In the sea of small, slender, exceedingly simple timepieces that made their debut last month at Watches and Wonders Geneva, Jaeger-LeCoultre stood out.
That’s because the historic brand, aka “the watchmaker of watchmakers,” once again flexed its horological muscles with the introduction of the Master Hybris Inventiva Gyrotourbillon À Stratosphère, a triple-axis tourbillon that offers the widest positional coverage ever created by Jaeger-LeCoultre.
What’s more, the piece marks the birth of a new series for the maison. Dubbed “Hybris Inventiva,” the new range is dedicated to timepieces featuring single complications that are so ambitious and complex they seem virtually impossible to achieve.
The Hybris concept traces its roots to 2003, when the Hybris Mechanica collection of multiple complication wristwatches was introduced. In 2014, Jaeger-LeCoultre created a separate category, Hybris Artistica, to house models distinguished by their artistry and use of rare handcrafts such as engraving, enamelling and guilloche.
As the newest Hybris line, Hybris Inventiva is reserved for pieces, often many years in the making, that evolved from internal discussions about the invention of “impossible” complications.
The triple-axis Gyrotourbillon is the culmination of more than 20 years of Gyrotourbillon wristwatches. Unveiled in 2004, the first model, a double axis tourbillon, established Jaeger-LeCoultre’s expertise in manufacturing multi-axis tourbillons. Since then, the brand has introduced ever-more complicated editions taking the concept to its natural extreme: From a Flying Gyrotourbillon to one endowed with a constant force mechanism, the prestigious complication—patented in 1801 to counteract the effects of gravity on a pocket watch, seemed to offer little possibility for continued reinvention.
Until, that is, Jaeger-LeCoultre’s team of engineers and watchmakers put their heads together seven years ago, and came up with the idea for a triple-axis version featuring three titanium tourbillon cages that rotate along X, Y, and Z axes at three different speeds—20 seconds for the inner cage; 60 seconds for the center cage, or “cage of reference”; and 90 seconds for the outer cage. The exceptional coverage, to the tune of 98%, suggests that the model may well be the most precise tourbillon wristwatch the brand has ever created.
Limited to 20 pieces (price upon request), the new model is housed in a 42 mm platinum case. Beyond its mechanical complexity, the piece also boasts an impressive medley of decorative techniques,16 in all, including sandblasting, perlage, polishing, flat polishing, straight graining, linear brushing, circular brushing, Côtes de Genève, diamond polishing, snailing, sunray brushing, bevelling, guillochage, lacquering, lapping finish, and enamelling.
The model epitomizes what collectors have come to expect from the brand: High watchmaking, expert finishing, and a persistent willingness to push horological boundaries, even when everyone else seems content with simple, time-only solutions. Dare to be complicated!
