indexes rather than numerals. Their faceted shape echoes the form of the Dauphine hands and adds visual depth to the lacquered surface. In the lower half of the dial, the circular track of the small seconds display provides a counterpoint to the linear geometry of the dial and case. Echoing the sunray brushing of the dial, a sunray pattern on the inside of the cradle is visible when the case is flipped over.
The slim 8.5mm case houses the manually wound mechanical Jaeger-LeCoultre Calibre 822/2; a rectangular shaped movement with small seconds designed expressly for the Reverso, it offers a power reserve of 42 hours.
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