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On the eve of its 175th anniversary, Jaeger-LeCoultre continues to extend within its natural environment. On Thursday, February 7, 2008, the first crews and machinery arrived at the Manufacture to kick off the construction of our new building. Check the activity live, at all time, on our webcam.

Jaeger-LeCoultre, a key economic player in the Vallée de Joux, is embarking on the largest extension in its history. The site of the Manufacture, currently spread over 16,000 square metres, will be enlarged by a further 9000 square metres by the year 2010. Loyal to its historical roots within an exceptional natural setting nestling between lake and forests on the outskirts of Le Sentier, the watch Manufacture has chosen to pursue its development within the brand’s historical cradle, to which the new building will be linked by astutely designed architectural elements.

This extension project, necessitated by the brand’s strong growth, is part of a far broader programme that underscores Jaeger-LeCoultre’s natural integration within its geographic and social environment for almost 175 years.

Innovative technical solutions aimed at preserving the quality of life in the Vallée de Joux
Since its creation, Jaeger-LeCoultre has been a driving force and a vital stimulus to the economic growth of this region with its unspoilt scenery, located near the Joux Lake perched at an altitude of 100 metres at the heart of the Jura mountains. The original workshop set up by Antoine LeCoultre laid the foundations of a brand that has earned international acclaim for its cutting-edge achievements and its avant-garde watchmaking philosophy.

Since its founding in 1833, a series of indispensable extensions have been added every two or three decades: 1866, 1888, 1912, 1846, 1972 and 1996. The brand’s ongoing success now calls for an acceleration in this pace and, just eleven years after the previous phase, the largest extension in its history is currently in progress.

With its 1000-strong workforce, its status as a major employer in a region characterised by a distinctive economic fabric and a low-density population calls for the company to devote special attention to its social and environmental responsibilities.

The Lake and water: the key features of the Vallée de Joux
For Jaeger-LeCoultre, the concern to ensure natural integration within an exceptional setting is nothing new. The Manufacture built one of the first water-treatment plants in the area. Preserving the ground water and the waters of the Joux Lake is an absolute necessity for a brand whose prosperity is inextricably bound up with its natural environment.

The existing plant will be adapted to meet the additional needs so as to ensure that industrial activity has no detrimental impact on the environment. Designed to withstand extreme weather conditions, it will naturally take account of the specific topographic and geographic features of the area in order to guarantee the purity of the discharges.

Implemented for the past ten years, a project based on various recovery processes has already enabled a significant reduction in water consumption, and this despite the considerable rise in production. The design of the new building will serve to further intensity this approach. The machines will be cooled by a closed-circuit water loop as well as a free-cooling system based on fresh air from outside the building.

Over the past 15 years, a purification of the heating system has kept fuel consumption stable, whereas the surface area of the production premises has increased by a massive 40%. The envelope of the new building will feature an extremely high thermal coefficient in order to take account of specific altitude-related demands. Excess heat will be recovered, stored and reused according to needs.

A commitment to the future of watchmaking
This integration of the Manufacture with its natural setting is obviously also complemented by a concern for the human dimension.

To further accentuate this symbiosis between a company and the development of its region, Jaeger-LeCoultre will double the number of apprenticeships offered as soon as the new workshops are operational and will train almost forty new professionals each year.

The overall increase in the number of employees within the Manufacture, corresponding to around a hundred new recruits per year, also implies handling additional responsibilities vis-à-vis the community in terms of pollution linked to means of transport.

Two hundred new jobs and no further parking spots
As the first full-fledged Manufacture to be established in the 19th century, in an era when watchmakers generally laboured in workshops set up within their farms, Jaeger-LeCoultre was also the first employer in the Vallée de Joux to fund a stop along the railway line between Le Pont and Le Brassus.

Right from the early days of mobility, the Manufacture was fully aware that it was important to facilitate travel for its employees. In a region characterised by the spreadout nature of human habitation, Jaeger-LeCoultre has been actively supporting car-pool schemes for several years. This year, the global programme that opens up whole new horizons has enabled it to take a further step in this direction.

Since the start of October 2007, the Manufacture has begun running and covering the full costs of a dedicated bus service. In light of the immediate success of this venture, two new lines will be added as of March 2008. Intended to offer employees a pleasant and reliable means of transport from their home to the Manufacture in the morning and in the opposite direction every evening, the routes extend over a distance of 35 to 50 kilometres. Buses run with a timetable slightly adjusted to escape rush-hour evening traffic, thereby saving a good deal of time. Given that the full set of measures – car-pool schemes and bus lines – serve to avoid 270 cars driving 50 kilometres for around 220 days a year, the total number of kilometres thus not covered amounts to 3 million per year, representing a major contribution to reducing vehicle-related pollution.

And since it is important to be consistent in terms of one’s choices, the number of parking spots provided by the Manufacture will not increase at all over the coming years – a weighty new argument that further enhances the already remarkable energy balance of the Manufacture.

Jaeger-LeCoultre, which has always chosen to grow exclusively within its historical site, now incorporates 40 different professions under its roof. This approach to development reflects its pioneering spirit and the strength of its global innovation. The certainty of working within an environment that is kept intact by avant-garde methods also contributes to stimulating the creativity of the watchmakers and engineers of an exceptional brand whose achievements have been stirring public passion for almost two centuries through their inventiveness, their reliability and their elegance.

Learn more about the professions at the Manufacture.

Also visit our Heritage Gallery to learn more about the historical collections of Timepieces and calibres of Jaeger-LeCoultre.