During the week of Watches and Wonders we witness a myriad of new watches. A week of fire in which each Maison launches its own novelties. During these days, some maisons present color variations or metals to enrich their collections, while others engage in real design and engineering challenges.
The latter is precisely the case of Jaeger-LeCoultre, which this year abandoned any possible comfort zone and launched into the development of marvels of technique and aesthetics. Among them all, in this article we will tell you about the new Duometre Chronograph Moon.
The Caliber 391
If you have been reading us for some time, you will know that we rarely start with the mechanism when we have to talk about a watch, in this case, however, the story is different. In fact, for obvious reasons, it is incumbent on us this time to begin with the very beating heart of the watch.
Caliber 391 in Jaeger-LeCoultre’s new Duometre Chronograph Moon is based on the duometre chronograph, a movement patented by JLC in 2007, which was born out of the need to solve a fundamental problem in haute horology, the conservation of energy. In fact, when a mechanism is in motion, it has a certain amount of reserve energy to continue its march and maintain its functions unchanged. If we add complications to our movement, these will inevitably drain the energy reserves even faster and thus also affect the accuracy of our watch.
The Duometre Chronograph aims precisely to solve this problem in a very specific way. While most watches have one barrel to store energy, the Duometre has two, as well as two gear trains. Each of these two systems acts separately by going to respectively power the additional complications on the one hand, and the time function on the other.
In this way, the mechanism ensures perfect efficiency and precision both when the additional complications are not in use and when they are put into operation by their owner in order to enjoy them to the fullest.
Caliber 391, as we have said, is based on this very intuition and integrates to the dynamic chronograph function that allows for the scanning of times of 1/6th of a second, the slow progression of the evolution of the phases of the moon.
Thanks to all the technological premises, the result is a jaw-dropping watch that shows off all its complexity. Indeed, on the dial we can see two power reserves at 7 and 5 o’clock (one for each barrel) of 50 hours each. At 10 o’clock we have the dial that marks the hours and minutes with a fascinating day/night display in blue.
Instead, at 2 o’clock we find the chronograph hour and minute counters and, within them, the moon phase display. Finally, at 6 o’clock we have the small flying seconds counter. Here, once the chronograph is operated, the sphere will make a full revolution in one second, allowing a measurement accuracy of 1/6th of a second. Finally, in the center we have the gold seconds hand and the blue chronograph seconds hand.
The Aesthetics
The New Duometre Chronograph Moon is as striking mechanically as it is aesthetically. Thanks to the symmetrical arrangement of all the functions of Caliber 391, the complexity of the watch does not detract from its ease of reading, nor from its aesthetic appeal.
The dial certainly has a traditional setting if we consider the applied gold hour markers, day/night displays, and moon phase window. However, everything is made more modern by the skeletonization present in the lower part of the dial, which allows us to see some bridges and the plate with perlàge decoration of the movement.
An additional element of modernity is the case that has been entirely redesigned for the occasion. Inspired by the savonette pocket watches produced by the maison in the 1800s, it has been totally rethought in a modern key. An interplay of polished finishes at the edges and satin-finished finishes on the case middle, the strongly convex sapphire crystal, and the polished beveled bezel accentuate its modernity without, however, damaging its link to history and tradition.
The watch was presented in two variants, both marked by the same caliber and the same diameter and thickness measurements: 42.5 mm and 14.2 mm, respectively. The only difference is the case material, dial color and some details.
The 18K rose gold version features an opaline silver dial, while the applied spheres and markers echo the material used for the case.
The version made in platinum, on the other hand, has a copper-colored opaline dial, and the spheres of all sub-dials and chronograph seconds are not gilded but again recall the platinum used for the case.
Both watches, as one would expect, have water resistance limited to 5 bar, or 50m. Let’s face it, diving is certainly not the first thought when you have such a timepiece on your wrist, but the ability to bathe and wash your hands safely are always an undeniable plus.
Price and availability
The list price for the rose gold variant with reference Q622252J is EUR 79,500.00. For the platinum version with reference Q622656J, the price is EUR 98,000.00
Final Thoughts
As I mentioned at the beginning of this article, Jaeger-LeCoultre tackled Watches and Wonders 2024 by setting aside the comfort zone, launching into real watchmaking challenges and completing them superbly. The new Duometre Chronograph Moon is a perfect example of a watch in which research and development and tradition come together to create a fascinating, modern watch densely steeped in history.
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