Jaeger-LeCoultre Master Ultra Thin Tourbillon Enamel Blue Q13224E1

Jaeger-LeCoultre pewsented a new interpretation of the Master Ultra Thin Tourbillon Enamel. The new ref.Q13224E1 features a blue guilloché dial. Price

Together with the Master Ultra Thin Power Reserve that we presented last week, Jaeger-LeCoultre also introduced a new interpretation of the Master Ultra Thin Tourbillon Enamel.

In contrast to the fully polished pink gold case, the blue dial of this new timepiece provides an ideal backdrop for the tourbillon and the date display.

The sunray pattern of the guillochage creates a captivating interplay of light with every wrist movement.

Each of the 180 ‘sun rays’ characterising the hand-guilloché pattern required six passages of the hand-operated rose engine lathe, amounting to 1,080 lines in total.

Guided solely by the eye and hand, the master guillocheur must ensure that each line is impeccably straight, evenly spaced, and perfectly aligned, radiating from the centre to the edges of the dial.

Additionally, the date sub-dial is hand-guilloché in a circular pattern (known in French as azurage) to introduce a subtle texture that contrasts with the sunray.

Once the guilloché work on the main dial is completed, the master enameller applies Grand Feu enamel in multiple layers – one layer at a time, followed by firing at 800ºC and carefully managed cooling – to achieve the desired intensity and depth of  blue.

In the lower half of the dial, a laser-engraved seconds counter provides a visual anchor for the tourbillon aperture; a mirror-polished pink gold bridge secures the tourbillon cage and draws the eye deeper into the mechanism, its transparency and lightness accentuated by the contrast with the surrounding dial.

Encased in the 40 mm x 12.13 mm case, the movement powering the Master Ultra Thin Tourbillon Enamel is the latest generation of Jaeger-LeCoultre Calibre 978, originally launched in 2009. The calibre has been Jaeger-LeCoultre’s mainstay tourbillon movement ever since, undergoing a comprehensive update in 2019 to incorporate new technology (you can read about it here).

Comprising 77 components, including a titanium cage, the tourbillon mechanism weighs less than half a gram and is equipped with a flat, two-level hairspring designed with a specific curve at the attachment points to help ensure that the oscillations are as regular as possible, thus delivering a high level of timekeeping accuracy. 

Visible through the transparent sapphire crystal case back, the self-winding Calibre 978 operates at a frequency of 28,800 vibrations per hour and guarantees 45 hours of power reserve. Its gold oscillating weight is skeletonized to better display the sophisticated movement.

Perfectly matching the hue of the dial, the alligator leather strap is fitted with a pink gold folding clasp.

Water resistant up to 50 metres / 165 feet, the new Jaeger-LeCoultre Master Ultra Thin Tourbillon Enamel, ref. Q13224E1, is priced at CHF 113,000. jaeger-lecoultre.com