Not to be outdone by the stellar showing of its contemporaries at the recently concluded Watches & Wonders 2024, Jaeger-LeCoultre dropped jaws at the event with a spectacular timepiece. The Swiss group is already hailed as one of the top luxury watchmakers in the world and its latest entry certainly lives up to the distinction. This is the Duometre Heliotourbillon Perpetual!
Self-winding movements are probably the closest we have gotten to a never-ending power supply for our timekeeping instruments. Due to the law of thermodynamics, this is virtually impossible unless we can tweak parameters in physics. Nevertheless, whenever a watch is designated as “perpetual” people likewise hold it in high regard for the superior accuracy of its movement.
“The case is a contemporary interpretation of the Savonette pocket watches created by the Maison in the 19th century. With its convex crystal and gracefully rounded bezel, it is composed of 34 separate parts with screwed lugs, and a mixture of finishes creating a fascinating play of light.” States Jaeger-LeCoultre.
By all means, the Duometre Heliotourbillon Perpetual is a masterpiece of craftsmanship and elegance. At 44 mm, reference 6202420 is just the right size for the average man’s wrist. Endowed with a striking dial design that clearly highlights the sophisticated complication at 9 o’clock, it is engineered to captivate those who view it.
The in-house Calibre 388 governs the watch’s hours, minutes, seconds, year, month, day, date, moon phase, day/night indicator, and perpetual calendar. The hand-wound movement measures 34.3 mm x 11.15 mm and is comprised of 655 components with 89 jewels. It ticks at 28,880 vph and touts a power reserve rated at 46 hours.
As its name suggests, the triple-axis tourbillon is the main attraction here. Positioned against a deep blue lacquer backdrop decorated to represent the night sky, it is assembled out of three titanium cages with ceramic ball bearings. Jaeger-LeCoultre allocates a production run of 20 examples for the Duometre Heliotourbillon Perpetual every year.
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Images courtesy of Jaeger-LeCoultre