I quickly introduced this Watch, just before the SIHH. It is now time to better understand it.
I first thought that a minute repeater is a challenging exercize, when it comes in an ultra thin case, as I had in mind the sound of these big and thick Pocket watches, rich, powerful, full of nuances...
In fact, I was wrong: The thinner it is, the better it sounds.
So, the choice of a flat case is rather rational. Still, it is not that easy to achieve!
Let's examine this watch under 6 different angles.
1/ The idea behind the association between a minute repeater and a tourbillon, and the interest of an ultra thin case, here:
When JLC decided to work on this watch, there was an empty space to fill in the Hybris Mechanica Collection: Indeed, there was no ultra thin watch, and as an Hybris Mechanica watch is necessarily special, it is better to work on something more than a minute repeater, only.
Though, is this a Grande Complication? Strictly speaking, no. But the association of a minute repeater and a tourbillon is, to say the least, quite prestigious.
There is another reason in favor of the choice of a tourbillon, with a minute repeater: Accuracy. And for Jaeger-Lecoultre, accuracy is now intimately linked to automatic movements, as an always wound movement offers more regularity all along the power reserve of the watch.
A tourbillon and an automatic movement is a winning cocktail in terms of precision, and the Grande Maison demonstrated that, not only with words, as the Master Tourbillon won the Chronometry contest, in 2009.
Therefore, there was no " Ultra Thin " " Grande Complication ", in the horological universe.
When you are looking after a dressy and complicated watch, you don't have any other choice than dealing with a big and thick case, from 14 to 20 mm high, such as the JLC Gyrotourbillon One and Two, the Spherotourbillon, the Reverso Ă Tryptique, the Vacheron Constantin Tour De L'Ile, the Patek Philippe Sky Moon Tourbillon and so on...
14 mm high is quite easily wearable, but try above 16 mm under the sleeve...
Is this the flatter Minute Repeater, by the way?
Jaeger-Lecoultre stated that the Hybris Mechanica 11 was the flattest... I had a small doubt, with the Piaget Minute Repeater " Emperador " and the latest Vacheron Minute Repeater Patrimony...
I checked:
The Vacheron Patrimony Contemporaine Ultra Thin Cal 1731 is 41 mm big, and 8, 09 high. It is a manual winding movement which offers the following functions: Hours, Minutes, small seconds, and minute repeater.
The Piaget Emeprador Minute Repeater is 48 mm big ( ! ), 9, 04 mm high, and adds the minute repeater to the hours and the minutes. The superb Cal 1290 is automatic ( micro rotor ).
So yes, the Hybris Mechanica is flatter, with a 41 mm big case, and 7, 9 mm high. Which is even more impressive with the addition of a tourbillon!
2/ The Tourbillon:
Here we have a Flying Tourbillon, which means that there is no bridge above the tourbillon.
It enhances the beauty, the magic of this horological sophistication. The Flying Tourbillon already saw the light in some JLC watches since 2009, with another Hybris Mechanica, the Grande Sonnerie, and in the Master Grande Tradition Grande Complication.
The Grande Sonnerie:
The Master Grande Tradition Grande Complication:
But there is another specificity, in the Hybris Mechanica, a first: The balance Wheel is flying, too.
The balance Wheel is, in fact, mounted on a ball bearing, which compensates the absence of the bridge, and allows enough resistance to shocks.
The ball bearing is fixed on one axis of the tourbillon cage.
As for the spiral, it has two terminal curves, one being fixed to the balance Wheel, the other being attached to the fixed part of the tourbillon cage.
This solution has been chosen for two reasons:
- A flying balance wheel is 25% thinner than a conventional one, which is important when flatness is an important factor.
- Aesthetics: Nothing disturbs nor hides the view on the entire balance wheel.
One last detail you cannot ignore when you look at the tourbillon: Its heated blue spiral.
3/ The Rotor:
In the Hybris Mechanica 11, the movement is automatic, which is not that evident due to the original location of the rotor.... Hidden Under the dial, and not covering the movement, as it is usually the case.
The segment is in platinum, fitted with a ceramic ball bearing mechanism.
Here again, as for the Flying balance wheel, two reasons can justify such a choice:
- JLC wanted to avoid some more thickness of a rotor ON a movement.
- This original solution allows to admire the nicely decorated movement.
