Simply Abu Dhabi XXXVI

T he master watchmakers Jaeger-LeCoultre create exquisite collections of timepieces that are occupy the very highest echelons of Fine Watchmaking. Think of iconic lines such as the Reverso, Master, Jaeger- LeCoultre Polaris, Rendez-Vous and Atmos – the rich heritage of the Grande Maison is an evolving font of inspiration and it is always pushing the boundaries, seeking to go further with the most outstanding horological inventions. Founded 1833, Jaeger-LeCoultre has elevated precision to art form. The brand was a winner at the Middle East Watch & Jewellery of the Year Awards, taking the prize for the Best Technical Innovation Watch with the Master Grande Tradition Gyro Tourbillion Westminster Perpetual. As we have already written about that exceptional timepiece, in this edition we look to an equally stunning creation – also from the Master Grande Tradition collection, which is a revered platform for high watchmaking at Jaeger-LeCoultre, emphasising classic design in order to let the sophisticated mechanisms take centre stage. With the Master Grande Tradition Répétition Minutes Perpétuelle, Jaeger-LeCoultre shows why it is regarded as unmatched when it comes to in-house experience in chiming watches, the most prestigious and exalted domain of mechanical savoir-faire. In fact, JLC has the distinction of being the only manufacture in the world to have over 200 chiming watch calibres in its historical and modern inventory. Suffice to say they are the authority when it comes to sonorous timekeeping. The Master Grande Tradition Répétition Minutes Perpétuelle features an innovative gong system that resurrects the idealised chime of antique pocket sonneries, paired with an evolutionary case design that transmits timelessness and modernity. We find a new gong system that replicates the richness and strength of antique sonnerie pocket watches, an evolutionary case design that redefines the timelessness and modernity of the Master Grande Tradition timepieces, and a heightened focus on customer experience with an automatic winding system and intuitive perpetual calendar setting. The new gong system and sound achieved is explained by the brand, who say, “The automatic calibre 950 unites the two apex values of chime quality that were previously thought to be incompatible – power and beauty. This combination of qualities has largely eluded the best watchmakers in history, the understanding being that one can come only at the cost of the other. “The research and innovation team of Jaeger-LeCoultre have achieved this idealised chime by creating an entirely novel gong configuration, unlike any other. Instead of lying flat in overlapping coils like the most commonly seen minute repeater gongs, the gongs of the Master Grande JAEGER-LECOULTRE – MASTER GRANDE TRADITION RÉPÉTITION MINUTES PERPÉTUELLE