A new aesthetic highlighting the contrast between midnight blue and polished white gold. A technical tour-de-force representing eight patents, including six inventions developed specifically for this watch combining an innovative flying tourbillon and a superlative chime. Marking a decade since the Master Hybris Mechanica Calibre 362 was first introduced, Jaeger-LeCoultre presents a new interpretation of the ultra-thin minute repeater in a five-piece limited edition with a deep midnight blue sunrayed dial in an 18k white gold case measuring 41 mm in diameter and 7.8 mm in thickness.
Universally acclaimed not only for its technical ambition but also for its aesthetic purity, the Master Hybris Mechanica Calibre 362 is a testament to La Grande Maison’s inventiveness and exceptional watchmaking skill. It was, at the time of its launch, one of the world’s thinnest minute repeater wristwatch with a tourbillon in production, and it is still today Jaeger-LeCoultre’s thinnest minute repeater in the collection, at 7.8 mm in thickness is even more rare for being a high-complication automatic movement.
Since creating its first Minute Repeater in 1875, La Grande Maison has developed more than 200 different chiming calibres, ranging from relatively simple alarms to the most complex Grandes Sonneries and Westminster chimes. The Master Hybris Mechanica Calibre 362 represents eight separate patents, two for previous inventions related to chiming mechanisms and six for inventions developed specifically for this timepiece:
Flying balance wheel;
Flying balance wheel in a flying tourbillon;
S-shaped hairspring;
Fixed winding stroke on the minute repeater;
Retractable push-button on the minute repeater;
Silent-timelapse reduction on the minute repeater.
Achieving the goal of thinness required a complete re-think of the regulating organ and for Calibre 362, Jaeger-LeCoultre developed and patented a new form of flying tourbillon —one that is fitted with a flying balance wheel. This structure also required a re-think of the balance spring and the result is the patented S-shaped hairspring, which is fixed above the balance wheel, in full view of the observer. Not only a technical feat, but the design of the flying tourbillon also brings an aesthetic benefit: with no bridge or upper cage, there is no visual impediment to the display of its mesmerizing oscillations.
To provide the convenience of automatic winding to the wearer, Calibre 362 was conceived as a self-winding movement. However, this required Jaeger-LeCoultre’s watchmakers to re-think the design of the winding rotor, which normally sits on top of the movement, adding thickness. Their solution was to develop a peripheral rotor. Encircling the calibre, it has a section in platinum to create the necessary weight and is mounted on ceramic ball bearings to ensure that it swings freely, with minimal friction and without compromising the acoustics and position of the crystal gongs.
Crystal gongs and trebuchet hammers enhance the quality of the chime. Being attached directly to the glass of the watch, the gongs turn the sapphire crystal into a resonator, exploiting the superior acoustic qualities of that material. The articulated hammers recoup the great majority of the energy lost in traditional minute repeater construction, thus enabling a chime of unprecedented strength. The watchmakers supplemented these elements with a new invention: silent-timelapse reduction. Integrated into the strike train, this reduces the pause between the chiming of the hours and minutes when there are no quarter-hours to be struck.
The calibre 362 is composed of 566 parts, is only 4.7 mm thick and provides a power reserve of 42 hours.
Turning their attention to the aesthetics of the watch, Jaeger-LeCoultre’s engineers developed and patented a new mechanism to activate the minute repeater: a discreet unlocking button at 8 o’clock on the case side and a retractable push-button at 10 o’clock. This repeater activating system also delivers a performance benefit, enabling the case to be made water-resistant more easily. Water-resistant minute repeaters are rare indeed, and the Master Hybris Mechanica Calibre 362 is water-resistant to 30 meters.
At 41 mm in diameter and just 7.8 mm thick, the case of the Master Hybris Mechanica Calibre 362 was inspired by the elegance of the Maison’s early 20th-century ultra-thin pocket watches, in particular the 1907 couteau —knife— pocket watch. The Manufacture chose white gold because of the metal’s superior acoustic qualities and, in the new interpretation of the timepiece, the midnight blue sunrayed dial contrasts dramatically with the hand-polished bezel, sides, and tapering lugs.
With eight patents, including six inventions developed specifically for this timepiece, the Master Hybris Mechanica Calibre 362 is an eloquent testimony to the Manufacture's perpetual quest for pushing the boundaries of horological innovation.
The new Jaeger-LeCoultre Master Hybris Mechanica Calibre 362 is available in an ultra-exclusive limited edition of five pieces and only sold through Jaeger-LeCoultre boutiques.
Sticker Price Upon Request. More info on Jaeger-LeCoultre here.
