There’s something deeply compelling about a Maison that oozes confidence, and when it comes to Jaeger-LeCoultre and high watchmaking, the Maison knows its way around complicated timepieces. It’s part of the reason why the French Maison is lovingly known as ‘the watchmaker for watchmakers’ after all.
For its 2024 novelties, the Maison leaned in, theming its collection around ‘The Mastery of Precision’; a core value that has been credited as the original inspiration point for founder Antoine LeCoultre. Now, almost two centuries later, the Maison has distilled this story of precision into five chapters, and its presence in this year’s collection was felt loud and clear.
Debuting three new, captivating timepieces during this year’s Watches & Wonders, Jaeger-LeCoultre's offering served as a reminder that the watchmaker doesn’t rely on volume to deliver on impact. Some one-on-one time with the Duometre Chronograph Moon, the steel Duometre Quantieme Lunaire, and Duometre Heliotourbillon Perpetual had me in a dizzying horological spell – the names alone make it clear that the Maison means serious business.
So, what makes this year’s novelties sing amidst Jaeger-LeCoultre's already impressive history? For anyone familiar with the watchmaker, you’ll know that the Duometre was a concept first introduced in 2007 – a mechanism that features two barrels and two independent gear trains. One, for timekeeping, and the other for complications, linking to the same regulating organ (essentially, the heartbeat of the watch). The result is a mechanism that enables the addition of complications without compromising the accuracy of the actual timekeeping function of the watch.
Honouring this innovation piece, the Maison released three new iterations to the family, and it would be remiss of me not to begin with the most enchanting, the Duometre Heliotourbillon Perpetual. Admittedly, there’s a lot to take in with this watch, but it’s the newly developed tourbillon configuration (that rotates on three axes rather than one or two) that catches your eye first. The French translation of tourbillon is ‘whirlwind’, and looking at the Helitourbillon up close, it does actually look like a vortex. Accompanied by a perpetual calendar, the design reaffirms Jaeger-LeCoultre's position as a Maison that blends sophisticated complications with timeless aesthetics.
The poetry of the new Duometre collection continues with the Duometre Chronograph Moon. The classic piece has received an update with the addition of a moon phase display, and the dial of the watch lets us into the magic of the mechanism with two open-worked sections. When the manually wound mono-pusher chronograph is activated, the foudroyante (or flashing seconds) hand begins to move, dancing around the dial and completing a full rotation in one second; providing a reading that is accurate to one sixth of a second. I personally adored the platinum case and copper-coloured dial variation, but the pink gold paired with the silver dial also exudes elegance on the hand-stitched alligator strap.
Rounding out the offering is the more modern design in Jaeger-LeCoultre's 2024 offering, the Duometre Quantieme Lunaire. The symmetrical dial and long, fine hands (signature to the Duometre watches) have their shining moment against the deep blue dial and steel case – a first for the Maison in this collection. Inspired by the aesthetic of sector dials that were featured in historic timepieces, the contrast of different finishes represented on the varying sections creates a characteristic depth not found in other piece. Take a look at the lower section of the dial for example, which features a sunray-brushed finish, contrasted by the two power reserve indicators that instead have an opaline arc. The brand new Duometre case (which features on all three 2024 models) is an interpretation of the savonette pocket watches created by the Maison in the 19th century, and pairs particularly well with the more contemporary aesthetic of the Duometre Quantieme Lunaire.
And because the horologer’s commitment to precision doesn’t just extend to watchmaking, Jaeger-LeCoultre brought its Made of Makers initiative to life in Geneva, offering an unexpected gastronomic journey led by two Michelin-starred culinary master, Chef Himanshu Saini. Escaping the shackles of my schedule, I was able to steal a brief 30-minute window where I was transported through a remarkable menu of delicious bites that balanced India’s culinary legacy and ingredients from the Vallée de Joux. Master of precision title, granted.
Editor's notes:
One of my favourite design features of the Duometer Heliotourbillon Perpetual is the gold bridge that almost separates the dial on the vertical axis. On the left-hand side, the open-worked display allows you to view the tourbillon performing its ‘spinning top’ rotation, and if you turn the piece to the side, you can catch another glimpse of the mechanism at work through a sapphire crystal window.
The new Duometre Chronograph Moon features an entirely new calibre that combines a manually wound mono-pusher chronograph with moon phase and night-day complications.
