Before Antoine LeCoultre became a watchmaker, he devised a mechanism for music boxes. Cut from a single piece of metal and shaped like a comb, his invention improved sound quality and prevented instruments from detuning.
The acoustic DNA later made Jaeger-LeCoultre a maestro in haute horlogerie. Since producing the first-minute repeater in 1870, the manufacturer has mastered all forms of chiming mechanisms, from relatively simple alarm calibres to the most complex grande sonnerie and Westminster chimes.
In 2020, the Swiss watchmaker celebrates 150 years of its mastery in chiming timepieces through the Master Grande Tradition Calibre 945 and Master Control Memovox under The Sound Maker theme.
Firstly, its prowess in engineering minute repeaters resounds in the 45mm grand complication, which also features a celestial vault and an orbital flying tourbillon.
One of the most important elements is the way how sound is transmitted from within a chiming watch and heard by the human ear.
Capitalising on the superior acoustic qualities of synthetic sapphire crystal, Jaeger-LeCoultre's patented "crystal gongs" are soldered directly to the sapphire crystal, which acts as an amplifier.
The square-profile gongs provide a flat surface for the hammers, ensuring more consistent and powerful strikes, while additional material provides a greater vibrational mass and thus a fuller sound.
The articulated trebuchet hammers use a similar mechanical principle to the medieval counterweight catapults they are named after, greatly improving the speed and force of the strike.
Hence, the perfect chime resonates from the Master Grande Tradition Calibre 945, presented in a rose or white gold case, as a limited edition of eight pieces each.
As ear-pleasing, the signature "school bell" alarm rings from a new generation of Master Control Memovox.
In the mid-20th-century, Jaeger-LeCoultre drew on its mastery of chiming mechanisms to develop alarm watches. The challenge was to make the hammer strike the gong multiple times at very high speed. Its name meaning "voice of the memory", the first Memovox was released in 1950.
Over the decades, various useful functions, such as a world time-zone indicator and a parking metre reminder, were added to the Memovox models.
A limited-edition set of 250 pieces, the new Master Control Memovox Timer boasts an innovative alarm-setting mechanism. A new function, the Timer enables the setting of the alarm based on the number of elapsed hours before it rings, for example, the duration of a meeting or sleeping hours.
Alternatively, the alarm can be set in the traditional way, based on a particular time. The indicators are linked so that whichever alarm-setting method is chosen, the second indicator will automatically move to the corresponding position.
The dial is laid out in concentric rings, in two shades of blue with a sunray finish, complemented by an inner ring engraved in bas-relief with polished numerals. On this inner ring, the elapsed hours-until-alarm are indicated by a small hand tipped with a red logo. Set at the outer edge of that ring, the Memovox's signature triangular marker points to the time at which the alarm will ring.
The Master Control Memovox Timer was released along with the contemporary-style Master Control Memovox featuring the classic alarm and a date display. Both 40mm stainless steel models are housed in a new Master Control case.
Previously, Memovox watches had a closed case-back, to which the gong was attached; however, the new case has a transparent sapphire back.
This required a complete redesign of the striking mechanism, with the gong now attached to the case side. A new, open-worked pink gold rotor further ensures an unobstructed view of the strike-work that showcases the brands' sound-making expertise.
Master Control Memovox Timer.
Master Control Memovox.
Master Grande Tradition Calibre 945 features a minute repeater, a celestial vault, and an orbital flying tourbillon.
Rose gold version of Master Grande Tradition Calibre 945.
