Jaeger-LeCoultre with Cosmotourbillon is making the constellations chime

The magnificence of the constellations is reproduced on the wrist with two new artistic interpretations of the extraordinary Jaeger-LeCoultre’s Calibre 945.

The secrets of constellations

Once referred to as “daisy chains of the gods”, the stars have always fascinated mankind. And because it is innately human to recognise patterns, early civilisations identified and named groups of stars – the constellations. Highlighting this celestial aspect of time measurement, the watchmakers of Jaeger-LeCoultre watchmaking maison have invented a mechanism able to display the position of the constellations in real time, as seen from the home of the luxury watch manufacture in the Vallée de Joux, Switzerland.

“Face the south to gaze at the sky and look at the Master Hybris Artistica Calibre 945 to recognize the constellations.” – Gregory Vandel, watchmaker.

The magnificence of the constellations

Jaeger-LeCoultre celebrates its artistic creativity and mastery of the decorative crafts while reaffirming its technical ingenuity with two magnificent new interpretations of its Grande Complication Calibre 945.

This exceptional timepiece also takes Jaeger-LeCoultre’s expertise in chiming watches to new heights by uniting the astronomical complications with a minute repeater. The mechanism is further elevated by the Cosmotourbillon ensuring the utmost precision to the calibre 945.

A heavenly display

An exceptional movement merits an exceptional habillage and the new Master Hybris Artistica Galaxia and Master Hybris Artistica Atomium bring fresh artistic expression to this marriage of complications. Hand-decorated by the artisans in the Métiers Rares atelier of the watch manufacture, the multiple-level dial amplifies the beauty of the celestial theme while also showcasing the Cosmotourbillon.

The celestial sky

For the star map, Jaeger-LeCoultre introduces grisaille enamel to its repertoire for the first time. A painterly technique that originated in 16th-century in France. 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.

The layers of the sky

In a subtle allusion to the way the night sky seems to form a dome above us when we look at the stars, the dials are constructed on multiple levels, dominated by a domed structure that also wraps around the Cosmotourbillon. Visible around the edge of the dome and beneath the tourbillon, the deepest level of the dial is decorated with transferred white inscriptions for the names of the months, and the tourbillon seconds.

The Atomium signature

The “Atomium” structure takes its name from the delicate filigree that forms the outer section of the dome, its shape echoing the lines that link the stars to form constellations. Framed within this, on the domed celestial disc, midnight-blue grisaille enamel and a transferred star map amplify the visual connection to the cosmos.

The constellations on the wrist

Highlighting the astronomical aspect of time measurement, Jaeger-LeCoultre’s watchmakers developed a mechanism able to display the passing of sidereal time, based on the stars. 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. 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, Switzerland – tracking the position of the constellations in real time.