jaeger 149347a

In March, a day before Baselworld started, I had the opportunity to visit and tour one of my favorite manufactures, Jaeger-LeCoultre. About an hour outside of Geneva, in the french speaking part of Swtizerland, Jaeger-LeCoultre is situated in "the cradle of fine watch***" - the Vallee de Joux. Along with Jaeger-LeCoultre, the Joux Vall��e is home to some of the world's top haute horology manufactures, including Audemars Piguet, Blancpain, Breguet, Frederic Piguet and more. In fact, on the way to the Jaeger-LeCoultre factory, coming from Geneva, you actually drive by Audemars Piguet and Frederic Piguet manufactures, which are all within minutes of each other. The Vall��e de Joux consists of 10 villages in a valley of the Jura mountains. This is where many of the world's best watches are produced. And this, is what makes a trip to the Joux Vall��e, so intriguing. After arriving in La Sentier, I met with Jaeger-LeCoultre Product Manager, Marc Menant to begin a tour of the factory. We toured the design, assembly, after-sales service departments first. Then we toured numerous departments which manufactured all the parts needed to produce a watch. We then toured the ATMOS department, which was filled with shelves of the ATMOS clocks. After that we visited the a department that consisted of handful enamel painters, hand engravers and other watch artists. We eventually finished up by viewing some museum pieces and then the new timepieces from SIHH, including the Master Compressor Extreme LAB 2 View as you enter the Vallee de Joux Founders wall plaque, directly across the street from front door of manufacture Jaeger-LeCoultre Manufacture street view Main lobby of Jaeger-LeCoultre manufacture Founder's statue across the street from Main Entrance Jaeger-LeCoultre Founder's Statue and Plaque South end of the manufacture Jaeger-LeCoultre manufacture South wing This unique safe is part of a 3-piece collector's set (shown here) that includes the Hybris Mechanica �� Grande Sonnerie, the Gyrotourbillon Mechanica and the Reverso Mechanica �� Tryptique. These are three of Jaeger-LeCoultre's most complicated timepieces. Jaeger-LeCoultre Special Hybris Mechanica collector's watch safe Custom engraved gold Reverso casebacks Movement baseplates and bridges Escapements being prepared prior to assembly Uncased Duometre movement Complicated timepieces at the Haute Horology department More complicated timepieces at the Haute Horology department Screws that have just been blued Hand-painted enamel timepieces Another look at the beautiful hand-painted dials in their in-house "Enamel" department, mostly Reverso watches Miniature watch parts and the tools that help create them Another shot of the Vallee de Joux, an area that wasn't quite as cold and snowy as at the Jaeger-LeCoultre factory Jaeger-LeCultre Minute Repeater A high-end Jaeger-LeCoultre timepiece with a beautiful three-quarter plate Display case of custom Enamel painted and engraved Reverso watchesAfter viewing and photographing the timepieces, Marc Menant and I met Jaeger-LeCoultre Marketing Director, St��phane Belmont, and Creative Director, Janek Deleskiewicz. We then went to the restaurant that is frequently used as a place to meet with clients, press and business partners. One of the best features of this restaurant, other than the amazing French cuisine, is a perfect view of Lac de Joux out the window, from our table. Our lunch was a delicious five course meal, including white fish that was actually caught in the Lac de Joux. We also enjoyed an excellent bottle of Swiss Riesling white wine. The wine, like German and French Riesling, came from white grapes grown along the Rhine, in Switzerland. During lunch, we discussed Jaeger-LeCoultre and their many product lines. In talking with St��phane and Janek, I learned that Jaeger-LeCoultre's main marketing strategy, is to focus on great products. And I think it is clear that the company is focused on that. As they continue to offer an excellent range of innovative high quality timepieces that stay true to traditional watch***. Jaeger-LeCoultre Reverso Minute Repeater (from manufacture museum) Minute Repeater from Jaeger-LeCoultre Museum Minute Repeater from Jaeger-LeCoultre Museum Minute Repeater from Jaeger-LeCoultre Museum Jaeger-LeCoultre is a traditional haute horology manufacturer, but what is so amazing, is that they produce so many different watch collections. They produce nine different collections, including the Reverso, Duom��tre, Master Grande Tradition, Master Control, Master Compressor, AMVOX, Haute Joaillerie, Horological Excellence and ATMOS lines. On a half-day tour I did not have enough time to visit every single department, for every collection. I was, however, able to visit departments from all stages of production. After touring the factory, I am even more amazed at what Jaeger-LeCoultre is capable of doing. From traditional, to haute jewelry pieces, to ultra complicated, to sporty, to high-tech. Whatever type of timepiece you like, Jaeger-LeCoultre has the ability to design and manufacture it, from start to finish, all in-house. They are truly one of the most complete manufactures in the world. Each day this week I will be publishing close-up images of timepieces that were released at SIHH 2010.

