The Atmos was the remarkable creation of Swiss engineer Jean-Leon Reutter who, in 1928, presented his prototype of a revolutionary clock powered by tiny changes in atmospheric temperature.
The system was based on a U-shaped glass tube containing a mixture of mercury and ammonia, one end of which was insulated from heat, the other not. As a result, the slightest variation in air temperature dilated the gas, causing the weight of the mercury to pivot the tube and fractionally wind the clock.
The invention was so ground-breaking that more than 100 articles about the clock were published in newspapers as far afield as America and South Africa – but in order to be feasible for production, the prototype Atmos still needed work.
Step forward Jacques-David Jaeger-LeCoultre, who collaborated with Reutter to improve the system by developing a bellows structure filled with temperature-sensitive gas that allowed the potentially dangerous mercury to be eliminated.
The system debuted in the ‘Atmos 1’ of 1932 which, true to its promise, continued to run indefinitely so long as the ambient temperature fluctuated, even by the smallest amount.
From Mercury Tubes to Bellows: The Making of a Marvel
And, even more remarkably, the system enabled the clock to work on 65 MILLION times less energy than a 15-watt light bulb…..
Reutter’s prototypes took the form of traditional ‘dome’ clocks (ie with the dial and mechanism protected beneath a glass dome), but the partnership with Jaeger-LeCoultre led to that old fashioned aesthetic being abandoned in favour of ‘looks’ more in keeping with the design-hungry Art Deco era in which the Atmos was born.
The glass dome gave way to intricate cabinets made from everything from exotic woods to polished steel, crystal, lacquer and enamel, often in designs that showcased the clock’s intriguing ‘perpetual motion’ mechanism to its full.
By the 1950s, the Atmos had been adopted as the official gift given by the Swiss government to high-ranking guests , with Winston Churchill, John F Kennedy, and Charlie Chaplin being among the recipients.
Milan's Grand Celebration of a Timeless Icon
While Jaeger-LeCoultre’s signature timepiece is undoubtedly the Reverso, the Atmos must surely come a close second – not least since it has been in almost continuous production for approaching a century and, since the 1970s, has served as a ‘blank canvas’ for collaborations between Jaeger-LeCoultre’s ‘metiers rares’ artisans and a selection of top designers.
Perhaps the best known is Australian Marc Newson who created the Baccarat crystal ‘561’ edition in 2008 to celebrate the 80th anniversary of Reutter's invention, following it up with the 566 of 2010 and the 568 of 2016.
All of which made Newson an obvious choice as collaborator for The Perpetual Timekeeper exhibition, which takes place during Milan Design Week at Villa Mozart.
Examples of the Atmos from every decade will be featured, along with a variety of other Jaeger-LeCoultre timekeepers and five, brand new clock designs.
The exhibition takes around 30 minutes to view and is free of charge – although attendance needs to be registered at the online booking page on jaegerle-coultre.com
Later in the month, from April 21 – 26, Jaeger-LeCoultre will also display a range of objects highlighting the output of the maison’s artisan workshops in an exhibition entitled ‘Today’s Masters Meet Tomorrow’s Talents’.
Presented by the Michelangelo Foundation, the show takes place at the Casa Degli Artisti in Corso Garibaldi .
More information about both events can be found at jaeger-lecoultre.com
