Gyrotourbillon 1 - A Revolution in Time

In 2005 Jaeger-LeCoultre’s historians will be busy once again with the introduction of its new Calibre 177 for its spherical tourbillon in the watch model called the Gyrotourbillon 1. There is the external cage that rotates around its axis every 60 seconds and an internal one that supports the balance wheel, spiral and escapement revolves more rapidly – every 24 seconds to be precise, and it thus completes 2.5 turns a minute. In a nutshell, the gold balance wheel can be seen in all its glory once every minute. It is an engineering marvel unafraid of baring its soul for all to see.

This creation made up of 90 parts is only a third of a gram thanks to an aluminium body and titanium material. The balance wheel is made of 14-carat gold to obtain a high force of inertia. This timepiece comes with a power reserve of 150 hours or six days and how much "juice" is left is displayed on the power reserve indicator. With the tangled tourbillon complication, the watchmakers at Jaeger-LeCoultre have equipped it with six anti-shock devices – , two in the internal revolving titanium and aluminium cage, two in the aluminium cage, and two in the balance wheel. The Gyrotourbillon also comes with the perpetual calendar complication and retrograde hands. The date scale cannot be missed as it sweeps across the dial.

There are two retrogrades or jumping hands that point to the date. One takes care of the first half of the month and the other the second half. The changeover takes place on the 16th of every month and one can bear witness to this engineering feat on the midnight of the crossover.

The Gyrotourbillon 1 is the best tourbillon in the market. In wristwatches, you’d normally find a double-axis tourbillon rotating on its own once every one minute. In the Gyrotourbillon, it is a triple axis, something normally meant for pocket watches. This creation truly launches Jaeger-LeCoultre ahead of the pack and once again demonstrates what a true Manufacture is all about.

The Gyrotourbillon is a break - through for Jaeger-LeCoultre as it is what differentiates it from the other tourbillon players. More importantly, it also launches Jaeger-LeCoultre into a much higher level playing field in the watch-making industry.

This marks their entry into the high complications. They will be in the same space as Vacheron Constantin, Lange and Patek Philippe.The Gyrotourbillon heralds the arrival of Jaeger-LeCoultre into the series of technical complications.

Only 75 pieces of the Gyrotourbillon 1 will be made and because of the time required to construct such a delicate masterpiece, annual production will be limited up to 20 pieces. The price of a Gyrotourbillon 1 will be 350,000 Swiss francs, excluding taxes. Gyrotourbillon 1 has pushed the brand value of Jaeger-LeCoultre a few notches up and it will undoubtedly be an even more desirable brand for consumers to have. In other words, demand for Jaeger-LeCoultre timepieces can only increase as its value proposition has been further enhanced as a true watch brand.

The strategy for Jaeger-LeCoultre to boost its global presence is through the set-up of its own boutiques and showrooms mainly in Asia. These will complement its retail presence and its 1,000 or so point-of-sale outlets. There is already a boutique in Malaysia, Kuala Lumpur and three in China and these are in Shanghai, Beijing and Shenyang. "We are developing a European brand into an international one. We are targeting all the major international cities".

Another area of focus is on the female segment of the markets. "This segment is continuously growing. Their interest in mechanical watches is increasing as women are not only looking for aesthetic designs but high-quality timepieces as well. The Reverso Duetto and Ideale are bestsellers as they combine a unique design with two different dials – one for the daytime and the other for the evenings. It comes in a mechanical manually-wound movement crafted, assembled and decorated by hand".

20% of Jaeger-LeCoultre’s sales come from Asia and Mr Baretzki figures this will be at least 30% - 35% in the future. The America is expected to contribute 15% to its sales while another 5% will be from the Middle East. But growth will not come at the expense of producing and pushing the additional thousands of timepieces into the markets. "We are in the growth mode as a high watch- making brand. Our strategy is not to increase production volumes. It is about high-end pieces and we cannot have too many products in the markets".

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