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Day, date month… Gear wheels, adjustments, energy… Because running such an elaborate complication as a calendar within a classic watch naturally has a detrimental effect on the precision of the time indications, the watchmakers at Jaeger-LeCoultre knew they had found in the Dual-Wing concept an instrument capable of creating a perfect alchemy: a calendar watch that was as accurate as a chronometer.

Arranged on the elegant and easily readable dial, the hours, minutes, seconds and moon-phase displays appear to make the Duomètre à Quantième Lunaire a classic watch model. But inside the case and partially hidden from view beats Calibre 381, a prodigious movement boasting unprecedented precision based on the Dual-Wing concept and which propels the watch firmly into the spheres of Haute Horlogerie.

The truly extraordinary appearance of the watch lies in the actual concept behind the Dual-Wing movement, which is distinguished by the presence of two independent energy sources: the first, regulated by the escapement and the balance, is entirely dedicated to the precise measurement of the passing of time; whereas the second source of energy is devoted to the display of the functions: hours, minutes, seconds, calendar and moon phases for both hemispheres. Their synchronisation is ensured by the jumping seconds hand mechanism.

This Duomètre à Quantième Lunaire brilliantly illustrates the extreme research undertaken in the laboratory-workshops of Jaeger-LeCoultre: this watch reaches the heights of precision with a jumping second hand moving in sixth of a second increments while displaying the date and the moon phase on a separate subdial.

Through in-depth study and a willingness to challenge the fundamental principles of horological theory, the Jaeger-LeCoultre specialists have succeeded in creating a calendar watch in accordance with the Dual-Wing concept – a principle featuring exceptional characteristics that enable a degree of rating precision that was previously the exclusive preserve of timepieces free of any complications.

Only the expertise accumulated over 178 years could thus enable Jaeger-LeCoultre to begin writing a new chapter in the history of Fine Watchmaking… Jaeger-LeCoultre looks forward to revealing many other watch creations at SIHH 2012 (Salon International de la Haute Horlogerie) that will be held 16 - 20 January in Geneva, Switzerland…

More about the Duomètre à Quantième Lunaire 40.5
Movement
• Mechanical manually-wound Jaeger-LeCoultre Calibre 381, crafted, assembled and decorated by hand • 21,600 vibrations per hour • 50-hour power reserve • 367 parts • 40 jewels • 7.25 mm thick • 33.70 mm in diameter • Two independent barrels Functions • Hours, minutes, seconds, and jumping stop seconds with zero/reset system, date, age and phase of the moon (for both hemispheres), power reserve • Regulator power reserve Dial • Crystalline grained • Pink gold appliques Hands • Hours and minutes : “leaf” type • seconds : baton type with pear-shaped counterweight Crowns • One crown to wind the watch and adjust the hours and minutes • One push-piece to adjust the date • One corrector to adjust the moon phase Case • ø 40.5 mm, thickness : 13.07 mm • 18-carat pink gold • Polished and satin-brushed finish • sapphire crystal, cambered on the dial side, hardness no. 9, glare proofed on front and back • water resistance : 5 bar Strap • in chocolate-toned alligator leather with 18-carat gold pin buckle Reference • Q6042521, 18-carat pink gold