Lovers of the cool Doxa brand will be pleased to set their eyes on the new Doxa Sub 800 Ti Professional. As boasted on their own site (itself a peculiar setup with two variants of the same site available as far as I can see) the watch ‘looks like steel, so it must be…..titanium’ of [...]Read More|||No Comment Cuervo Y Sobrinos Torpedo Historiador SemanalPosted byJohnny McElherroninFebruary 8th 2010under:BaselWorld 2010, Cuervo Y SobrinosTags: Cuervo Y Sobrinos, Cuervo Y Sobrinos Torpedo Historiador SemanalOne of my favourite and eclectic brands, Havana-based Cuervo Y Sobrinos, have announced their new Cuervo Y Sobrinos Torpedo Historiador Semanal in anticipation of the 2010 BaselWorld industry exhibition in March. Well, when I say ‘new’, it is in fact a modern interpretation on one of the marque’s distinctive 1940′s models. The Torpedo Historiador Semanal, [...]Read More|||1 Comment Ball watch unveil cool new Engineer HydroCarbon SpacemasterPosted byJohnny McElherroninFebruary 8th 2010under:Ball Watch, BaselWorld 2010Tags: Ball Watch, Ball Watch Engineer HydroCarbon SpacemasterI first really noticed the Ball Watch company a few years ago and have always meant to get my hands on one but never actually got round to it. Ball Watch possess a quite unusual characteristic which is not found in many watch brands – although a nod of recognition also goes to Traser/H3 watches [...]Read More|||No Comment Depeche Mode Hublot Big Bang First ImagesPosted byJohnny McElherroninFebruary 7th 2010under:Hublot, NewsTags: Depeche Mode Hublot Big Bang, HublotHublot have teamed up with one of the greatest rock bands of all time. Depeche Mode. Greatest ‘rock’ bands off all time I hear you wonder? Yes. Have you caught them live? If you have, you’ll know what I mean. In all, Depeche Mode have released 12 albums, the latest of which, Sounds of the [...]Read More|||1 Comment F1 drivers and their watchesPosted byJohnny McElherroninFebruary 5th 2010under:Watches in the spotlightTags: F! drivers watches, F1 watchesAs the driver replaces his steering wheel and steps out of his cockpit in parc ferme after two hours of intense concentration and having been subjected to grueling? g-forces, noise and nearly always high temperatures, he waves to his team and supporters before being ushered away into the paddock building as he makes his way [...]Read More|||4 Comments Instrumento Grande Chrono by De GrisogonoPosted byJohnny McElherroninFebruary 4th 2010under:BaselWorld 2010, De GrisogonoTags: De Grisogono, Instrumento Grande ChronoThe following exerpt is taken from the De Grisogono press release announcing the latest 2010 interpretation of their Instrumento Grande Chrono: Acclaimed at its launch, it's back today in a striking updated version featuring a series of unusually arrayed functions. In 2005, when it first came out, it made quite a splash. With its oversized [...]Read More|||No Comment DeWitt Twenty-8-EightPosted byJohnny McElherroninFebruary 4th 2010under:BaselWorld 2010, DeWittTags: DeWitt, DeWitt Twenty-8-EightAs BaselWorld 2010 approaches, so we get to hear about and preview many of the new collections from the leading watch houses. I received the following press communiqu�� from the DeWitt company: "The launch of the new Twenty-8-Eight collection of DeWitt is an inspired evolution of the brand, as it harmoniously integrates a more classical [...]Read More|||No Comment The Glash��tte Original PanoMaticLunar XLPosted byJohnny McElherroninFebruary 3rd 2010under:Glash��tte Original, SIHH 2010Tags: Glash��tte Original, PanoMaticLunar XLAs well as their Senator Sixties Panorama Date *** it’s debut, Glash��tte Original also showcased the lastest evolution of another key model in their collection – the PanoMaticLunar XL. Continuing the ‘Pano’ model’s lineage of typically Glash��tte design, where, as with their neighbours and illustrious contemporaries A. Lange & Sohne, the watch face is laid [...]Read More|||No Comment The Senator Sixties