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Jaeger-LeCoultre and Aston Martin celebrate their cooperation and the AMVOX2 DBS
Press release
Jaeger-LeCoultre and Aston Martin celebrate their cooperation and the AMVOX2 DBS Transponder watch, in the headlights of the DBS…
Four years ago, Jaeger-LeCoultre and Aston Martin had chosen Paris as the venue to announce the start of their cooperation marrying horological expertise and automobile performance. To celebrate the most accomplished expression of this synergy to date, the AMVOX2 DBS Transponder – the first ever mechanical watch to control access to a prestigious car – the two companies have once again taken the opportunity of the Paris Motor Show to invite their guests to the City of Lights and an event held in the spectacular setting of the Apicius restaurant run by the renowned chef Jean-Pierre Vigato.
The splendid Aston Martin DBS lightning silver (exact colour) enthroned on the terrace found itself in excellent company among other Aston Martins belong to guests owning these fine British cars.
Dr. Ulrich Bez and Jérôme Lambert spoke of their legitimate pride in having undertaken 18 months of intense joint research and of the many challenges that have resulted in a transponder shape and wiring specifically redesigned to enable the AMVOX2 watch to interact with DBS, while maintaining the existing functions of the vertical-trigger chronograph.
"We are gathered here to celebrate the exceptional partnership between Aston Martin and Jaeger-LeCoultre. Our two companies enjoy a longstanding relationship built on a shared vision and shared values. Aston Martin engineers worked with those of Jaeger-LeCoultre in developing the AMVOX2 DBS Transponder, a combination of high-tech sports engineering and exceptional fine watchmaking expertise – and a world first in the field", said Dr. Ulrich Bez, CEO of Aston martin.
Echoing these sentiments and before testing the watch transponder live, Jaeger-LeCoultre CEO Jérôme Lambert added his own thoughts: "The partnership is a wonderful adventure, which after 4 years demonstrates thanks to this watch the fusion about the best of Jaeger-LeCoultre and Aston Martin. This adventure is also very special for all the engineers and designers teams as they had to find some new solutions to integrate these new technologies in the watch". The creation of the AMVOX2 DBS Transponder is fresh proof, if such were needed, of the spirit of innovation that drive the brand to constantly raise the bar in terms of fine watchmaking standards.
Then came the eagerly awaited and intensely emotional moment when, for the very first time (apart from the tests conducted in Gaydon and at the Manufacture in Le Sentier), the DBS responded by a flash of its headlights to a touch on the sapphire crystal of the watch, between 8 and 9 o'clock. Simple, ingenious, cool…
Guests then had a change to experience on their own wrist the feeling of one of the five DBS "open sesames" provided for the occasion. A final surprise awaited them if they pressed the 'open' and 'close' rectangles at the same time: the watch them emits a signal that the car recognises as a "find me" function: the headlights flash for several seconds, without opening the locks, to enable the owner to find the car at a glance.
As one would expect, the engineers had previously authorised the car to read all five codes in complete security.
Reminiscent of the "Start" button on the dashboards of the latest Aston Martin cars, called the Emotion Control Unit, the AMVOX2 DBS Transponder is the most tangible bond ever developed between a watch manufacturer and the automobile industry. The watch becomes an intrinsic part of the driving experience, thereby expressing the perfection and shared values uniting the legendary automobile manufacturer and the reference in fine watchmaking.
Following this celebration, the AMVOX2 DBS Transponder can be admired on the Aston Martin booth at the Paris Motor Show, which runs from October 4th to 19th, as well as at the Geneva Classics car show in Geneva, from October 3rd to 5th 2008.
AMVOX2 DBS Transponder
Created by Jaeger-LeCoultre exclusively for owners of the Aston Martin DBS
The AMVOX DBS Transponder incorporates a miniature transmitter serving to lock and unlock the Aston Martin DBS, while maintaining all the existing functions of the vertical-trigger chronograph. As the driver nears the car, all he need do is press the OPEN position on the watch glass (between 8 and 9 o'clock), in order to activate the door opening system, whereas doing the same thing on the CLOSE position (between 3 and 4 o'clock) will close the vehicle. Exactly 127 mm long in order to guarantee optimal operating range, the antenna is metallised inside of the sapphire crystal in a shape following the curve of the inner bezel-ring and the hour-markers between 4 and 8 o'clock, and is connected at these strategic points to the locking control contact rectangles.
To ensure complete security, only Aston Marin dealerships are entitled to authorise the timepiece to be "read" by the owner's specific DBS and thus to communicate with it.
Manufacture Jaeger-LeCoultre, Chronograph, Calibre 751E. Mechanical automatic movement with ceramic ball-bearings. Frequency of 28,800 vibrations per hour, variable-inertia balance. Vertical coupling-clutch, column wheel, 65-hour p ower reserve, two barrels.
Aston Martin DBS
With its racing genes and exquisite interior, the Aston Martin DBS is the ultimate luxury sports car. Equipped with a 6-litre V12 engine, and featuring a style dictated by the laws of aerodynamics, the Aston Martin DBS features a blend of beautifully hand-finished materials with the very latest in performance technology. Its hand-built V12 engine producing 380 kW (517 hp), making it one of the most potent production Aston Martin models ever made. The DBS is also the first production Aston Martin to make abundant use of ultra-light carbon fibre bodywork panels. Its high level of performance stems from the association of a low initial weight, near perfect weight distribution, an extremely supple and powerful V12 engine, an optimised six-gear box, along with new carbon-ceramic brakes and an adaptive damper controlled suspension system.
Combining inimitable style, innovative production processes, materials and Aston Martin's peerless expertise in hand craftsmanship, the DBS is a racing-bred two-seater created for the open road.