Labails - Temerity

0 0 Sunday, 22 January 2023 Edit this post

Alexandre Labails, a young mechanical engineer specialized in aeronautics engines, established his own watch brand in 2017 in order to develop Haute Horlogerie creations with a resolutely technical focus, those types of timepieces that make extreme mechanical engineering transcend to the rank of a work of art.

Named Temerity to express this bold vision, the first timepiece of Labails is a very complicated one, a high-frequency sport chronograph with a 60-second tourbillon.

In order to fully take advantage of the benefits of high-frequency in terms of accuracy without impacting on energy consumption and, consequently, on the precision of the primary function, Labails decided to create two distinct kinematic chains in one: the primary one dedicated to the hours-minutes function and the secondary one, optional, dedicated to a high-frequency chronograph.

For the primary function - hours and minutes - Temerity uses a 3 Hz (21,600 vibrations per hour) escapement and balance-wheel system embedded in a 60-second tourbillon. The low-frequency oscillations optimize the power reserve while also limiting the negative effects of the gravity on the isochronism of the function.

A high-frequency regulator with a 10 Hz balance-wheel is dedicated to the chronograph. The regulator fully oscillates 10 times per second, meaning that the escapement wheel changes position 20 times per second (72,000 times per hour), i.e. every 5 hundredths of a second.

In order to facilitate reading the measurement, three hands are positioned on three separate dials: one for the jumping minutes, one for the seconds and one for the 5 hundredths of a second. This latter is divided into three one-second segments; therefore the 5-hundredths-of-a-second hand rotates at an angular speed of 120° per second, the ideal compromise, at this frequency, between speed, fluidity of motion and readability.

In order to reach this rotation speed, the hands of the chronograph are made of aluminum, an extremely lightweight metal with a density of only 2,7 g/cm3 which makes it possible to optimize the torque-rotation speed relationship by reducing the inertia of the hands.

The chronograph function is controlled by two push buttons: start/stop at 2 o'clock and reset at 4 o'clock. When started, the vertical clutch system (controlled by a column wheel) of the chronograph allows the hands to be driven with a better precision, to ensure a perfect start.

By combining a chronograph architecture based on the patent-pending Energy Management Optimization System (EMOS) with two parallel barrels, the Temerity offers a remarkable power reserve for the primary function of up to 5 days.

Thanks to the EMOS, the user can manage how the main energy source is used via a gear switch located at 9 o'clock, which proposes two modes:

- In Eco mode (energy saving mode), the energy source is fully dedicated to the primary function. The energy consumption is low. The high-frequency kinematic chain is inactivated; therefore, the high-frequency balance wheel is motionless.

- In Sports mode, the energy source continues to supply the primary function but also supplies the secondary function. The high-frequency balance wheel is operating, allowing the user to use the chronograph to time events. The energy consumption in this mode is high so, in order to prevent the primary function from stopping, when the remaining power reserve reaches 24 hours, the high-frequency balance-wheel is automatically inhibited.

Two distinct power reserve indicators track the energy consumption of the two functions. The first one is dedicated to track the energy level of the primary function in real-time, whether in Eco or in Sports mode, meaning that this indicator will adapt its course depending on the use of the secondary function. The second one is exclusively dedicated to the Sports mode and tracks the energy consumption of the high-frequency regulator. When in Eco mode, this indicator shows that the high-frequency regulator is deactivated.

Measuring 51.95 x 48 x 16.8 mm and water resistant to 5 ATM, the ergonomic case is made from sapphire with crown and push buttons in 18k rose gold. On both sides of the watch, we find sapphire glasses with double anti-reflective treatment.

Made of aluminum oxide crystals (Al2O3, also called Corundum), sapphire is known for its extraordinary hardness: 9 on the Mohs scale. Due to such hardness, machining process requires diamond tools, diamond being one of the very few materials on Earth able to scratch it.

Thanks to the perfect transparency of the case, the extreme mechanics of this 600-part timepiece is fully revealed in its complexity. The watch is secured to the wrist by an ultra-resistant yet supple white FKM rubber strap (width 20 mm) with a rose gold pin buckle.

Temerity was developed by Labails in cooperation with Chronode, a Le Locle-based company led by the master watchmaker Jean-François Mojon and specialised in the creation of high-end mechanical movements for prestigious watch brands. In 2010, Mojon was awarded as “best independent master watchmaker” at the Grand Prix de la Haute Horlogerie of Geneva.

Labails will produce only 10 pieces of Temerity with a price of CHF 2,200,000. labails-watches.com