Jaeger-LeCoultre Ultra-Thin Movements History

amanico · 2012-04-23T04:33:47Z

Explore Jaeger-LeCoultre's historical mastery of ultra-thin movements, from Caliber 145 to 920, and their impact on horology.

amanico

WPS member · Jaeger-LeCoultre forum

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Amanico's comprehensive post, "The Genealogical tree of the Ulra Thin movements," offers an invaluable historical overview of Jaeger-LeCoultre's mastery in ultra-thin calibers. This detailed exploration highlights the intricate balance between thinness and reliability, showcasing JLC's enduring legacy in this challenging horological domain. His work serves as a crucial reference for understanding the evolution and significance of these remarkable movements.

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Making an ultra thin movement is much more difficult than you can think.

There is a very tough compromise to find the perfect ratio between the thinness, and the reliability, the solidity of the parts composing the movement.

LeCoultre, then Jaeger-Lecoultre developped a true speciality and mastery in ultra thin movements, since 1907, which were manual but also automatic.

Here, you will find a list of these movements, which are true piece of art, and, sometimes, offered more than simply the Hour and the Minutes, but some prestigious complications, like a Minute Repeater.

I/ Manual movements:

Cal 145 from 1907.... 1, 38 mm high!

Cal 18 SMV, circa 1920, Minute Repeater, AND Ultra Thin. Even if I don't have the height of this movement, I have seen in the real life, and I can vouch for its thinness:

Cal 803, 1953.... 1, 64 mm high.

Cal 818, 1959: 2, 94 mm high.

Cal 849, 1994: 1, 85 mm high.

II/ Automatic movements:

Cal 920, from 1967: 2, 45 mm high, made by Jaeger-Lecoultre, used by Audemars Piguet and Vacheron Constantin, for example.

Cal 896, from 2008: 3, 98 mm high, but does it have still to be considered as Ultra Thin?

Who else is able to offer such a diversity?

Best,

Nicolas

Key Points from the Discussion

The Caliber 920, developed by Jaeger-LeCoultre, was famously used by Audemars Piguet and Vacheron Constantin, and is still considered one of the best automatic movements ever made, even appearing in the first Patek Philippe Nautilus.
Making an ultra-thin movement requires a difficult compromise between thinness and the reliability and solidity of its components, a challenge Jaeger-LeCoultre has mastered since 1907.
The Caliber 803 was funded by Audemars Piguet and Vacheron Constantin, both of whom debuted it as 'the thinnest movement' in 1953, with AP reportedly owning the rights to it today.
While JLC excels in ultra-thin movements, the small diameter of calibers like the 818 and 849 often necessitates substantial spacers in watch cases, raising questions about movement-to-case fit.
Vacheron Constantin now produces its own in-house version of the 803, the Caliber 1003/3, featuring solid gold plates and bridges, as a worthy successor.
The Caliber 145, the 'mother of ultrathins,' was produced in limited numbers (less than 400) and often found under Cartier and Vacheron & Constantin names.

The Discussion

watchme

Apr 23, 2012

Great beginning....

It'd be great to see how many of the JLC UT movements were supplied to PP, since PP didn't make a movement before 1933, and were still VERY reliant on JLC's expertise in this areas right through the late '80s. Thanks for the post. -Dean

dreamer8

Apr 23, 2012

The JLC developed 920 was used by PP

for the Nautilus ( PP 28-255 ) when it debuted in 1970 for ten years before it was replaced by the PP 335 SC. AP bought the rights to the movement and is still used in the AP RO 15202 . Corrections welcomed as I am going by memory. Cheers,dreamer This message has been edited by dreamer8 on 2012-04-23 20:08:01

amanico

Apr 24, 2012

W!hat I wondered, while preparing this post, is to know that

I didn't forget a few others... Not evolutions, but different ones. As for the JLC UT movements housed in other brands watches... JLC is pretty discrete on that point. And we have to compare what the others offer to have an element of answer... Best, Nicolas

Tick Talk

Apr 23, 2012

Thanks Nicolas, and a question...

I'm very interested in learning more about the calibers 803 and 920. As mentioned, they were assigned to other manufactures but your pictures show them decorated with JLC markings. Were they used by JLC? If yes, in what models? This message has been edited by Tick Talk on 2012-04-23 06:31:06

watchme

Apr 24, 2012

Hi, Tick-Talk...

The 803 was funded by AP & VC and both brands debuted "The thinnest movement" in the year it was released (1953?). Both brands are using it today, although I believe AP owns the rights to it (part of the purchase agreement of Richemont buying AP's shares in JLC back in 2000/2001). The 920 was, likewise, funded by AP & VC. PP may have contributed (this I don't know) to the development, but all 3 have used it and JLC has not. For a more detailed review of the 920, TZ has a link under Resources

amanico

Apr 24, 2012

No they weren't used by JLC for their watches.

They were delivered to AP and VC in parts, ready to be assembled. Best, Nicolas

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