Jaeger-LeCoultre

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Beverly Hills Boutique Exclusive Navy SEALs Alarm Incursion Editions Announcement (Part 1)

DRMW and I had the pleasure of attending a special event tonight at the Jaeger-LeCoultre Beverly Hills Boutique to celebrate the announcement of two new exclusive timepieces specially created for JLC Beverly Hills -- the Master Compressor Diving Alarm Navy SEALs Beverly Hills Boutique Incursion Edition Black Gold and the Master Compressor Diving Alarm Navy SEALs Beverly Hills Boutique Incursion Edition Titanium Grey PVD.  I've dubbed the former, the NSA "Bravo" ("Bravo" for the "b" in black gold) and the latter the NSA "Tango" ("Tango" for the "t" in titanium).  It seems apropos to use the NATO phonetic alphabet for these military-inspired timepieces.

First up, Bravo team!  

Technical characteristics from today's press release

Reference: Q183T420 

Movement: mechanical automatic Jaeger-LeCoultre Calibre 956, crafted, assembled and decorated by hand; 28,800 vibrations per hour; 45-hour power reserve; 268 parts; 23 jewels; 7.45 mm thick

Functions: hours, minutes, small seconds, date, alarm, rotating inner bezel ring

Dial: Color accents: Faded Navy SEAL Yellow on the second hand tip and compressor crown arrows with addition of the same color to inner ring numerical five second interval markings.

Two tone:

-black outer ring with stamped and luminescent hour-markers and numerals,

-charcoal grey inner alarm ring with circular finish matching the case 

Date: white numerals transferred against a black background

Hands: hours and minutes: trapeze-shaped, open worked, luminescent

Crystal: Sapphire with JLC NSA Logo etching on crystal instead of the Alarm disk.

Crowns: one black rubber-molded crown at 2 o’clock equipped with a compression key, for winding the alarm, adjusting it and fast date adjustment; one black rubber-molded crown at 4 o’clock equipped with a compression key, for starting the watch and adjusting the time.  Matching faded Yellow compressor crown arrows.

Case: 44 mm in grade 5 titanium grey matte finish PVD with black ceramic diving bezel. 

Straps: black cordura strap with matching yellow stitching as well matching alcantara strap backing & PVD buckle.  Alternative strap: black Cordura® with a rip-and-grip strip.

Accessories: Unique packaging that goes hand in hand with the theme of Incursion Edition.   Detailed specification to be unveiled at a later date.

Price: $14,000

The entire text of JLC's press release is available in News Central and the PPro JLC forum so I won't rehash here everything you can read for yourself.  I will just touch upon some points presented today by our friends at JLC Beverly Hills during their announcement of the NSA Bravo and NSA Tango that made an impression on me:

- The NSA Bravo will be a series of only 19 pieces, and the NSA Tango a series of only 62.  These pieces will be retailed exclusively through the Beverly Hills Boutique. 

- ALL 81 pieces will be delivered at the same time in June to avoid some owners getting their pieces before others.

- The use of black gold for the NSA Bravo and titanium grey PVD for the NSA Tango are both firsts for the Manufacture per our friends at JLC Beverly Hills.

- Both watches will feature a matte microbillé finish.  These watches are meant to be legible, but stealthy.

- Our friends at JLC seem VERY excited about the special packaging that will encase these watches.  They couldn't give us details, but based on the level of excitement about the case I think we can expect something interesting, and thematically relevant to the Navy SEALs.

- There will be a special "release" party in mid-June when the watches are delivered.  Again, very appropriate to the Beverly Hills Boutique location -- it's akin to a movie premiere, but for watches!

- The NSA Bravo's case will be either 18K red or white gold (JLC is still running tests to finalize the process) mixed with an alloy and titanium shavings, then heated to create the black gold (I think I got this right.  My handwriting is bad so I'm trying to read back my own notes from tonight's presentation!).

- The alarm discs for both watches will match their case materials (so the NSA Bravo will have a black gold disc; the NSA Tango a titanium grey PVD disc).

- The casebacks will be engraved similarly to the regular NSA with the SEALs logo, text like "Beverly Hills Boutique Exclusive" or similar, and the limited edition number (e.g. 1/19 or 4/62).  Those ordering the watches will be asked to submit their top three desired numbers in order of preference.

- Both the NSA Bravo and NSA Tango will have grey PVD tang buckles on their straps.

Based on my conversations at today's event with the JLC team members, this idea for a Beverly Hills exclusive emerged organically during last year's SIHH.  Both watches really reflect feedback JLC received from customers at the BH boutique, as well as design ideas that JLC team members felt sprung up, and were inspired by, the watch being tested by actual Navy SEALs and the general spirit and history of that particular military organization.

What do you think?  Do you like the choice of accent colors (burnt orange and faded yellow) for the compressor keys, second hand, etc.?  Are you excited to see the extra special packaging for both the NSA Bravo and NSA Tango?  I know that I am!  I'm also excited to see and handle the prototypes when they arrive at the Beverly Hills Boutique!

I've got more pictures to post in Part 2 of other JLC wonders.  Stay tuned!

Thanks to all our friends at JLC, especially Kate and Seth, who are always welcoming and informative.  Kate brought out some special and fun pieces later on in the night that I will show you all in part 2!

Cheers,

Daos