SpotlightTalking To The Moon: Jaeger-LeCoultre Updates Their Iconic Duometre Collection

Jaeger-LeCoultre have added three new watches to their Duometre collection at the Watches and Wonders 2024 edition. The star of the lineup is the Duometre Chronograph Moon, followed by Quantieme Lunaire and Heliotourbillon Perpetual. Their Duometre line, when incepted in 2007, created a stir for using two different barrels and gear trains, for timekeeping and for charging the complications. While the Duometre line has not yet reached the glory attained by the brand’s iconic collections like the Master, Polaris or Reverso, it stands out for offering a unique style of complicated watchmaking.

Jaeger-LeCoultre Duometre Chronograph Moon

Starting with the lineup’s crème de la crème, the Jaeger-LeCoultre Duometre Chronograph Moon is available in platinum with copper dial or rose gold with silver opaline dial. This 43.5mm case featuring polished, brushed, and micro-blasted surfaces, comprises 34 parts, seamlessly combines the chronograph setup with the moon phase complication. The day-night indicator and 1/6th-second counter form other dial features. Powering this busy dial is the new JLC calibre 391, visible partially through the crescent moon shaped cutout on the dial, and fully through the sapphire caseback. The manual winding movement, when fully charged, offers about 50 hours of power reserve through each barrel, and 3Hz. It is decorated in a mix of finishes, particularly Geneva stripes. While this latest Duometre carries forward the trademark of two barrels and mainsprings, it does so by integrating these elements into one calibre and escapement.

Jaeger-LeCoultre Duometre Quantieme Lunaire

The new Quantieme Lunaire features an updated steel case and a blue opaline dial. It sticks to the same Calibre 381 used in earlier versions. A standout feature is the seconde foudroyante sub-dial at six o’clock. The foudroyante hand makes one full revolution in one second with six jumps every rotation that allows the wearer to spot the intervals of precisely one-sixth of a second. The two-handed sub-dial at three o’clock indicates the hours featured in applied Arabic font, while the sub-dial at nine o’clock works as the date display plus moon phase showcase via the semicircular cutout revealing a galaxy theme.

Jaeger-LeCoultre Duometre Heliotourbillon Perpetual

Limited to only 20 pieces, the Duometre Heliotourbillon draws inspiration from the previous Gyrotourbillon timepiece that controlled the effect of gravity. In the Heliotourbillon, there is the cylindrical hairspring and three titanium cages that rotate on three axes. Here, the first cage sits at 90 degrees, and rotates perpendicular to the balance wheel; the second cage is at 90 degrees of the first one; and the third cage is perpendicular to the second one and completes one rotation under a minute. All cages are assisted by ceramic ball bearings and made of 163 components.

Limited to only 20 pieces, the Duometre Heliotourbillon draws inspiration from the previous Gyrotourbillon timepiece that controlled the effect of gravity