Jaeger-LeCoultre and the High Jewellery

The two entirely original designs reaffirm the unique alliance between high jewellery and fine watchmaking made possible by this exceptional mechanism.

Originally conceived and developed for jewellery watches and introduced in 1929 by the brand, Calibre 101 revolutionised feminine watchmaking – its minuscule size and baguette shape offering new realms of aesthetic freedom to designers. Developed half a century before the advent of computer-aided design and production technology, Calibre 101 is a remarkable feat of miniaturisation. At 14mm long, less than 5mm wide and weighing barely one gram, the tiny, hand-wound calibre remains the smallest mechanical movement in the world. It is also one of the world’s oldest movements that continues to be in production.

For the two new diamond-set timepieces, Jaeger-LeCoultre’s in-house artistic team has taken a jewellery-led approach. This involves first designing the forms of the bracelets and the style of gem-setting, then integrating the cases and movements into the designs; whereas designing a watch normally takes the opposite approach, beginning with the case and then creating bracelets or straps to complement it.

Both bracelets adhere faithfully to the classical high jewellery codes and are composed of pink gold set with diamonds – using only stones classified IF to VVS. However, the designs are utterly different in both form and character, emphasising the creative freedom allowed by the diminutive Calibre 101.

Inspired by the white bell-shaped flowers that are able to grow through a thin layer of snow in the Vallée de Joux, the cuff-style Snowdrop exudes delicate femininity (904 diamonds totalling 20.9 carats). A circle of pear-shaped diamonds surrounds the dial to form a flower, and waves of diamonds repeat the petal pattern in perfect symmetry, all the way around the bracelet. Jaeger-LeCoultre’s designers chose a “prong” setting for the diamonds, which minimises the metal’s presence and allows light to pass through the stones from all angles. This intensifies the spark of the watch.

The Bangle watch is an altogether bolder expression of femininity, inspired by the graceful geometry of Art Deco and the strong forms of 20^th-century modernism. A dynamic interplay of symmetry and asymmetry, the bracelet is set with 996 diamonds (for a total 19.7 carats), graduated in size to emphasise the sweeping curves of the design. The artisans have combined prong (144 diamonds) and grain setting (852 diamonds) techniques to heighten the diamond’s three-dimensional effect and maximise the play of light.

August 27, 2020