Jaeger LeCoultre Rubber Strap Watches

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.

The thing about watches is, at their basic, all are tech-proof. Most of the timepieces we know today have the same basic mechanism they have had when watches became an important accessory �C an wrist-ament all well-heeled had to possess. So when Jaeger-LeCoultre decided to celebrate his own roots, there was nothing better than being inspired from one of the its own cult pieces, Jaeger-LeCoultre Reverso. Created first in 1931 for colonial polo players, who feared their timepieces would become scratched while in action, the Reverso has since become a benchmark by which most rectangular watches are measured. Now in his 80th year of glory, Jaeger-LeCoultre decide to pay tribute by bringing an Ultra Thin version that mimics its older cousin completely. Inside the watch is JLC manually-wound and hand-decorated ultra-thin movement, the Caliber 822. Offered in limited and non-limited editions, Reverso will be available in steel and pink gold.