Jaeger-LeCoultre

I'm going to enjoy it a bit this morning, then store it in the bank safe…. until October 3 ...

You're going to tell me I'm stupid ... which isn't totally wrong.

But..  I decided it would be my 1 / 20th millennium watch.

I will therefore have to wait a little longer ...

It may sound frustrating, but it will be all the more desired ... and I have other watches to savor by then.

I already had a Duomètre A Chronograph ... here is its brother: the Duomètre A Lunar Calendar.

Certainly, some will say that this is duplicated because these two watches seem close in terms of design. There is indeed the black dial specific to this limited series (200 copies), as well as the presentation of complications on either side of the vertical axis.

A lot of friends actually dissuaded me from taking it, telling me that the one with the beautiful enamel dial was more appropriate.

I admit that I was won over by doubt ...

However, when I tried it a few weeks ago with Tyo and Amanico.., I fell for it.

First of all, as with the Chronograph, I find the dial crazy: it changes from deep black to gray and sometimes takes on the blue of the sky, which echoes the colors of the lunar calendar. And then there is its hypnotic small "foudroyante" second….

So here I am for a morning with this Lunar Calendar Duomètre, which displays the hour, date and moon phase on its dial with the unprecedented accuracy of its prodigious movement based on the Dual-Wing concept.

What I love most, in fact, is that this watch is a testament to the watchmaking excellence of Jaeger LeCoultre and the in-depth research of this great horological house.

Indeed, it achieves peaks of precision with its crazy second which progresses by jumps of a sixth of a second: From a “foudroyante” on the Chronograph where it only operates when it is engaged, it becomes a “diablotins” on the Lunar Calendar where it constantly spinning, which brings life to the generally peaceful dial on a Lunar Calendar.

For me, the truly extraordinary aspect of this watch lies in the conception of the Dual movement, which is characterized by the presence of two independent energy sources:

- the first is entirely devoted to the precise measurement of the passage of time, regulated by the escapement and the balance;

- the second is dedicated to the display of indications with hours, minutes, seconds, date and moon phase for both hemispheres.

Without forgetting that their synchronization is ensured by the mechanism of the small second hand, itself driven by the escapement.

In short ... it is ultra powerful thanks to a movement with an innovative caliber which guarantees the highest possible precision.

The Dual-Wing thus provides an answer to a recurring problem with complex mechanical timepieces: any additional complication draws energy from the barrel and thus jeopardizes the constant supply required by the meticulously adjusted regulating organ.

In fact, in a traditional watch, any function which is not constantly driven with the cog causes an alteration in the operation of the timepiece when it is activated: a chronograph when it is engaged, a repetition during the sounding operation and even a calendar function however, it only occurs once a day - Each causes a decrease in the amplitude of the balance and a deviation in the measurement of time by taking the force necessary for its own operation from the barrel.

The influence exerted by any complication on the long-term running precision of a complicated watch can result in discrepancies that are difficult to accept on a perfected watchmaking creation: added up over the weeks and months, these variations are at the origin inaccuracy…  Difficult to accept in measuring time…

The regularity of the force delivered by the barrel to the gear train and to the escapement is - de facto - an essential factor in ensuring that the time measurement is carried out with the essential exactitude required.

The use of a completely independent energy source, dedicated solely to the functioning of the complication, offers a brilliant alternative in this regard.

This solution makes it possible to separate the energy supply of the complication and the energy of the movement, also supplied by its own barrel, in order to guarantee the constancy of its energy supply.

First unveiled in 2007 on the Duomètre A Chronograph, the Dual-Wing concept found a second application in 2010 on the Duomètre A Lunar Calendar, which embodies a fabulous breakthrough for complicated movements.

With this variation, Jaeger LeCoultre has succeeded in creating a particular calendar watch. The exceptional characteristics of its movement give it a precision that was previously reserved only for timepieces devoid of any complication, thanks to the barrel reserved for the precise measurement of the passing time, regulated by the escapement and the pendulum.

What I particularly like about this watch is that Jaeger LeCoultre has once again strayed from the beaten track, in order to invent an innovative movement construction, essentially geared towards greater precision for mechanical watches with complications.

Indeed, it is precisely to provide a solution to the nagging problem of the regularity of complicated watches, that the Duomètre line has two independent watch mechanisms in the same caliber: A first gear train only used for measuring time and another which ensures the operation of the complication, both synchronized by the “foudroyante” mechanism.

Thus the shared regulating organ ensures chronometric precision which knows no variation because its operation is never disturbed by the initiation of any complication.

Finally, from an aesthetic point of view, it should be noted that the Jaeger-LeCoultre Caliber 381 features specific decorations which correspond to the various functions of the movement.

Particularly refined, these ornamental details appear through the sapphire caseback of the watch, whose design perfectly matches the aesthetic codes of the Duomètre collection: classic and discreet lines, imprinted with a touch of originality.

When I see the gray market price of Nautilus, Royal Oaks or Daytona C, what these watches offer in terms of performance and horological complication…. This Jaeger LeCoultre makes me smile deliciously.

I wish you all a nice day and thank you again to all Jaeger LeCoultre fans who posted reviews that made me dream of Duomètres, in particular our dear friend Amanico.

Best Ø