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Jaeger-LeCoultre

Reverso Gyrotourbillon 2

Material
Platinium
Bracelet strap
Leather
Buckle
Folding buckle
Size
ø 55 mm
Thickness
16 mm
Movement
Manual-winding mechanical
Functions
Power reserve indicator, Tourbillon
Reference
Q 2336420
Launch date
2008
Collection
Reverso
Price excl. VAT
382’000 CHF
Description

<p>The ethereal revolutions of the spherical tourbillon</p><p>within a swivelling case</p><p>After the stunning revelation of the Gyrotourbillon I, Jaeger-LeCoultre is offering the</p><p>spherical tourbillon a new stage-setting worthy of its technically innovative nature: the</p><p>swivelling case of the Reverso. Presented in a decorative expression inspired by the finest</p><p>Haute Horlogerie achievements, this extraordinary watch mechanism overturns longestablished</p><p>principles, since it represents the first time that a wristwatch houses a cylindershaped</p><p>balance-spring. Representing a splendid approach to the quest for absolute precision,</p><p>the three-dimensional motion of the spherical tourbillon fascinates observers by the</p><p>exceptional speed of rotation of its two carriages, with the inner one completing a full turn</p><p>in 18.75 seconds, while the outer one performs a more conventional one-minute turn.</p><p>Universally acclaimed at the time of its launch barely four years ago, this revolution in the</p><p>tourbillon world now finds an entirely natural aesthetic expression in the Reverso, with its</p><p>distinctive shape that further highlights the absolute beauty of this peerless technical</p><p>accomplishment.</p><p>When the Manufacture Jaeger-LeCoultre first unveiled this avant-garde innovation in 2004, the</p><p>Gyrotourbillon I took the watch industry by storm as the first-ever spherical tourbillon.</p><p>Composed of two carriages mounted on axes set at a 90° angle, this horological microcosm is</p><p>still the only mechanical device enabling a wristwatch to break completely free from the</p><p>detrimental effects of gravity on its timekeeping precision.</p><p>A new spherical tourbillon</p><p>Embodying a mechanical marvel in its own right, the spherical tourbillon and the hundred or so</p><p>parts composing it exercise an irresistible fascination by the complexity, speed and beauty of its</p><p>three-dimensional motion. Eager to enliven still further the entrancing vision provided by this</p><p>unparalleled watch mechanism, the designers of the Manufacture decided to enhance its already</p><p>remarkable visual appeal by adding a touch of colour. To achieve this, they suggested that the</p><p>technicians perform a daring thermal treatment on one of the most delicate parts of the</p><p>mechanism, the now famous cylindrical balance-spring with end curves, in order to give it a</p><p>bluish tint similar to that of the hour, minute and power-reserve hands. And since Jaeger-</p><p>LeCoultre's choices are always simultaneously dictated by both functional and aesthetic criteria,</p><p>the arms of the balance were meticulously open-worked to create a slender elegance that also</p><p>implies a considerable reduction in weight.</p><p>2 following paragraphs (The barrel…. and The extraordinary….) are taken out here and used</p><p>later in the text</p><p>A key feature of the Gyrotourbilon 2: the cylindrical balance-spring with end curves</p><p>The second version of the Gyrotourbillon is distinguished by an essential organ: the presence of</p><p>a cylinder-shaped balance-spring with end curves. This component was invented by English</p><p>watchmaker John Arnold, who had it patented in 1782. Due to the complexity involved in its</p><p>production and the difficulties implied by attempts to miniaturise it, this ingenious discovery</p><p>which guarantees a regular and perfectly isochronous development of the balance-spring was</p><p>reserved exclusively for marine chronometers and a few generously sized pocket-watches. It</p><p>thus appeared doomed never to drive a wristworn mechanism. Innovative watchmakers chafed</p><p>at this regrettable situation, since its rating characteristics are unanimously considered to be</p><p>infinitely better than those of a flat balance-spring.</p><p>Nonetheless, all obstacles and pitfalls, however insurmountable they might appear, inevitably</p><p>spur the engineers and watchmakers of the Manufacture to decisive action. The latter were able</p><p>to grasp the opportunity represented by the spherical tourbillon and to present a cylindrical</p><p>balance-spring nestling at the heart of a wristwatch. Combined with the specific advantages of</p><p>the spherical tourbillon, this innovation represents a breakthrough in the field of accuracy and</p><p>paves the way for a level of rating precision that is simply unprecedented on a timepiece</p><p>designed to follow its wearer's arm movements.</p><p>The extraordinary complexity of the spherical tourbillon</p><p>Embodying a major step forward in the history of mechanical horology, the spherical tourbillon</p><p>offers wristwatches the same advantages that the classic Breguet tourbillon had brought to</p><p>pocket-watches. Since the late 18th century, the tourbillon mechanism has freed watch</p><p>movements from the influence of gravity on the regulating organ and its adverse effects on</p><p>precision. This prodigiously designed mechanism serves its true purpose in a pocket-watch,</p><p>which generally sits upright in a waistcoat pocket. However, the usefulness of a traditional</p><p>tourbillon is far less obvious in a wristwatch, which is usually worn in a horizontal position. This</p><p>particular situation requires the watchmaker to perform adjustments in several positions in</p><p>order to determine a satisfactory average rate.</p><p>Through its conception and its construction built on two axes set at a 90° angle, the spherical</p><p>tourbillon is the only device that compensates for the effects of gravity in all positions.