JAEGER-LECOULTRE Master Hybris Artistica Calibre 945 Galaxia. Astronomical timekeeping at its best.

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Highlighting its expertise in celestial complications, Jaeger-LeCoultre reinterprets its Grande Complication Calibre 945 with two new interpretations for 2022: Master Hybris Artistica Calibre 945 Galaxia in pink gold and Master Hybris Artistica Calibre 945 Atomium in white gold. Each offered in a limited edition of five pieces, these new works celebrate La Grande Maison’s artistic creativity and mastery of the decorative crafts while reaffirming its technical ingenuity.

· The new “Atomium” and “Galaxia” dials showcase the skills of the Manufacture’s Métiers Rares atelier, introducing grisaille enamel to Jaeger-LeCoultre’s repertoire of rare artistic crafts for the first time
· A Cosmotourbillon makes a complete circuit of the dial in one sidereal day, and a Northern Hemisphere sky vault tracks the positions of the constellations in real time, as seen from the Vallée de Joux
· The exquisite chimes of a minute repeater complement the celestial timekeeping


During Watches & Wonders last April we were able to film in 4K one of two masterpieces:

Jaeger-LeCoultre Master Hybris Artistica Calibre 945 Galaxia

The essence of the Master Hybris Artistica Calibre 945 Galaxia is the way in which it interprets astronomical timekeeping for your wrist, using the dial to display our link to the cosmos on both a literal and philosophical level – unlike a classical calendar dial, in which we infer that link from the numerical readings.

Highlighting the astronomical aspect of time measurement, the watchmakers developed a mechanism able to display the passing of sidereal time, based on the stars. Set at the centre of 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.

Enhancing this celestial display, the Cosmotourbillon is elevated beyond its purely technical function as a regulating mechanism, measuring 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.

A golden sun-shaped pointer set at the edge of the dial indicates the month of the zodiacal calendar and solar time on a 24-hour scale, which is necessary for setting the watch. The Dauphine-shaped hands indicate the minutes and 12-hour cycles of civil time, which are displayed on two concentric rings on the flange of the dial.

For the star map, Jaeger-LeCoultre introduces grisaille enamel to its repertoire for the first time. A painterly technique that originated in 16th-century France, grisaille enamel is unique in creating a chiaroscuro effect, with an illusion of three-dimensionality created by half-tones and shading. First, the enameller must perfect the dark background – traditionally blue or black – building the depth and intensity of colour by applying multiple layers, each of which requires firing. Then, using a super-fine brush, the image is added in white enamel, layer by painstaking layer, again with a firing after each stage. Because thicker enamel creates lighter areas, its application must be controlled with the utmost skill to achieve the ethereal beauty and apparent depth that make grisaille so beguiling. Thanks to this rarefied technique, the dials of the Master Hybris Artistica Calibre 945 depict with utmost artistry the sky that we see above us at night.

Jaeger-LeCoultre MASTER HYBRIS ARTISTICA CALIBRE 945 GALAXIA

Case: pink gold 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: 28,800 A/h ( = 4Hz)

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; minute repeater, zodiacal calendar

Power reserve: 40 hours

Dial: black dial with grisaille enamel

Water resistance: 5 bar

Strap: alligator leather

Reference:

Q5262470 – pink gold version – Limited edition of 5 pieces