Jaeger-LeCoultre unveiled the Reverso Tribute Duoface Tourbillon Q392242J combining dual time and tourbillon in a new pink gold version. Price/specs
Five years after the first Reverso combining the duoface concept with a tourbillon (you an read about it here), Jaeger-LeCoultre unveiled the Reverso Tribute Duoface Tourbillon in a new interpretation in pink gold exquisitely hand-decorated in the Manufacture’s own Métiers Rares atelier.
Thanks to the Calibre 847 introduced in 2018, the new reference Q392242J offers two dials with different aesthetics, featuring an ingenious flying tourbillon, visible on both sides, and a second time zone with a day-night indicator on the reverse dial.
Comprised of 254 components and offering an autonomy of 38 hours when fully wound, this hand-wound movement is just 3.9 mm thick, an impressive achievement which required Jaeger-LeCoultre’s watchmakers to completely rethink the tourbillon mechanism in order to reduce as much height as possible.
They not only eliminated the upper bridge that typically holds the balance wheel but also substituted the outer tourbillon cage with a ball-bearing system and fastened the balance wheel to the middle of the tourbillon.
Since the hairspring would normally be attached to the outer tourbillon cage, in the absence of such a cage, Jaeger-LeCoultre invented and patented a new S-shaped balance spring; one end is attached to a fixed point at the centre of the tourbillon mechanism and the other end fixed to the balance wheel. The S-shape avoids the coils of the spring touching each other and makes the spring perfectly concentric to the tourbillon, which is essential for precision.
Weighing a mere 0.455 grams, this highly sophisticated 62-component tourbillon enabled a slim movement, which in turn limited the thickness of the case of the Reverso Tribute Duoface Tourbillon to just 9.15 mm, enhancing both elegance and wearability. Water resistant to 30 metres /100 feet, the rectangular case measures 45.5 mm x 27.4 mm.
Its Art Deco lines and strong geometry lend the case an apparent simplicity while it actually is one of the most complex cases in watchmaking, with more than 50 components including the patented slide-and-swivel mechanism that connects the case to its cradle.
Thanks to the unique Duoface concept, introduced in the Reverso collection in 1994, local time is displayed on the front dial and home time on the reverse. The movement must turn the two sets of hands in opposite directions in order for them to move around their respective dials in the clockwise direction and display the correct time.
All settings are controlled through the crown in order to preserve the aesthetic unity of the case.
With the front dial visible, the Reverso Tribute Duoface Tourbillon reprises the spirit of the early 1930s models with the faceted hour indexes and the Dauphine hands framed by a chemin de fer minute track. The tourbillon stands out at 6 o'clock against the silver sunray-brushed background.
As the case turns over, it reveals the cradle, where a visually dramatic sunray pattern centres on a mirror-polished disc; the disc is precisely aligned with the tourbillon to reflect light back through the delicate mechanism.
The reverse dial of the watch is enhanced by a partial skeletonisation and refined decorations, including hand angling of the bridges, all executed in the Manufacture’s Métiers Rares workshop. The second time zone is indicated by golden hands and indexes on a black sunray-brushed dial, and above the dial, the night and day indicator features a starry night sky.
Gold bridges are richly textured with Clous de Paris guilloché, and blued screws add contrast to the gold. The guillochage on the bridges takes six hours of careful work using a 100-year-old hand-operated lathe.
The price of the new Jaeger-LeCoultre Reverso Tribute Duoface Tourbillon in Pink Gold ref. Q392242J is Euro 130,000 excluding sales taxes. jaeger-lecoultre.com
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