Jaeger-LeCoultre Master Grand Tourbillon Enamel Limited Edition

Swiss luxury watch manufacture Jaeger-LeCoultre unveils Master Grand Tourbillon Enamel, a brand new horology masterpiece in their High Jewellery collection.

It is for the first time, Jaeger-LeCoultre is presenting a timepiece featuring a sapphire crystal enhanced by a miniature painting applied using an innovative technique.

Cranes, an age-old symbol of longevity, adorn the dial and are surrounded by bamboos of which some are meticulously painted on the sapphire crystal of the Jaeger-LeCoultre Master Grand Tourbillon Enamel watch. The decorated watch glass thus echoes the enamelled dial, creating an extraordinary overall effect of depth and volume.

The white gold case is embellished with an engraving on the sides and the bezel is set with baguette-cut diamonds that provide a perfect frame for the miniature artwork depicting cranes.

A meticulous guilloché work is performed on the white gold dial that is subsequently covered with transparent enamel with a shade of blue. The artist then draws a multi-colored landscape and places the glittering Moon made of silver foil. Having fired the piece in the kiln to fix the colors, the enameller works with the blanc de Limoges, applying various layers to shape the birds with a relief effect.

The artisan will then give a touch of color to a range of miniature elements such as the plumage of the birds and the curve of their neck. The splash of colors gives life to the embossed design. Aiming at achieving a greater depth effect, the artisan adds miniature design elements to the sapphire glass that covers the dial and fires the glass to fix the colours. Finally, such extraordinary enamelling is matched by an exceptional gem-setting.

The gem-setter places the 94 baguette-cut diamonds one by one, side by side, skillfully matching differently proportioned stones in order to cover the white gold bezel, lugs and crown of the watch with a precious glowing aura. The buckle of the watch is then set with baguette diamonds as a final sparkling touch.

This masterpiece creation houses the Calibre 978, one of the 1,242 calibres developed and produced by Jaeger-LeCoultre throughout its illustrious history.

This caliber is legendary as it has won the memorable first prize in the 2009 International Timing Competition organised by the Watch Museum of Le Locle, Switzerland. The tourbillon carriage made from a light yet robust titanium alloy weighs just 0.28 grams, thus very little energy is required to maintain its rotations.

The energy from the barrel can therefore be entirely used to keep the large-sized variable-inertia balance oscillating at a frequency of 28,800 vibrations per hour, guaranteeing an exceptional degree of precision. In keeping with fine watchmaking traditions, the parts of this calibre are meticulously decorated by hand, including the oscillating weight in 22-carat gold, seen through the sapphire caseback of the watch.

Technical details

Model: Jaeger-LeCoultre Master Grand Tourbillon Enamel
Reference Q16630E8

Edition
Limited series of 8 pieces

Movement
Mechanical automatic Jaeger-LeCoultre Calibre 978, crafted, assembled and decorated by hand
48-hour power reserve
302 parts
33 jewels
7.05 mm thick
Oscillating weight in 22-carat gold

Dial
Guilloched and enamelled

Hands
Hour and minute

Functions
Hour, minute, second, tourbillon

Case
18-carat white gold
94 diamonds (bezel, lugs, crown), 8.0 carats
Engraved case sides
Miniature painting on sapphire glass above the dial
43mm diameter
Water-resistance: 5 bar

Strap
Black alligator leather 22/20
Buckle in white gold, diamond-set