Dear All, You thought you knew the whole 2014 Collection? Me too. We all were wrong. Jaeger Lecoultre decided to unveil the Rendez Vous Ivy Minute Repeater for the Hong Kong Watch Fair " Watches and Wonders ". As you know, the Rendez Vous is a collection dedicated to Ladies. With some true beauties,
Dear All,
You thought you knew the whole 2014 Collection? Me too.
We all were wrong.
Jaeger Lecoultre decided to unveil the Rendez Vous Ivy Minute Repeater for the Hong Kong Watch Fair " Watches and Wonders ".
As you know, the Rendez Vous is a collection dedicated to Ladies. With some true beauties, such as the Celestial, for example:
Ladies are pretty spoiled, with Jaeger Lecoultre, as they have the opportunity to choose something else than a vulgar Quartz. Don't they deserve better, or, simply, the best?
So, what do we have here?
A 39 mm case, in white gold, jewelled, with a Minute Repeater, and, important detail for the reliability of the Watch, water resistant to 30 meters.
When you read that this is a Minute Repeater, you first think that it is an evolution of the well known Cal 947, which adds a long power reserve of 15 days + a Torquemeter.
The Cal 947:
No, not at all.
Here, the movement, Cal 942 A is automatic, beats at 28 800 vibrations per hour and offers a power reserve of 43 hours. Which makes us think of the Calibre housed in the Hybris Mechanica 11...
So, this Watch is a first, when it comes to introduce a minute repeater in the Jaeger Lecoultre Ladies Watch collection, and a second, if we are speaking about Jaeger Lecoultre automatic movement displaying such a complication.
As we are discussing the movement, there was a choice between the traditional hammers used for the first Minute Repeaters, or the Trébuchets, housed in such prestigious watches as the Hybris Mechanica à Grande Sonnerie or the Master Grande Tradition à Grande Complication.
Jaeger Lecoultre opted for the Trebuchet, associated to the now classic gongs welded to the sapphire, for a better propagation of the sound.
In the official communication, it is said that the push button replaced the trigger. On the pictures, I rather see a trigger, or it may be a push button shaped like a trigger.
Something I will have to check once I will be able to see the Watch in the real.
As for the jewelled side of the Watch, 548 diamonds have been used, for the case and the dial, for a total of 2, 3 Carats.
The dial is in white gold, shows a sunburst guilloché motif, blue enamel and snow setting on ivy leaves.
To say all, I am very curious to hear how it sounds, as I had the opportunity to hear all the modern Minute Repeaters from Jaeger Lecoultre, at the exception of the HM 11 which was still a prototype, when I tested it.
Here are the pictures which were sent to me by my contact at JLC.
A focus on the side of the case, with the push button:
And two pictures of the movement. On the second, you guess the rotor, at the top of the movement, which allows us to think that JLC didn't opt for the " hidden Under the dial " solution.
Does that mean that JLC will give up the manual minute repeater movements, since this is the second automatic calibre unveiled in a few months?
Future will tell... But it is needless to say that I am eagerly waiting to see this lastb opus in the flesh, to have a definitive opinion.
Best,
Nicolas
