Simply Abu Dhabi XXVII

1 0 2 S I M P LY A B U DH A B I J aeger-LeCoultre is one of the world’s most respected and admired brands. For 184 years the company, founded by Antoine LeCoultre, has created a vast heritage of watch families. Think of classic lines such as the Memovox, Master, Rendez-Vous, Duomètre and the President’s clock – the Atmos – and of course, celebrating its 85th anniversary last year, the instantly recognisable and enduring classic, the Reverso. This year, the watchmaker’s favourite is celebrating the treasures from four of its iconic collections: Rendez-Vous, Reverso, Geophysic and Hybris Artistica. Here we admire the Geophysic family expanding its fine legacy with a remarkable timepiece: the Geophysic Tourbillon Universal Time. Created in 1958 in honour of the International Geophysical Year, the first Geophysic watch remains a symbol of Swiss expertise par excellence. In keeping with this tradition, the Manufacture in the Vallée de Joux launched the Geophysic collection in 2015; a collection of several models combining powerful watchmaking expertise with a classic, timeless aesthetic. This line has now been reinterpreted, reinforcing its original qualities, including a generously dimensioned case, easily legible functions, visible luminescent hands and the high-tech Gyrolab balance wheel. Now, for the first time ever, Jaeger-LeCoultre has introduced a flying tourbillon in a universal time watch, allowing the time to be read in twenty-four cities simultaneously. Housed in an opulent 43.5mm platinum case, the Geophysic Tourbillon Universal Time is the most exclusive piece in the Geophysic collection. Powered by the new Calibre 948, the timepiece embodies this Grand Maison’s innovative and passionate spirit in distinguished and dynamic fashion. Wherever the wearer might be, a glance at that sapphire dome will provide an elegant grasp of time across the great expanse of the world. It’s actually difficult just to merely glance at the watch, as the flying tourbillon is utterly transfixing. The eye is drawn to the centre of the planisphere and the apparently hovering flying tourbillon, which truly seems to defy gravity with the absence of a bridge to hold its cage. The details are exquisite: on the impossibly blue lacquered ocean, tiny spirals create waves and lend the impression of undulation when viewed from above. The continents move across the central disc every 24 hours, following the pace set by the flying tourbillon. In this constantly changing landscape the tourbillon rotates around itself and the guilloché dial with absolute precision. The rolling of the Gyrolab balance wheel and its balance spring, hand-crafted in the workshops of the Manufacture, also draws the eye, and it features the shape of a watch anchor – the symbol of Jaeger-LeCoultre. Available in a limited series of 100 pieces, the Geophysic Tourbillon Universal Time watch is a stunning testament to the Manufacture's almost peerless watchmaking prowess. JAEGER-LECOULTRE GEOPHYSIC TOURBILLON UNIVERSAL TIME