Jaeger-LeCoultre Atmos Designer 568 by Newson

In 2026, Jaeger-LeCoultre unveils a new interpretation of Atmos Calibre 568, created in collaboration with celebrated industrial designer Marc Newson. The new clock is a sequel to the designer’s initial version of the clock in 2016 and features a new colour palette as well as added technical functions – displays of sunrise and sunset times and Equation of Time – as well as an exceptionally precise moon phase display. This modern icon will be unveiled as part of Jaeger-LeCoultre’s Atmos exhibition during Milan Design Week, from 21-26 April 2026.

WOUND BY AIR, A MARVEL OF PERPETUAL MOTION

With a unique mechanism invented in 1928 by Swiss engineer Jean-Léon Reutter and refined for series production by the watchmakers of LeCoultre & Cie (later Jaeger-LeCoultre), Atmos operates independently of human intervention, requiring no winding or external energy input. Known as the ‘clock that runs on air’, it is powered by a movement that effectively achieves perpetual motion by drawing its energy from barely perceptible variations in ambient temperature.

This thermal energy is transformed into mechanical energy, which drives the movement of the balance wheel. The secret lies in a hermetically sealed, gas-filled capsule, which is connected to the clock’s drive spring by a membrane. The slightest temperature variation changes the gas volume, causing the membrane to expand and contract – 'breathing' like the bellows of an accordion. This action winds the spring, providing the minuscule energy needed for the balance wheel's once-a-minute, back-and-forth oscillation. A temperature fluctuation of a single degree Celsius is enough to provide the clock with an operating autonomy of about two days.

The technical requirements of the mechanism determine the distinctive architecture of the Atmos mechanism, which has anchored the clock’s strong aesthetic identity since the beginning. This strong identity also makes the Atmos an ideal canvas for artistic creativity and since the 1970s, Jaeger-LeCoultre has invited a series of leading designers, as well as masters of traditional artistic crafts, to reinterpret the clock in their own style.

A NEW COLLABORATION WITH MARC NEWSON

Jaeger-LeCoultre and Australian-born industrial designer Marc Newson have collaborated since 2008, combining their expertise to reinterpret the Atmos – an object the designer describes as both “complex” and “magical.” This creative dialogue has given rise to successive calibres: 561 in 2008, 566 in 2010 and the first iteration of 568 in 2016. Renowned for his multidisciplinary practice, Marc Newson has long been fascinated by the Atmos, first encountered in his early teens. Guided by its timeless character, he introduces precise design interventions that respect and preserve the integrity of the object.

His approach explores unexpected uses of materials and challenges technical conventions. Rooted in a deep appreciation for analogue objects, his vision aligns with a commitment to longevity: creations designed to endure, both in function and in form.

PURITY, LIGHT AND PRECISION

A distinct visual identity: Marc Newson conceives the Atmos Designer Calibre 568 as an expression of clarity and precision. Stripped to its essentials, the design emphasises lightness, transparency, and legibility, allowing the movement to appear freely suspended within its hand-crafted Baccarat crystal case. In his 2026 interpretation, the designer preserves the clock’s particular purity while also adding new functions and a distinct visual identity. The monochromatic palette draws attention to the intricate mechanics behind the sunrise and sunset indications and the Equation of Time, making the complexity of the movement immediately visible.

The selection of the design's material naturally led to crystal. Its inherent aesthetic qualities and unique finish prompted Marc Newson to choose it for his project. The French company Baccarat, a celebrated traditional crystal manufacturer founded in 1764, is one of the very few with the necessary technical expertise to create the cabinet as envisioned: a square with rounded corner – evocative of a slowly melting ice cube – with absolute transparency and apparent fragility belying the structural strength required to support the weight of the mechanism. 

A technically complex feat: Requiring almost four years of research and development, the mouth-blown cabinet is a single, solid piece of crystal – except for a removable sheet of glass that allows access to the mechanism if necessary – its thickness reduced to just 13 mm in some places. After blowing, the red-hot crystal is carefully contoured into the envisioned shape using a two-sided mould to better control the cooling process and preserve the desired tolerances.

A floating architecture: Central to the clock’s architecture, the crystal must be extremely strong and stable to support the movement while giving the illusion that it floats in space within case. Visible only from the back of the clock, the four attachment points for the movement – rather than three as on traditional Atmos clocks – create symmetry and draw attention to the beautifully finished components.

Calibre 568’s dial is optimised for easy legibility with the time effortlessly read thanks to the simplicity of the Arabic numerals, printed in white on a black-tinted sapphire crystal disc and encircled by a minute track. The months are marked, in French, on an inner circle. The displays for the new complications maintain the simplicity – but appearances obscure the complex technical reality of this objet d’art . Appearing as a concentric ring between the months and hours, the times of sunrise and sunset are marked on a sapphire crystal disc, each indicated by a small arrow on the edge of the disc. The equation of time – the difference between the current mean time and solar time – is depicted as an ellipse surrounding the hand arbour, which moves to display the correct +/- minutes on the scale behind it. This collection will feature three distinct Atmos clocks, each meticulously designed to represent a different latitude: 30°, 40°, and 50°.

An exclusive production: Each timepiece in this exclusive limited production of just 50 pieces worldwide per year will not only showcase the intricate 'Equation Of Time' but will also elegantly display the precise sunset and sunrise times specific to its designated latitude. While the moon phases are displayed on a smoothly finished disc at 6 o’clock, the calculations for the equation of time, sunset, and sunrise on these limited production pieces are precisely tailored to their respective geographical latitudes. Jaeger-LeCoultre’s watchmakers have been able to achieve a remarkable degree of precision in the display, to only one day of discrepancy in every 4,087 years. If the Atmos is left unattended and running continuously, its displays will remain correct for this entire period – the only exception being bi-annual adjustments for Daylight Savings Time in countries that use the protocol.

For a new moment in time, Marc Newson’s vision combined with the Ateliers of La Grande Maison, has yielded a timeless objet d’art , an infinite clock that seems to defy the physics of time altogether. With its translucent beauty and seemingly delicate simplicity, the Atmos 568 by Marc Newson offers an enduring showcase for time to flow in perpetuity.

TECHNICAL DETAILS

ATMOS DESIGNER CALIBRE 568 BY MARC NEWSON

Dimensions: 147 x 230 x 265 mm

Movement: Jaeger-LeCoultre Calibre 568

Frequency: Two oscillations in 60 seconds

Functions: Hour, minute, month, sunrise/sunset, Equation Of Time, highly precise moon phase (one-day discrepancy every 4,087 years)

Cabinet: Mouth-blown and hand-crafted Baccarat crystal

Dial: Glass

Reference: Q516511J, Q516512J, Q516513J

Limited edition of 50 pieces