A few weeks ago, I visited the Jaeger-LeCoultre factory as I talked about in Jaeger-LeCoultre’s Specialized Department For Artistic Crafts: Enamel, Gem Setting, Engraving, And Guilloche.

While I was there, I spied a watch the artisans were working on and rushed over to try it on (yes, I admit it’s a bad habit).

Jaeger-LeCoultre Rendez-Vous High Jewellery Tourbillon with black enamel dial on the wrist

I was irresistibly drawn by the scintillating diamonds, which had been freshly set by one of the manufacture’s eleven setters working in the new “Métiers Rares Atelier” (as the manufacture calls it), but what drew me even more was the exquisite deep black dial against the backdrop of the gemstones and the applied numerals.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Quv2udeRyU

Gem setting at Jaeger-LeCoultre (photo courtesy Eveline Perroud/Jaeger-LeCoultre)

There are seven enamellers working in this department comprising about 30 craftspeople in total. And while it is usually vibrant color that trumps the monotone hue of the dials emerging from this workshop, in this particular case it is about ten layers of a carefully polished opaque black that draws the eye.

For the first time since this line was created, Jaeger-LeCoultre’s exceptional Rendez-Vous Tourbillon model showcases the intensity of a shiny black grand feu enamel dial.

Adding enamel to the dial of the Rendez-Vous High Jewellery Tourbillon at Jaeger-LeCoultre (photo courtesy Eveline Perroud/Jaeger-LeCoultre)

Levelling off the enamel before firing at Jaeger-LeCoultre (photo courtesy Eveline Perroud/Jaeger-LeCoultre)

Firing a black enamel dial for the Jaeger-LeCoultre Rendez-Vous High Jewellery Tourbillon (photo courtesy Eveline Perroud/Jaeger-LeCoultre)

While the shine attracts the eye, it is the unique sense of depth that holds it there – until it finds the animated tourbillon on display in the dial’s cutaway at 6 o’clock.

The gem-set diamonds continue down and across the lugs of the Jaeger-LeCoultre Rendez-Vous High Jewellery Tourbillon with black enamel dial

Caliber 978

This svelte tourbillon movement with 33 jewels is only 7.05 mm in height and 30 mm in diameter.

But it is not only pretty to look at, it also carries a big precision stick: this is the movement with which Jaeger-LeCoultre took first place in the tourbillon category of the 2009 Concours de Chronométrie (Chronometry Competition). Ticking away within the Master Tourbillon at the time, it garnered an impressive 909 of a possible 1,000 points.

Jaeger-LeCoultre Rendez-Vous High Jewellery Tourbillon with enamel dial

Actually, upon reflection, I think that it is most likely the combination of three extremely aesthetic elements that make this watch such a resolute eye-catcher: 254 sparkling diamonds on the dial, bezel, lugs and crown; the depth of the shiny black enamel; and the never-ending fascination of the high precision tourbillon.

If you’re the type of female who enjoys the mechanical side of timepieces just as much or even more than the aesthetic side, I’ll bet you are just as drawn by the new version of the Jaeger-LeCoultre Rendez-Vous High Jewellery Tourbillon as I am. Do let me know!

Jaeger-LeCoultre Rendez-Vous High Jewellery Tourbillon with enamel dial

For more information on this line, please visit www.jaeger-lecoultre.com/rendez-vous-tourbillon.

Quick Facts
Case: white gold, 39 x 12.4 mm, set with 254 diamonds
Dial: black high-fire enamel
Movement: automatic Jaeger-LeCoultre Caliber 978 with one-minute tourbillon
Functions: hours, minutes, seconds
Price: upon request