Jaeger-LeCoultre Gyrotourbillon Review

November 29, 2011

It seems like I m on a roll with rare Jaeger-LeCoultre pieces of late: hot off the camera is a set of the magnificent Gyrotourbillon 1 (we did a review of the Gyrotourbillon 2 as well). This version has a skeleton ‘dial ; a massive rose gold case, perpetual calendar, and of course, the signature multi-axis tourbillon – all made up of 679 parts, 117 alone of which are jewel bearings.As usual, click on any image for a larger versionIt also runs for slightly over eight days, powered by two vertically stacked and sapphire-topped barrels – which is a nice touch, but I m not sure why you d need to see the state of wind if you ve got a power reserve indicator on the front. This is especially impressive considering the amount of torque required to turn the double tourbillon cages. Aesthetically, the best side is the front – although of course there s absolutely nothing wrong with the back, of course! But all the same it s nice to have a piece whose complexity is there to appreciate without having to take it off. Datograph, I m looking at you.The perpetual calendar is a triple retrograde implementation, but with a twist: the month is on a scale next to the tourbillon cage and mirroring the power reserve indicator; however, the date is on a scale which divides the watch into two vertically, and sits on a slightly lower level than the timekeeping dial. What s more interesting is that the date indicator hand swings from an arc whose pivot point is at the top of the watch in the 12 o clock position – this is accomplished by means of a split indicator that actually has two hands, one of which takes over on the 17th of the month for the second half of the scale. Neat. I also love the little touch of whimsy offered by the ‘sun hand , which is an equation of time indicator – of course customized to the latitude of the city desired. The leap year indicator is on the rear of the watch – sensible, as there s nowhere to put it on the front that wouldn t disrupt the balance of the dial, and it s not something you d refer to that often, anyway.Do we need to talk about finishing? Not really, with a piece like this – it s as you d expect. My only preference would be to have applied markers on the time dial, rather than printed numbers – I m just not a big fan of the font used. Otherwise, it s actually surprisingly legible for something so complicated (and skeletonized). I also really like the previous semi-translucent sapphire dial; it would be nice for a future edition if JLC would apply that finish to the entire dial of the watch.I ve saved the best for last. I spent a lot of time just staring at the motion of the tourbillon – it s utterly mesmerizing and amazing when viewed through the viewfinder of a camera at such high magnification that the cage occupies the entire frame. It s also hugely challenging to shoot, because by design the cage will take a very long time before it passes the same orientation again, and there s no way of hacking the movement – understandable given the nature of the escapement.A masterpiece? Undoubtedly. MTMake sure to follow Jaeger-LeCoultre via Facebook and Twitter.