</p><p>Nonetheless, actually producing it called for the use of ultra-light high-tech materials in order to</p><p>create a mechanism able to simultaneously drive the rotation of both carriages. Their speeds of</p><p>rotation are so fast – one turn per minute for the outer carriage and one revolution in just</p><p>18.75 seconds for the inner carriage – that the balance maintains constant amplitude, whichever</p><p>way it is oriented. For the first time in watchmaking history, the exactness of a watch is thus</p><p>entirely independent of the position of the timepiece itself. Loyal to the uncompromising</p><p>principles that govern each of its decisions, Jaeger-LeCoultre refused to take the easy path to</p><p>achieving this result by reducing the size of the balance or the frequency of its oscillations. In</p><p>order to guarantee infallible accuracy, the Reveros Gyrotourbillon 2 is equipped with a large</p><p>gold balance that is fairly insensitive to vibrations or shocks, has an inertia of 12.5 mgxcm2 and</p><p>imperturbably oscillates at a rate of 28,800 vibrations per hour. In an ultimate touch of luxury</p><p>and in order to avoid any alteration in the rating in case of impacts, adjustments are made by</p><p>means of gold inertia-blocks arranged around the rim of the balance.</p><p>An absolute Reverso, for a new dimension in time measurements</p><p>In terms of its horological functions, the Reverso Gyrotourbillon 2 displays the time by means of</p><p>two flame-blued steel hands moving over an off-centred sapphire subdial. A fine engraving on</p><p>the wheel to the left of the dial enables one to read off the time on a 24-hour scale. Meanwhile,</p><p>the seconds are indicated by a blue index that is actually part of the outer tourbillon carriage.</p><p>On the back, a hand integrated within the movement indicates the power reserve on a sectorshaped</p><p>bridge.</p><p>Nonetheless, at the very moment when a Jaeger-LeCoultre watch appears to have revealed its</p><p>essential characteristics, a new element consistently overturns the global view that an attentive</p><p>observer is struggling to gain. For this particular model, in order to house the manually-wound</p><p>Calibre 174, the engineers of the Manufacture had to design an entirely new swivel case that</p><p>nonetheless complied with the inimitable DNA of the Reverso. By the very nature of its</p><p>operating principle, the spherical tourbillon calls for a thicker type of envelope in order to</p><p>operate in perfect freedom and security. After making countless prototypes based on highly</p><p>complex crystals and spheres cut from sapphires, technicians and designers finally managed to</p><p>accommodate the thickness of the tourbillon within an apparently classic case and sapphire</p><p>crystal. Representing the height of refinement, this case is even equipped with a bolt inspired by</p><p>the system used on the Reverso grande complication à triptyque, in order to prevent any</p><p>inadvertent opening of the watch. The case is water-resistant to 30 metres and fitted with an</p><p>integrated leather strap ensuring exceptional comfort on the wrist. As befits such a prestigious</p><p>watch, the Reverso Gyrotourbillon 2 will be issued in a strictly limited platinum edition of 75.</p><p>The barrel itself is fitted with a cover and a sapphire crystal so as to reduce friction on the</p><p>mainspring. The energy it stores is thus entirely available for the movement in order to ensure a</p><p>respectable 50-hour power reserve. Meanwhile, a subtle device placed on the barrel avoids any</p><p>risks related to excess or insufficient tension. This means that when the watch is being wound,</p><p>the system blocks the winding process before the spring becomes overly taut. Conversely, the</p><p>movement stops before the progressive unwinding is liable to adversely affect the watch's rating</p><p>precision.</p><p>The extraordinary manually-decorated Jaeger-LeCoultre Calibre 174 is composed of 371 parts.</p><p>Connoisseurs of fine watchmaking will appreciate the hand-raised and polished interior angles as</p><p>well as the exquisite rounding off the intermediate carriage bridge. The German silver bridges</p><p>and mainplate feature file-drawn edges, as well as hand-raised and polished angles. The surfaces</p><p>are adorned with Clous de Paris, Côtes de Genève, circular graining or satin brushing, all serving</p><p>to accentuate the graphic strength of this splendid rectangular movement. These ornamental</p><p>touches create splendid contrasts with the steel mechanisms and the gear wheels coated in</p><p>yellow gold. Finally, the plate features a screw of which the purpose is liable to remain a mystery</p><p>for generations of watchmakers, since it will reveal the secret of its function only to</p><p>micromechanical adventurers prepared to take the time required to grasp the enigma behind</p><p>the running of this matchless mechanical calibre.</p><p>Nonetheless, any watchmaking devotee will soon forget the subsidiary features of the Reverso</p><p>Gyrotourbillon 2 and simply turn his gaze over and over to the extraordinary vision afforded by</p><p>Jaeger-LeCoultre Calibre 174 and the captivating revolutions of the spherical tourbillon as it</p><p>exercises its truly irresistible force of attraction. As the absolute Reverso, the Gyrotourbillon 2</p><p>embodies a unique accomplishment that could only emerge from a Manufacture that has allied</p><p>traditional know-how with an indomitable spirit of innovation for the past 175 years. This</p><p>timepiece, boasting a degree of precision on the wrist that breaks entirely free of the power of</p><p>gravity, illustrates the creative strength that nurtures the countless transformations of the</p><p>Reverso, the watchmaking icon appearing in consistently reinvented and perpetually fascinating</p><p>new forms of expression.</p>