Jaeger-LeCoultre Rendez-Vous Celestial Northern Lights Edition

Revisiting its much-loved celestial theme on the occasion of 76th Venice International Film Festival – La Biennale di Venezia, Jaeger-LeCoultre is presenting the Rendez-Vous Celestial Northern Lights watch for women.

The Northern Lights: Aurora Borealis. Named after the Ancient Roman goddess of the dawn, and visible only on the darkest nights near the Arctic Circle, this awe-inspiring phenomenon has fascinated mankind since the beginning of time.

A pair of beautiful Rendez-Vous Celestial jewellery watches pays homage to this otherworldly spectacle, capturing the vivid greens, purples, pinks and blues that stream and dance across the sky.

When Jaeger-LeCoultre introduced the Rendez-Vous in 2012, it was a rare example of a high complication watch created specifically for women; since then, this mechanically sophisticated and visually entrancing timepiece has been reinterpreted several times, in different materials. In this new ‘Northern Lights’ edition, mother-of-pearl and multi-coloured sapphires take centre stage, uniting two of the Metiers Rares® that Jaeger-LeCoultre has so thoroughly mastered – gem-setting, and hand painting.

Asymmetrical in composition, the dial is formed of two sections, set at different heights. On the upper section, the curvy floral numerals – a signature of the Rendez-Vous collection – are graduated in size, to form a crescent that hovers above the lower dial. Outlined by an elliptical band of pink gold that draws the eye deeper into it, this lower section carries a hand-transferred imprint of a star chart, together with the signs of the Zodiac and names of the months.

Displaying the night sky as it appears above Jaeger LeCoultre’s home in the Vallée de Joux, the star chart shows the changing positions of the constellations in real time. The automatic mechanical movement Jaeger-LeCoultre Calibre 809/1 turns the disc counterclockwise in relation to the stars, almost imperceptibly, in step with the rotation of the Earth in 23 hours, 56 minutes and 4 seconds.

For the ‘Northern Lights’ edition, both sections of the mother-of-pearl dial are hand-painted with swirls of colour that reproduce the ethereal patterns of the Aurora Borealis – flowing seamlessly from the upper to lower dials. Shades of green and turquoise set the tone for one model; purples and blues dominate on the other – the colours intensified by the glowing mother-of-pearl beneath them. As the sky disc turns, the pattern of the background colours gently shifts, in a subtle echo of the dancing movement of the aurora.

A hand-polished golden star – emblem of the Rendez-Vous collection – is set on the edge of the dial; by turning the second crown, it can be moved into position to mark the time of a special rendezvous.

The rich tones of the dial are echoed on the bezel, which is set with a dazzling, colour-graduated circle of 64 baguette-cut sapphires. To complete the gem-set case, the lugs and two crowns are highlighted with diamonds. A matching alligator strap in turquoise or violet completes these rare timepieces.

This timepiece houses the Calibre 809/1, a self-winding movement developed and produced within the Jaeger-LeCoultre Manufacture. Created especially for the RendezVous Celestial, this technically sophisticated movement incorporates a calendar mechanism to rotate the celestial disc in cadence with the changing night sky.

While the complex movement is testament to the precision and technical skills of La Grande Maison’s finest watchmakers, the finishing and decoration of the movement, displayed beneath the transparent sapphire case-back, reveals their artistry. Fine decoration and finishing includes such details as blued screws, circular graining, Côtes de Genève and the pink gold signature winding rotor with Côtes de Genève decoration.

Offered in a limited edition of 18 pieces of each model, the new Jaeger-LeCoultre Rendez-Vous Celestial watch brings together La Grande Maison’s artistic skills and technical acumen in a fitting tribute to the beauty of the night sky.

Technical details

Model: Jaeger-LeCoultre Rendez-Vous Celestial Northern Lights Edition

Dimensions: 37.5 mm
Calibre: automatic mechanical movement, Jaeger-LeCoultre Caliber 809/1
Functions: hours/minutes, skychart, rendez-vous indicator
Power reserve: 40 hours
Case: Pink gold
Dial: Hand painted mother-of-pearl
Gemstones: 19 diamonds – 0.26 cts; 118 sapphires – 3.09 cts
Water resistance: 5 bar
Case back: Open

References
Q3482590, turquoise, limited to 18 pieces
Q3482591, violet, limited to 18 pieces