Capturing The Mythical Power of The Dragon with The New Master Hybris Artistica Calibre 945
Jaeger-LeCoultre is delighted to present a new expression of its celebrated Calibre 945 with a magnificent new dial and bezel that capture the mythical power of the dragon. Set in a pink gold case (750/1000 (18 karats)) and offered in a limited edition of five pieces, the Master Hybris Artistica Calibre 945 ‘Dragon’ showcases La Grande Maison’s artistic creativity, its mastery of the decorative crafts and its technical ingenuity.
Inspired by the Movements of the Planets and the Mythical Power of the Dragon
Originally created in 2010, Calibre 945 is testament to the depth of Jaeger-LeCoultre’s expertise in celestial complications, uniting a sky chart with a celestial vault, a zodiacal calendar and Jaeger-LeCoultre’s patented Cosmotourbillon – a celestial flying tourbillon that orbits the dial. The calibre is further elevated by the integration of an innovative minute repeater.
The essence of Calibre 945 is the way in which it interprets astronomical timekeeping for the wrist, using the dial to display mankind’s link to the cosmos on both a literal and philosophical level. Having fully mastered sidereal time – the measurement used by astronomers to track the apparent movement of the constellations across the night sky – Jaeger-LeCoultre’s watchmakers have created this one-of-a-kind calibre that brings celestial complications together in a fascinating new way.
An extraordinary calibre merits an exceptional habillage and the new Master Hybris Artistica Calibre 945 ‘Dragon’ brings fresh artistic expression to this marriage of complications – the mythical power of the dragon suggesting a parallel with the immeasurable power of the cosmos.
A Magnificent New Dial and Bezel Showcase the Decorative Arts
In a subtle allusion to infinite depths of the night sky, the dial is constructed on multiple levels, amplifying the beauty of the celestial displays while creating a three-dimensional habitat for a pair of magnificent, sculpted gold dragons. Decorated with intricately hand-engraved scales, the dragons clamber around the edge of the raised and domed sky chart disc and draw the eye towards the Cosmotourbillon. The dragons, along with the sky chart, accompany the Cosmotourbillon as it completes a full circuit of the dial in one sidereal day.
Visible around the edge of the celestial map and beneath the tourbillon, the deepest level of the dial – a matt black sandblasted disc – is decorated with tiny stars that echo the celestial map; around its periphery, the names of the months, and the tourbillon seconds are marked in white. The months and date of the zodiacal calendar are indicated by a sun-shaped gold pointer set.
The dial is encircled by three concentric rings that carry the indices for solar time (our everyday civil time), each finished with a different surface decoration to add visual depth. The opaline inner ring indicates 24 hours, the outermost ring, with a silver opaline finish displays minutes, and between them, the 12-hour ring is circular brushed, with applied golden indexes.
The case is a perfect complement to the artistic dial and mechanical sophistication of the Master Hybris Artistica Calibre 945 ‘Dragon’. The bezel, decorated by the artisans in the Métiers RaresTM atelier of the Manufacture in a process that required 50 hours of work, is hand-engraved with scales that match those on the dragons’ bodies and on the small-scale alligator lining of the watch strap.
Displaying the Cosmos on the Wrist, with a Tourbillon that Orbits the Dial
The celestial vault maps the Northern Hemisphere night sky as seen from the 46th parallel – the latitude of Jaeger-LeCoultre’s home in the Vallée de Joux – tracking the position of the constellations in real time. The Cosmotourbillon is elevated beyond its purely technical function as the regulating organ of the calibre: it measures the passing of time as it makes a complete, anti-clockwise circuit of the dial in one sidereal day. With a duration of precisely 23 hours, 56 minutes and 4.1 seconds, a sidereal day is defined by Earth’s rotation measured in relation to more distant fixed stars, whereas the 24-hour solar day – our civil time – is measured by Earth's orbit around the Sun.
The Constellations Chime with an Innovative Minute Repeater
Calibre 945 also takes Jaeger-LeCoultre’s expertise in chiming watches to new heights by uniting the astronomical complications with a minute repeater – considered to be the most challenging and rewarding of all horological complications for a watchmaker to master. The technical difficulty of creating one lies in the complexity of the mechanism needed to transcribe the precise time shown by the hands into a series of perfectly programmed strikes, with different sounds for hours, quarters and minutes. The artistic challenge is that, this being a miniaturised musical instrument, the chimes must be pure, harmonious and clearly audible. At Jaeger-LeCoultre, this continuing quest for the ideal sound has produced several patented innovations, including crystal gongs, trebuchet hammers and a silent interval governor. In the minute repeater mechanism of Calibre 945, these inventions contribute a special magic that complements the romance of celestial timekeeping.
Testament to Jaeger-LeCoultre’s enduring expertise in astronomical and chiming watches, the new Master Hybris Artistica Calibre 945 ‘Dragon’ eloquently expresses La Grande Maison’s constant quest to balance innovation and tradition through an inspiring synthesis of art and mechanics.
TECHNICAL DETAILS
MASTER HYBRIS ARTISTICA CALIBRE 945 ‘DRAGON’
Case: pink gold, 750/1000 (18 karats) with micro-blasted, satin and polished finishes; sapphire case-back
Dimensions: 45 mm x 16.05 mm
Calibre: manual mechanical Jaeger-LeCoultre Calibre 945
Frequency: 4 Hz (28,800 vph)
Functions: hours/minutes, months, 24-hour indication; Cosmotourbillon indicating sidereal time; celestial disc with star chart indicating the constellations in the northern hemisphere in real time; zodiacal calendar; minute repeater
Power reserve: 40 hours
Dial: black dial with sandblasted, opaline and circular-brushed finishes; hand-engraved dragons sculpture in 18-karat (750/1000) pink gold
Water resistance: 5 bar
Strap: Alligator leather with small-scale alligator lining
Reference: Q52624A3
Limited edition of 5 pieces