Valuable time from Jaeger-LeCoultre

Where the infinitely small meets the infinitely beautiful: Jaeger-LeCoultre puts the legendary Calibre 101 back in the spotlight in a simply brilliant exercise in style.

The Calibre 101, originally designed for jewellery watches, revolutionised ladies’ watch-making when it was launched in 1929, its miniature size and elongated design effectively opening the door to a new type of aesthetic freedom for watchmakers! Developed half a century before the advent of the computer, this calibre is unanimously considered a masterpiece of miniaturisation. At 14mm in length and less than 5mm in width, and weighing in at barely one gram, this tiny hand-wound calibre remains to this day the smallest mechanical movement in the world, not to mention one of the oldest still in production. Now, at over 90 years of age, it has of course undergone various improvements in terms of materials and machining, but its dimensions and architecture remain unchanged. Its small size means that each component has to be custom-made and hand-fitted, making each Calibre 101 a unique piece. Over the course of its history, it has been fitted both to timepieces created by Jaeger-LeCoultre and to creations by various other watchmakers. These rare watches have graced the wrists of many extraordinary women over the years, including Queen Elizabeth II, who wore one gifted by French President Vincent Auriol at her coronation in 1953.

When it came to designing these two new gem-set watches, the Jaeger-LeCoultre designers began by outlining the shape of the strap and deciding on the type of setting before incorporating the casings and movements into their pieces. In traditional watchmaking, the process is, of course, quite the opposite, with the casing generally being designed before the strap that will support it is created. Fashioned in rose gold, both straps faithfully reflect the traditional codes of high-end jewellery whilst at the same time differing greatly from one other in terms of both form and personality, underlining the creative freedom that the small Calibre 101 allows.

101 Snowdrop: symmetry 

Inspired by the white snowdrop flowers that herald the end of winter in the Vallée de Joux, the Snowdrop cuff watch exudes delicate femininity, comprising a ring of pear-shaped diamonds surrounding the face and forming the flower, and waves of diamonds repeating the perfectly symmetrical petal pattern throughout the strap. With 904 stones, of which 204 are pear-shaped and the rest brilliant cut (giving a total of 20.9 carats), the setting alone requires 130 hours of work. Viewed in profile, it becomes clear that the structure of the strap is supported by two gold rings, each inlaid with grain-set diamonds - a linear setting technique whereby small beads of gold are pulled up from the surface of the metal and pushed over the stone to hold it in place.

101 Bangle: asymmetry

The Bangle model embodies an altogether bolder expression of femininity inspired by Art Deco geometry and 20th-century modernism. Representing a dynamic interplay between symmetry and asymmetry, the strap is set with 996 diamonds (giving a total of 19.7 carats) layered so as to enhance the curves of the piece. The craftsmen have combined the claw and grain settings (144 and 852 stones respectively) to highlight the relief of the diamonds and maximise the play of light, whilst rows of grain-set diamonds adorn the golden rings on either side of the face to support the strap.

And because it's you, #SoBARNES will let you in on a little secret: there is no clasp on this model, which opens gently by simply pivoting the two arms.

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Infos : Jaeger-lecoultre.com

 

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