The Master Grande Tradition Gyrotourbillon Westminster Perpétuel is the latest generation of multi-axis tourbillon to emerge from Jaeger-LeCoultre, following the 2004 Master Gyrotourbillon 1, the 2008 Reverso Gyrotourbillon 2, the 2013 Master Grande Tradition Gyrotourbillon 3 Jubilee and the 2016 Reverso Tribute Gyrotourbillon.
Precision tourbillons are a noted speciality of Jaeger-LeCoultre, as proven by the 2009 Concours International de Chronométrie timing competition, in which the top two prizes were awarded to Jaeger-LeCoultre. The strength in creating high-precision tourbillons goes hand-in-hand with the mastery required to engineer the visually spectacular Gyrotourbillon watches.
Further advancing the art of multi-axis tourbillons, the Master Grande Tradition Gyrotourbillon Westminster Perpétuel features a tourbillon that is significantly smaller than those in the preceding Gyrotourbillon timepieces. In creating a smaller tourbillon, Jaeger-LeCoultre has created a wearable Gyrotourbillon, bringing high complication out of the watch safe and onto the wrist for everyday enjoyment.
The Westminster chime is familiar to everyone as the famous melody of the Big Ben clock at the Palace of Westminster in London.The Master Grande Tradition Gyrotourbillon Westminster Perpétuel uses four sets of gongs and hammers to create the Westminster chime to indicate the quarters when the minute repeater is activated.
Besides the multi-axis tourbillon and the minute repeater, the Master Grande Tradition Gyrotourbillon Westminster Perpétuel also features the one horological function with the greatest everyday relevance and pragmatic value — the perpetual calendar. As the name suggests, the perpetual calendar is designed to work in perpetuity. It automatically displays the correct date without the need for manual adjustment between months of different lengths.
Reflecting the blend of patrimony and modernity is the design of the watch, which emphasises the round profile of the Master Grande Tradition case. A retractable minute repeater pusher, first seen in the Master Ultra Thin Minute Repeater Flying Tourbillon, preserves the smooth lines of the case. In the Master Grande Tradition Gyrotourbillon Westminster Perpétuel, finishes are expressed in a subtle and contemporary way, culminating in the openworked dial — produced either in a deep-blue grand feu enamel or in a more classic silver-grained version — showcasing the mesmerising multi-axis tourbillon.
The Sound of Precision
The minute repeater of the Master Grande Tradition Gyrotourbillon Westminster Perpétuel benefits from more recent innovations, such as the patented crystal gongs that first appeared in the Master Minute Repeater Antoine LeCoultre in 2005. These crystal gongs were welded to the dial crystal of the watch, capitalising on the superior sound transmission qualities of synthetic sapphire crystal to produce the loudest and clearest wristwatch chime ever created. Trebuchet hammers, articulated and sprung to deliver strong and quick strikes to the gongs, can be found in the Master Grande Tradition Gyrotourbillon Westminster Perpétuel, as they first appeared in the only other Westminster chime wristwatch of Jaeger-LeCoultre, the 2009 Hybris Mechanica Duomètre à Grande Sonnerie.
The Whirlwind of Precision
The tourbillon is a chronometric amplifier that can improve the timekeeping performance of a regulator by averaging out its positional errors. The in-house expertise of Jaeger-LeCoultre in tourbillons extends over a range of rotating escapements from the award-winning classic tourbillon calibre 978, the unbridged flying tourbillon, the various multi-axis Gyrotourbillon watches, the inclined-axis Sphérotoubillon and the groundbreaking flying tourbillon with flying balance in the Master Ultra Thin Minute Repeater Flying Tourbillon.
The Master Grande Tradition Gyrotourbillon Westminster Perpétuel takes this exploration of precision to a new level with its constant-force mechanism. With the inclusion of the constant- force spring remontoir, the focus on precision is expanded far beyond the whirling dimensions of the tourbillon and its precision regulation. The Master Grande Tradition Gyrotourbillon Westminster Perpétuel constant-force mechanism highlights the precision of power delivery in one-minute cycles, the precision of time display in the jumping minutes hand and the precision of the repeater chime.
