by Martin Green
For a watch aficionado, being a watch journalist is often filled with blessings; with the exception of 2020, we usually have the pleasure of visiting the big watch fairs and handling one new watch after another. It sometimes feels a bit Charlie in the Chocolate Factory, but the pace is intense and after a week I need my photos to remind me of what I saw.
Lots of amazing watches, sure, but we can’t always examine them as intimately as we’d like as there are too many watches and too little time. Which means that discovering an exquisite watch in peace and quiet with plenty of time is a luxury I appreciate and relish.
Jaeger-LeCoultre Duomètre Sphérotourbillon Blue in Martin Green’s appreciative hand
Even more so when the location is a quiet, comfortable salon on the first floor of the Jaeger-LeCoultre boutique at Place Vendôme in the middle of Paris, and the watch is the Duomètre Sphérotourbillon Blue.
Jaeger-LeCoultre Duomètre Sphérotourbillon Blue: it’s not about the big spenders
At first glance, many may dismiss this Sphérotourbillon variation as a complicated bauble for the rich. But it’s not about the price tag, nor the 20-plus carats’ worth of diamonds, or even its animated tourbillon escapement.
Jaeger-LeCoultre Duomètre Sphérotourbillon Blue
The JLC Duomètre Sphérotourbillon is about pushing the boundaries of different crafts and uniting them into a single creation. Although perfectly capable of flaunting its precious nature, it is the path to its creation that makes this watch so exceptional.
The movement consists of an incredible 460 individual components, combining an unusual array of complications. In essence, the Duomètre Sphérotourbillon Blue is a travel watch with an easily adjustable hour and minute hand and a subdial showing a 24-hour reference time zone.
Jaeger-LeCoultre Duomètre Sphérotourbillon Blue
The Duomètre Sphérotourbillon is intended to be a very precise travel watch, which is why Jaeger-LeCoultre fitted it with both its proprietary Sphérotourbillon and also gave the small seconds a “flyback” function, allowing the wearer to set the time to the precise second. Although not developed for this purpose, it can also function as a 60-second chronograph.
Jaeger-LeCoultre Duomètre Sphérotourbillon Blue
The unique Sphérotourbillon is stunning to see in action. This biaxial tourbillon consists of 105 parts and has a generous diameter of 11.5 mm, which makes it all the more attractive as it commands a prominent presence.
Jaeger-LeCoultre’s Sphérotourbillon in action
Jaeger-LeCoultre’s goal was to have the tourbillon make a significant contribution to the precision of the watch. To achieve this, the brand’s technicians crafted the carriage in grade 5 titanium to make it as light as possible. Placed at a 20-degree inclination, the cage does a fast 30-second rotation, but it also rolls around a second axis, almost like a top ready to fall over.
This makes it “dance” unlike any other tourbillon, and Jaeger-LeCoultre made sure that the mechanism is on full display in the Duomètre Sphérotourbillon Blue.
Jaeger-LeCoultre’s Duomètre Sphérotourbillon Blue is just as stunning from the other side
The unique movement features a dual-wing concept with two separate gear trains: one to power the displays and complications and one to power the regulating organ (the biaxial tourbillon). As a result, the timekeeping is not affected when the complications are active, ensuring complete accuracy of the watch.
A window in the case band of the Jaeger-LeCoultre Duomètre Sphérotourbillon Blue reveals the regulating organ
Duomètre Sphérotourbillon Blue is also pretty thanks to great design (and diamonds)
You could easily argue that this mechanical excellence is more than enough for the watch to shine like a diamond, so why does it need the extra gemstones? This is a bit like saying that we’ve got a great engine in the car, so why bother with the bodywork or the interior?
Diamond-set bezel, case band, and crown of the Jaeger-LeCoultre Duomètre Sphérotourbillon Blue
The diamonds add to the beauty of the watch. Jaeger-LeCoultre opted to use the more subdued baguette-cut over brilliant-cut diamonds, which outline the shape of the case, lugs, and crown but also add even more depth to the dial.
The diamonds frame, in an almost subtle way, the stepped “wings” surrounding the Sphérotourbillon. The beauty of the diamonds and the white gold of the case contrast nicely with the blue aventurine in the subdials of the 24-hour reference time and small seconds.
Jaeger-LeCoultre Duomètre Sphérotourbillon Blue
The sparkling, dark glass material plays off the diamonds and ties the design together in such a way that all the materials and complications obtain a synergy. This is what makes the Duomètre Sphérotourbillon Blue even more a work of art than its non-gem-set siblings.
For more information, please visit www.jaeger-lecoultre.com/eu/en/watches/duometre/duometre-spherotourbillon.
Quick Facts Jaeger-LeCoultre Duomètre Sphérotourbillon Blue
Case: 44 x 14.35 mm, white gold, fitted with a sapphire crystal window on the side of the case to view the tourbillon mechanism, set with 294 diamonds (20.5 ct) on the dial, case, bezel, lugs, and crown
Movement: manually wound Caliber 382HJ with dual-wing architecture and biaxial one-minute tourbillon inclined 20 degrees, two mainspring barrels, 50-hour power reserve
Functions: hours, minutes, flyback seconds; 24-hour display, dual power reserve indications
Price: upon request
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I’m seeing two different watches pictured above, the last one pictured doesn’t have diamonds set in the dial. Two different models? Is one a pre-production model??
Of course it does… It’s a head on shot. Diamonds are clearly there.
Last picture clearly does not have diamonds on the dial like first picture
The last picture in this post is a press photo while the others are live photos of the watch Martin was able to handle in Paris. The press photo appears to not have the rows of smaller baguette-cut diamonds on the dial. I am pretty sure that JLC would make this model to specification (i.e., customized diamond setting) upon request.
Thank you, Elizabeth 🙂
These are two different watches, the one in the last picutre in this post is Q6053406 which is a non-limited model (Wrong annotation, not Sphérotourbillon Bleu just Sphérotourbillon) with 42mm diameter priced at around 430,000$ while the one actually shown in this article is Q6073415 (Duomètre Sphérotourbillon Bleu) which is a limited model (18 pieces) with a price at around 855,000$.
Nice to know that the tourbillon is there to improve its accuracy – I assume they have published detailed data to confirm this observation. Yes? No?!
Absolutely stunning watch with a write-up that is equally as good as the watch.
This is hands-down, one of the most impressive watches I have ever seen in my whole life.
Congratulations on seeing (and holding) this JLC in real life.
Keep up the great work!