Panorama Date from Glash��tte OriginalPosted byJohnny McElherroninFebruary 2nd 2010under:Glash��tte OriginalTags: Glash��tte Original, Senator Sixties Panorama DateGlash��tte Original, the Saxony watchmaker, have presented a number of pieces from their 2010 collections at the recent SIHH exhibition in Geneva. Among them is the new Senator Sixties Panorama Date, an elegant gentleman’s wristwatch evoking memories of times past. You might be forgiven for thinking that we are somehow stepping back in time to [...]Read More|||No Comment Girard-Perregaux’s new 1966 range of models break coverPosted byJohnny McElherroninFebruary 1st 2010under:Girard-Perregaux, News, SIHH 2010Tags: Girard-Perregaux, Girard-Perregaux 1966 Collection, Girard-Perregaux 1966 Small SecondsThe Girard-Perregaux marque presented their latest interpretations of the 1966 series at the SIHH exhibition, held recently in Geneva. The 1966 collection first appeared in 2006 and since it’s arrival has become an ever-more important element of the Girard-Perregaux portfolio, with it’s popularity growing in this ultra-competitive sector. Complimenting the new column-wheel Chronograph and the [...]Read More|||1 Comment Vacheron Constantin M��tiers d'Art �C La Symbolique des LaquesPosted bySylvia McElherroninJanuary 29th 2010under:News, Vacheron ConstantinTags: La Symbolique des Laques, Vacheron Constantin, Vacheron Constantin M��tiers d'ArtWith a refreshing change from recent new watch releases featuring cutting edge composite construction materials comes a new collection from the world's oldest manufacturer of watches, Vacheron Constantin – the M��tiers d'Art La Symbolique des Laques. Preservation of Haute Horlogerie traditions, especially with regard to applied arts – enamelling, engraving and engine turning is an [...]Read More|||No Comment Love is in the air at Hublot – The Big Bang in Red – A special for St Valentine’s dayPosted byJohnny McElherroninJanuary 27th 2010under:Hublot, NewsTags: Hublot, Hublot Big Bang, Hublot Big Bang in RedThe folk at Hublot appear to have come over all lovey recently when the launch of the latest edition of the Big Bang series was announced! Specially manufactured for St Valentine’s Day 2010, (and don’t forget it’s February 14th!)? the new piece is somewhat of a departure from the ‘typical’ Big Bang in that it [...]Read More|||No Comment Jaeger LeCoultre impress with two new Master Memovox modelsPosted byJohnny McElherroninJanuary 26th 2010under:Jaeger LeCoultre, News, SIHH 2010Tags: Jaeger Le Coultre, Jaeger LeCoultre, Jaeger-LeCoultre Master Memovox International, MemovoxJaeger-LeCoultre made some ‘noise’ at the SIHH 2010, held in Geneva last week, when the company recalled one their past icons with the unveiling of not one, but two new Memovox models. Originally debuted in the 1950s, the Memovox was a representation of a new period in history, where the austerity of the previous decade [...]Read More|||1 Comment A. Lange & Sohne Saxonia Annual Calendar stars at SIHHPosted byJohnny McElherroninJanuary 20th 2010under:A. Lange & Sohne, SIHH 2010Tags: A. Lange & Sohne, A. Lange & Sohne Saxonia Annual CalendarAmong other amazing creations unveiled by A. Lange & Sohne at this year’s SIHH watch exhibition in Geneva was this beautiful Saxonia Annual Calendar. Available in either pink or white gold 38.5mm case, this piece is certainly easy on the eye, due to the unfussy layout of the solid silver dial and the use of [...]Read More|||No Comment The new IWC Portuguese Yacht Club Chronograph IW3902Posted byJohnny McElherroninJanuary 20th 2010under:IWC, SIHH 2010Tags: IW3902, IWC, IWC Portuguese, IWC Portuguese Yacht Club ChronographI was really impressed with IWC’s offerings on display at SIHH this week in Geneva. I wrote about the Da Vinci Chrono Ceramic already and indeed have gone back to admire it some more. Very cool watches seem to be the IWC mantra this time round, although many would argue that they are never too [...]Read More