Jaeger-LeCoultre

Jaeger-LeCoultre is a traditional watch manufacturer from Switzerland. As early as 1833, Charles Antoine LeCoultre and his brother Francoise Ulysse LeCoultre founded a gear manufacturing company in La Sentier in the Swiss Jura. Charles in particular was an ingenious inventor. The millionometer he invented made it possible to measure mechanical components to the thousandth part of a millimeter. Other inventions, such as the crown winding system, established the company's reputation as a manufacturer of complex watch movements.

Production of technically sophisticated luxury watches

In 1903, Jaques David LeCoultre, the grandson of the company's founder, met Edmond Jaeger of Alsace. The two established a partnership which, after many years of friendship, became the Jaeger-LeCoultre Manufacture in 1937. As early as 1903, the company had succeeded in producing the smallest mechanical chronograph, the smallest repeater watch and the smallest wristwatch. These fine mechanical feats established the company's technical leadership and reputation. Watches such as the Duoplan model (1925) achieved a previously unattained accuracy. Another milestone was the Atmos model, introduced in 1928, a table clock mounted under a glass bell jar and driven solely by fluctuations in atmospheric pressure. This watch was especially popular in the United States, so much so that half of its production was sold there.

The legendary watch model Reverso

It was in 1931 that the legendary Reverso watch model made its appearance. This watch could be turned on the wrist and in this way better withstand the occurring blows and shocks during sports such as golf, polo or tennis. To this day, the Reverso is a watch with unmistakable character and a true classic in the history of mechanical watches. In its long history of success, the Reverso model developed into numerous variants. In addition to the rather spartan-looking sports watches, very elaborate chronographs as well as watches with minute repeater, tourbillon and a second time zone have emerged from this series. The materials used ranged from steel to rose gold, yellow gold and platinum with diamond embellishments. The straps of the luxury watches were made of precious metal links or crocodile and ostrich leather.

Other classic watches from Jaeger-LeCoultre

Even in recent history, the watch manufacturer has repeatedly succeeded in developing luxury watches that became milestones in manufacturing technology. For example, the Grand Reveil watch model, an automatic watch with an alarm and a perpetual calendar, appeared in 1989. A year later, the Geographique was released, a masterpiece with power reserve and the display of different time zones. This series also includes the classic Master Ultra Thin. The Master Control series represents an important step in watchmaking, as all watches in this series have been tested for their functional reliability for 1,000 hours before delivery. In this process, the watches have to pass tests that are more stringent than the chronometer tests.

Focus on high-quality technology

What is special about the Jaeger-LeCoultre watch manufacture is that from the very beginning, the manufacturer makes the complicated movements of the watches itself. Because of their well-known quality, these are purchased from other manufacturers and installed in their watches. Following the manufacturer's long focus on the production of classics, Jaeger-LeCoultre has been impressing again for some time now by presenting world novelties. Watch models such as Gyrotourbillon 1 and Reverso Gyrotourbillon 2, as well as Duometre, won awards and were named Watches of the Year in 2008. The Hybris Mechanica and Hybris Mechanica a Triptyque are considered the most complicated wristwatches in the world. Luxury watches from Jaeger-LeCoultre are and always will be special.