- Could Made in China become the new Swiss Made?
- Watchmaking’s after-sales headache
- One World, One Dream
- The endless quest for watchmaking precision
- Looking back in wonder
- Magic meets emotion at the Spring watch fairs
- The Swiss watch industry is bursting at the seams
- History repeats itself…
- The ultimate luxury of a bespoke watch
- Swiss watchmaking is running after its lost generation
- Swiss watch brands take industrial action…
- The quest for the eternal watch
- Fine watchmaking, made in Germany
- From outer space to inside your watch
- All that glitters…
- Swiss Made in the spotlight
- Basel and Geneva have their finger on the industry’s pulse
- Distribution networks are a genuine open sesame for watchmakers
- 2006, a year of superlatives for the luxury watchmaking industry
- On the necessary industrialisation of Haute Horlogerie
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Extreme LAB, the calibre that aims for perfection
No less than 17,520 hours of work by 45 specialists and six patents filed for the movement and case: this is Jaeger-LeCoultre’s Extreme LAB, described by marketing director Stéphane Belmont as "an unprecedented technological breakthrough and a veritable showcase for the Manufacture in terms of research and development." Launched as a limited edition of 30 pieces at CHF 260,000 each, all pre-sold, the Le Sentier firm has pulled off quite a coup with this new model by becoming the first to produce a watch that functions entirely without lubricant. "This is the most reliable movement ever made," continues Stéphane Belmont, "as it needs neither oil nor grease. There can be no deterioration in performance as there is no wear of its parts."
Materials and geometry of the parts
Jaeger-LeCoultre spared no effort to develop its 988C calibre. Research into materials led the Manufacture towards high-tech alloys such as EasiumTM carbonitride, making its debut in watchmaking. Exceptionally hard and with outstanding tribological properties, Easium joins black diamond, silicon and molybdenum disulfide surface treatments in eliminating oils and grease from inside the regulating organ. Add graphite powder which has replaced lubricant in the barrel, a nickel-PTFE coating for the winding mechanism and ceramic ball-bearings and the picture is complete.
Nor is this the end of the story. The Manufacture studied the geometry of certain parts, beginning with the balance. Extensive trials revealed the impact which the total surface of the balance has on its aerodynamic performances. The larger the surface, the greater the aerodynamic friction and the more energy it takes to maintain the oscillations of the balance and spring, which is detrimental to precision. The geometry developed for the 988C’s balance reduces overall mass while maintaining inertia. This, coupled with iridium platinum, an extremely dense material, minimises frictional surface. The balance spring, and therefore accuracy, also came under scrutiny. So that it beats in a perfectly concentric manner, the guarantee of ideal isochronism, Jaeger-LeCoultre’s engineers gave it a Phillips terminal curve to which they added a “bend” in the centre to correct the spring’s natural tendency to “breathe” in an off-centre manner.
Exceptional aesthetics
The description would not be complete without mentioning the tourbillon whose cage is machined from blocks of magnesium, which is substantially lighter than titanium. It also helps reduce energy losses due to friction, thereby further improving the regulator’s efficiency. The same concepts have inspired the exterior, with a carbon-fibre inner case fitted inside a titanium ring. The bezel is in silicon carbonitride and the crown in eloxed aluminium. The movement is suspension-mounted in the case thanks to a silentblock system in red polyurethane which isolates the movement from shocks and vibrations.
The next challenge awaiting Jaeger-LeCoultre, which currently lacks the capacities to machine these materials on a large scale, will be to incorporate these technological innovations into standard production. A new industrial era is under way at the Le Sentier Manufacture. C.R.