4/ The Minute Repeater:
Three important détails are to be underlined:
- The Minute Repeater of the Hybris Mechanica 11 lies on the association of the Trebuchet System, which appeared in 2009, in the Hybris Mechanica Ă Grande Sonnerie, and in the MGT Grande Complication, and the gong, welded to the sapphire glass, which was first used in the Master Minute Repeater, since 2005.
A close up on the Hammers and the gong:
Compared to a Master Minute Repeater, the volume has decreased ( 65 Db versus 72 Db ) but the sound has substantially increased in term of richness, from what I was able to hear on the prototype which is impressive, already.
- The PUSH BUTTON has been preferred to the conventional trigger, for some aesthetical reasons. And it is a fact that this solution is more discrete. I am not sure it is a first, as I am wondering if Audemars Piguet didn't choose this for the Jules Audemars, but JLC did it in a different way.
Indeed, if you push on the locking system, located at 8 o'clock, to activate the minute repeater, the push button at 10 o' clock will disappear in the case.
Moreover, this system ensures a constant distance... Clever, smart, astute.
- The system also reduces the traditional timeout between the minute repeater activation (when we push on the button) and the striking of the first hour. In this case, as soon as the minute repeater is activated, the hour is struck. And, when there is no quarter, the minutes are, immediately after the hour(s), struck.
Example: Here, there is a long silence to go from the hour to the minute ( How the classic system reads 1.06 ) :
s1049.photobucket.com
Now, the Hybris Mechanica system reads the absence of the quarters ( Now, the new system reads 1. 06 this way ) :
s1049.photobucket.com
The minute repeaters lovers will appreciate.
5/ The movement, Cal 362, is 33, 3 mm big, and relaitvely thin, with a height of 4, 8 mm, for such a complicated AND automatic Watch.
Yes, automatic, the movement is, as JLC opted to locate the rotor under the dial.
This way, it won't hide the nice decoration of the movement, made of Maillechort, finely decorated with Cotes de Genève and anglages.
Dial side:
Back side:
There was no other possibility to locate the rotor under the dial, as the gong is in the back side, at the place the rotor turns. So, the place is already taken.
The gong, and the rotor:
The movement is made of 471 parts, offers an autonomy of 45 hours, and beats at the pace of 21 600 vibratinos per hour.
There is a nice detail to be mentionned, about the movement: The two hammers, which are put in a symmetrical way, a nice reminder of the Lecoultre Pocket watches.
6/ The dial:
Sobriety, distinction, class. The silver grained finish of the dial is very discrete, which contrasts with the tourbillon at 6 o' clock, and the circular " Windows " all around it, giving some life, animation, when the rotor moves.
The long Dauphine hands, and the slender baton indexes already seen in the 2013 Jubilé collection, complete this quiet decorum.
Conclusion and thoughts.
The Hybris Mechanica 11 is a brilliant horological exercize of style, undisputably.
Sophisticated, mechanically, it demonstrates, with brio, that an automatic movement can be nice, interesting, appealing.
Surprising, because I think we were many to not expect that kind of new opus, form The Grande Maison, I mean, a high end automatic movement, and a claibre with such specificities, mainly the location of the rotor under the dial.
Aesthetically,at first glance, it looks cold, it takes time to appreciate its understated appearance, while it is all about class, distinction.
A bit like a poetry from Stephane Mallarmé. Not easy to get, immediately, it requires efforts and time.
But the more you look at it, the more you hear it, the better you understand what Hybris Mechanica truly means.
The test in the real allowed me to get some answers:
- Will the rotor not be too audible? I could hear it, on the prototype, but JLC told me that some silent blocks will be put on the definitive Watch.
- Don't you feel the rotor when you wear the Watch? Not that much, I must say.
- Does it sound great? It is hard to definitely say, as I heard the prototype, which is already promising. JLC will still work on the regulator, to make it more silencious, even it is is already more silencious than on the Master Minute Repeater.! I dream of the day I can compare the definitive Watch with some repeaters from Patek I was not able to listen to, till now, or with some of the best créations from Audemars Piguet.
But I have no doubt that JLC wants to release one of the best sounding minute repeater, and will do.
Now, that last creation raises a question: Is the future of JLC Automatic?
I would not mind if we see such a " Vallée de Joux " decoration in future automatic movements!
To be followed!
Nicolas. February 2014.
This message has been edited by amanico on 2014-02-04 00:01:59 This message has been edited by amanico on 2014-02-07 07:02:12 
