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Reverso Gyrotourbillon Pièce Unique
Reverso Gyrotourbillon Pièce Unique Reverso Gyrotourbillon Pièce Unique Reverso Gyrotourbillon Pièce Unique Reverso Gyrotourbillon Pièce Unique Reverso Gyrotourbillon Pièce Unique Reverso Gyrotourbillon Pièce Unique Reverso Gyrotourbillon Pièce Unique Reverso Gyrotourbillon Pièce Unique
lot 46

Jaeger-LeCoultre

Reverso Gyrotourbillon Pièce Unique

This lot has a reserve price
Estimate CHF 100 000 / CHF 200 000
Starting bid CHF 80 000
Location
Office, Zurich
Reserve not met, max bid CHF 130 000
Total bids 8
Buyer’s premium will not be charged

Specification

CaseRectangular, polished, turnable platinum case 950/1000, with a sapphire caseback & a safety lock at 5 o´clock
DialSkeletonized dial with a white enamel hour ring applied with Arabic numerals & a 24h indication at 10 o´clock, Gyrotourbillon is at 6 o´clock position
MovementSkeletonized rhodium plated nickel lever movement, Clous de Paris decoration, 58 jewels, one minute multi-axis spherical tourbillon carriage crafted from aluminum with cylindrical hairspring, outer carriage rotating every 60 seconds, inner carriage holding titanium escapement and 14k gold balance wheel rotating once every 18.75 seconds, single barrel with sapphire crystal
Case No.266****

Condition report

Papers:Yes

Details 

An extremely attractive, unusual and unique platinum double-axis tourbillon reversible wristwatch of the famous Swiss watch brand Jaeger-LeCoultre, founded in 1833. Reverso Gyrotourbillon 2 watch launched in 2008 to commemorate the 175th anniversary of the brand, present watch purchased in 2010. Reversible case made of platinum 950, 36 x 55mm, thickness 15.8mm, sapphire caseback. Open-worked matte white dial, blued steel sword-shaped hands. Caliber 174, hand-wound, helical hairspring with two end curves, 14k gold balance, power reserve up to 50 hours. Functions – hours, minutes, double-axis inclined two-cage spherical tourbillon, 24-hour indicator on left of main dial, power reserve indicator on movement reverse. Jaeger-LeCoultre black leather strap, Jaeger-LeCoultre 18k white gold triple folding clasp. Custom made piece unique. 

Lot essay 

The Reverso Gyrotourbillon 2, also known as the Reverso Hybris Mechanica 174, was launched in 2008 to commemorate the brand’s 175th anniversary. Three limited editions are known to have been released: in platinum (75 pieces), in 18k rose gold (the present reference, 75 pieces), and in 18k white gold (20 pieces). From a technical point of view, this development is a continuation of the design of the spherical tourbillon started by Jaeger-LeCoultre in 2004 with the Gyrotourbillon watch. At that time the brand, almost simultaneously with two other brands, Greubel Forsey and Franck Muller, undertook the serial production of watches with multi-axis, or spherical tourbillons. Caliber 174, for which Jaeger-LeCoultre redesigned the spherical tourbillon of the original Gyrotourbillon watch, was developed with the rectangular Reverso case in mind. From this point of view, the Reverso Gyrotourbillon 2 should be recognised as the world’s first multi-axis tourbillon with a rectangular caliber. 

Adapting such a movement to a rectangular-shaped watch was no doubt a major technical challenge for Jaeger-LeCoultre, but the brand saw fit to improve the clockwork mechanics as well. In particular, caliber 174 was equipped with a chronometric-quality helical hairspring with end curves (quite commendably, the brand stated that it was an invention of English watchmaker John Arnold, who had patented it in 1782), a high-inertia solid-gold balance operating at a frequency increased from 3 Hz to 4 Hz, as well as a faster-rotating tourbillon with its inner cage completing a full turn in 18.75 seconds and the outer cage performing a standard one-minute rotation. The technical side of the project was carefully calculated, and in 2009 the 18k rose gold Reverso Gyrotourbillon 2 watch took second place in the Concours International de Chronométrie timing competition, only losing out to another Jaeger-LeCoultre tourbillon. 

Especially for the Reverso Gyrotourbillon 2, a large 36 x 55 x 15.8mm reversible case was created, which was equipped with a security bolt developed after the security system used on the Reverso Grande Complication à Triptyque super-complication. This prevented any inadvertent turning of the case. The Reverso Gyrotourbillon 2 was originally conceived as a collector’s watch, so the brand put a lot of effort into the fine finishing of the caliber. The finishing of the two nested tourbillon carriages required special effort – their three-dimensional structure presented significant difficulties for watchmakers accustomed to working with flat parts. The wheels are finished using the circular brushing technique, the screw heads are polished and the pins and shafts are sphere-polished. The bridges and mainplate feature straight grinding, côtes de Genève, perlage and even clous de Paris guilloché finishes. The edges are file-drawn, hand-bevelled and polished, including extremely time-consuming meticulous finishing of the sharp inner corners. Such finishing is not only time-consuming but also extremely costly for a watch brand, meaning only a few haute horlogerie brands undertake this operation. Most do their best to avoid the additional cost of this work, which is nevertheless highly valued by connoisseurs and discerning collectors. 

The present example was produced for a custom order in platinum 950. This example differs from the standard platinum limited edition by its dial design. Instead of being fitted with a transparent chapter ring, it features one which is silvered metallic, finely circularly brushed. On the back of the Reverso outer case there is the commemorative engraving “100 1909 2009”. 

Reasons to bid  

The Jaeger-LeCoultre Reverso Gyrotourbillon 2 Piece Unique Ref. 247.6.07 would be a unique chance for a collector to purchase a one-of-a-kind custom-made timepiece, belonging to the rare Reverso Gyrotourbillon 2 family. It is an extremely attractive, unusual, very rare and evidently highly complicated mechanical wristwatch with unique functionality from a world-famous traditional watch brand, one of the undoubted leaders in the haute horlogerie watch market. The combination of the spectacular branded double-axis spherical tourbillon, the impeccable technical workmanship evidently needed to perform such a complication, the exquisite artisanal finishing of the movement parts, and an impressive recognisable design with a legendary reversible case with open-worked dial revealing the caliber’s beauty undoubtedly adds to the appeal of this lot.