Jaeger-LeCoultre Duomètre
Jaeger-LeCoultre Duomètre Unique Travel Time Watch 2015
A rare craft (Métier Rare®) at the heart of the dial
Jaeger-LeCoultre has chosen to endow this new creation with a finely chiselled
dial. This subtly textured watch face represents the distinctive, individualised and ‘touch of madness’ characterising the Duomètre Unique Travel Time. Each tiny bump or ridge bears the imprint of the master artisan who has lavished such dexterity on creating it. This distinctive technique belongs to the art of hand engraving. It consists in removing material by performing movements in all directions using a special graver, so as to create an astonishing, finely granular and shiny surface.
The dial is unique in terms of its appearance that is at once rough and delicate, as well as because the work of the artisan is entirely free, guided only by personal talent and never exactly identical. Contemplating this chiselled dial naturally makes one picture the master engraver literally holding his breath in sculpting this landscape of relief effects that gives the watch its true personality.
Minutes tailored to personal desires
On the Duomètre Unique Travel Time, the combination of the reference and
destination time zones is adjustable to the nearest minute. Thanks to the
Unique Travel Time system, the traveller can set the time-zone display to all continents and countries, whatever the time difference. In practical terms, this means he can de-synchronise the minutes to create his own time.
Despite the complexity of the mechanism, Jaeger-LeCoultre wished to
emphasise the pleasant, user-friendly nature of the watch so as to release it
from any handling difficulties. As part of this desire to ensure smooth, simply
operation as on all Duomètre models, the same crown serves to wind the two
barrels. Turning it counter-clockwise winds the timekeeping barrel, while a
clockwise rotation winds the travel time-zone barrel. Once the basic setting
has been made, adjustment is purely intuitive.
Beautiful through and through
After the pleasant blow of the first visual encounter, the eye is drawn to the
overall harmony of the watch, as the seductive nature of the Duomètre Unique
Travel Time unfolds through an infinite series of details. The latter will delight
all those for whom such an object makes time stand still. In a cleverly
orchestrated sequence of operations involving countless hours of patient
attention, successive stages have led to the birth of this watch imbued with a
studied aura of sophistication.
The domed globe representing the earth is a playful reminder of the kind of
globe people love to spin on its axis. The gaze lingers pleasurably on the satinfinish counters creating a delightful contrast with the chiselled dial and the appliques that provide a certain sense of volume.
In addition to the case, the movement is also the object of refined finishes,
including hand-bevelled german silver bridges and the exclusive “côtes
soleillées” developed by Jaeger-LeCoultre. This concern for both outer and
inner decoration is inspired by the grand tradition of pocket-watches by the
Grande Maison and confirms the innate kinship of the Duomètre Unique Travel
Time with the spirit of Haute Horlogerie. Finally, the back of the watch springs
an attractive surprise, since it reveals the engraved names of the cities
corresponding to the 24 time zones. An authentic invitation to travel the
world.
