Jaeger-LeCoultre

are high KPIs for JLC.  I see this attepmt as more of a serious statement of intent on the positioning front to try to claim pole position on several front which Jerome mentioned.  Whether it will work depends I guess on many other factors and I do believe the finish in general can still be improved.  That said, it is a smart makreting tactic, one that will help with positioning and one that very likely will pay for itself given the Euro 2 mio tage for the set.

Of the 3, I actually find the gyro perpetual to be the best on the wrist and it does look better than in the pics which SJX has already done a great job with.

MJLC have taken the cabinet a step further.

Andrew H

Just a sample that why JLC is one of the BEST brands ever. Amazing works of pure art (to me).

Thanks for sharing. Would love to see them in the flesh and spend some time with my beloved loupe.

Vte

So JLC will soon have the most complicated wristwatch in the world! Again, fantastic reporting, thank you so much!

By the way I was pleasantly surprised to see a Patek Philippe wristwatch around JLC's CEO.

Is Jerome Lambert wearing a Patek Philippe?! lol

I met him several times, and I never saw him wearing a PP, alhough he has a lot of admiration for watches coming from other brands.

So, I think the photographer may answer to this question: Who was wearing a PP?



Best,

Nicolas

it belongs to someone who's keeping his watches for the next generation.

- SJX

it will take a while to absorb the impact of this trio at a personal level.  Hopefully, they will be available for perusal in certain settings (ADs) at some future time.

Appreciate the report.

tempusfugit

truly an amazing concept, and that GS is indeed a masterpiece.

 

Cheers,

 

Asi

 

does the innovation and finish compare to something that is more artisanal?  Not the product of a large firm with a number of contributing individuals, but more the work of one or two people?  Different animals I grant you, but there is still something in the mechanics and execution that can be compared.

Thanks again

Andrew H

I've always written that JLC's finishing is a bit industrial and lacking in
the fine quality of the top end volume makers like Lange or the independents
like Dufour or Voutilainen. The Grande Sonnerie shown, a prototype
admittedly, was similarly finished. Excellent finish but not superlative.
For example the anglage of the bridges just didn't possess the sharply
defined lines and mirror finish that distinguishes the finishing of Lange or
the top end Pateks.

That being said, JLC has never been about finishing for me, although the
company itself has been vocal in promoting its high-end hand finishing. JLC
to me is an ambitious company, perhaps overly so, and I often get the
impression finishing is not at the top of the agenda, rather it wants to
produce remarkably impressive watches with an reliance to a kind of
pseudo-scientific empirical process of testing that isn't widely seen (or at
least publicised) in other companies. JLC relies on various electronic
thingamajigs to measure the output of its striking watches while Patek with
its new seal merely relies on a member of the Stern family. Different
strokes for different folks.

- SJX

Patek Philippe have "all the electronic thingymajigs" too to test their striking watches. Except they use the objective data to weed out the pieces that are not good enough to even reach the human listening test in the Stern offices.

The subjective final examination that PP striking watches have to pass is undoubtedly subjective but they seem to have achieved a modicum of success with it. 

What is it about the human senses that allows the creation and selection of fine whiskey, perfume and minute repeaters?

The March of Machines is upon us though; the system that Gerald Genta employs to test their striking watches is even more impressive and we can only look forward to amazing pieces in future.

 

Regards,

MTF

 

In the same way that component parts can be assembled, why is it that the machine does not understand how the end product can differ, where as the human senses can?  It is not that the machine on average will always get it right, but that the smallest of changes in the process, somewhere around the margin, can make the difference and can result in a masterpiece rather than something that is 'good'.  We can point at cooking, tuning car engines, timing a watch, tuning the gongs in a repeater...  take component parts (as listed), assemble, and there you are... but no, it is not 'there you are'.  Somewhere in the mix, genius or mediocraty might lurk, and how the component parts are then put together can alter almost beyond recognition.  I dont have an answer, just that the force majeure of the research in larger companies cannot always in such circumstances as watchmaking over rule the smaller element of genius!

Andrew H

I was just reading in the FT Weekend a short story on the production of
Parma ham. As the salted ham is aged (by the thousands), inspectors check
the hams by sticking a sharpened wooden stick into the ham, pulling it out
and then taking a whiff of the stick. By doing that they can gauge the
quality and age of the ham. I don't know if anyone has tried, but I suspect
that no matter how ingenious a machine is invented, it can't quite match the
nose of the ham inspector.

- SJX

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What incredible pieces. I think JLC is really doing a special work these last few years. Bringing innovation and this kind of retro-futuro-classy look that matches the brand tradition and past. Great post, looking forward to seeing these beauties in person!

WONDERFUL !! thanks !!

I really enjoyed every word.
JLC has introduced so many important watches over the last few years.
The Hybris Mechanica à Grande Sonnerie is an unbelievable piece,
not only technical but also the incredible looks.
GEO