Jaeger-LeCoultre - Master Grande Tradition à Quantième Perpétuel 8 jours SQ

Jaeger-LeCoultre gives another demonstration of exceptional watchmaking prowess with the new Master Grande Tradition à Quantième Perpétuel 8 jours SQ, a finely skeletonised and engraved timepiece inspired to a Grande Complication pocket watch created in 1928 by the Grande Maison. The Jaeger-LeCoultre Master Grande Tradition à Quantième Perpétuel 8 jours SQ (ref. Q50635SQ) is a limited edition of 200 timepieces.

Jaeger-LeCoultre gave another demonstration of exceptional watchmaking prowess with the new Master Grande Tradition à Quantième Perpétuel 8 jours SQ, a finely skeletonised and engraved timepiece inspired to a Grande Complication pocket watch created in 1928 by the Grande Maison.

The Jaeger-LeCoultre artists started their engraving and skeletonising work from the hand-wound Calibre 876, a 262-component movement originally unveiled in 2004 which features a perpetual calendar with day/night and power reserve indications. A mere 6.6 mm tall, this movement beats at a frequency of 28,800 semi-oscillations per hour and offers a power reserve of eight full days.

Skeletonising a movement is a challenging art which requires a carefully planned strategy to ensure that neither its rigidity nor its reliability could potentially be undermined. Moreover, the skeletonising process is irreversible, so no errors are allowed. All parts of the movement are then bevelled, polished and elaborately engraved by hand, one by one, after determining which components can safely be pierced.

The white gold rings adorning the dial and the case back are chiseled by hand and then covered with blue transparent enamel using the grand feu “champlevé” method. The piece is then delicately polished with diamond powder. The Manufacture’s most experienced enamellers need 2 days of work to complete the two enamel rings that surround the dial and movement.  

The assembly of more than 200 springs, levers, program wheels, pinions and gears is followed by meticulous functional and stress tests, which are performed in the Jaeger-LeCoultre’s 1000 hours control unit.

The classic white gold case has a diameter 42 mm and features a corrector situated at 8 o'clock to adjust the perpetual calendar functions. The height is 11.55 mm.

The Jaeger-LeCoultre Master Grande Tradition à Quantième Perpétuel 8 jours SQ (ref. Q50635SQ) is a limited edition of 200 timepieces.