Introducing: The Jaeger-LeCoultre Reverso Tribute Minute Repeater And Reverso Hybris Artistica Gyrotourbillon
What We Know
It wouldn’t be Watches and Wonders without Jaeger-LeCoultre dropping some massively complicated (and gorgeously designed) new watch. This year, we get two: the Reverso Tribute Minute Repeater AND the Reverso Hybris Artistica Gyrotourbillon. While the incredibly complex Gyrotourbillon isn’t a brand-new movement, it’s a reimagination of a design from 2023, and it looks striking. The Reverso Tribute Minute Repeater is an all-new movement that’s over-engineered in all the best ways possible.
The new Reverso Tribute Minute Repeater has a newly designed front blue enamel dial with a hand-guilloché barley-seed pattern, which takes 12 hours to accomplish in the brand’s Métiers Rares workshop. At the same time, the reverse is skeletonized to show off the movement. Both sides of the dial display the same time, and the trigger for the minute repeater sits above the crown of the 18k pink gold case, measuring 51.1 x 31 mm x 12.6 mm thick.
The Reverso Tribute Minute Repeater features the newly developed, entirely in-house hand-wound Calibre 953. The movement uses seven existing patents, including trébuchet hammers, crystal gongs, and silent-interval elimination. Crystal gongs increase the repeater’s sound transfer and clarity, while silent interval elimination means no pause between the gongs for hours, quarters, and minutes. The power reserve is 48 hours. The price is $299,000.
While the Calibre 179 movement was released first in 2023, it featured the multi-axis tourbillon (rotating 360 degrees every 16 seconds with a peripheral carriage making a complete rotation once per minute) and featured JLC’s artistic craftsmanship. This is more of the same – mind-bending, complicated work and beautiful craftsmanship. There are 123 components to the tourbillon alone. Now in 18k white gold and produced in a limited edition of 10 pieces, the watch features blue lacquer on the front and a more skeletonized back, still featuring lacquer work.
More than just the brand’s fourth Gyrotourbillon, the Calibre 179 movement is shaped to fit in the 51.1mm by 31mm by 13.63mm case and allows different settings for the front and back dial times. The reverse dial also features a 24-hour indicator for the second time zone. The watch retails for $565,000.
What We Think
This is the kind of thing that I think of when I hear the name “Jaeger-LeCoultre.” Certain wild complications are just always inextricably tied to JLC – especially the flying tourbillon. The Gyrotourbillon looks incredible in terms of specification (especially the relatively thin case) and for the design and skeletonization. Still, the lacquered touches put this over the top into a true piece of art that I’m dying to see this week.
The Minute Repeater is similarly fascinating but looks a little less legible on the repeater side. I think this is fine – no other brand is putting the time-telling on the movement side of a minute repeater (at least that I can think of off the top of my head). The “front” of the watch is particularly gorgeous, and I would imagine that this barley-seed pattern shifts in the light under the lacquer.
This is a basic trick up JLC’s repeater sleeve in one watch, with a movement shaped for the rectangular case. The most interesting part might be the Nonentieme box, which includes a variety of the brand’s recent complications and one yet-to-be-announced piece. What might be so incredible that’s not included yet? I’m curious to find out.
Stay tuned for more over the coming days from Watches and Wonders – you can follow all of the show’s new releases right here.
The Basics
Brand: Jaeger-LeCoultre
Model: Reverso Tribute Minute Repeater; Reverso Hybris Artistica Calibre 179
Reference Number: Q7122480; Q39434E1
Diameter: 51.1mm x 31mm (both)
Thickness: 12.6mm (Minute Repeater), 13.63mm (Hybris Artistica)
Case Material: Pink gold (Minute Repeater); White gold (Hybris Artistica)
Dial Color: Teal blue enamelled guilloché front with openworked reverse (Minute Repeater), Blue lacquer front with skeletonized and blue lacquer reverse (Hybris Artistica)
Indexes: Applied and matching the case material
Lume: None
Water Resistance: 30m (both)
Strap/Bracelet: Black alligator leather (Minute Repeater); blue alligator leather (Hybris Artistica); new gold double-wheel mechanism buckle adjustable to 0.5mm for both
The Movement
Caliber: Caliber 953 (Minute Repeater); Caliber 179 (Hybris Artistica)
Functions: Hours and minutes on both dials, minute repeater with no delay between chimes (Minute Repeater), Hours and Minutes on both dials; second time zone with 24-hour indicator on reverse dial, Gyrotourbillon visible on both front and reverse dials (Hybris Artistica)
Power Reserve: 48 hours (Minute Repeater), 40 hours (Hybris Artistica)
Winding: Manual
Frequency: Unknown (Minute Repeater), 28,800 bph (Hybris Artistica)
Jewels: Unknown (Minute Repeater), 52 (Hybris Artistica)
Chronometer Certified: No
Pricing & Availability
Price: $299,000 (Minute Repeater), $565,000 (Hybris Artistica)
Availability: Now
Limited Edition: 30 pieces (Minute Repeater); 10 pieces (Hybris Artistica)
For more, click here.
Hodinkee
