Jaeger-LeCoultre Watches

Jaeger-LeCoultre watches are recognized as being among the very finest hand-crafted watches in the world. Jaeger-LeCoultre (JLC) was founded by Antoine LeCoultre in 1833 in picturesque Le Sentier, Switzerland. It manufactures high-quality luxury watches and clocks and supplied movements and parts to other prestigious watch manufacturers such as Cartier and Patek Phillipe.

Antoine LeCoultre spent his life discovering the finest inventions for precision and perfection of the timepiece. He capitalized on his notable skills as an inventor, creating tools for making pinions for watches and clocks. He invented the Millionometer, the first instrument that can measure thousands of a millimeter, which becomes instrumental in the making of precision timekeepers for well over a century. He also developed the first crown winding system which eliminated the need for a separate key to wind the watch. 

Antoine LeCoultre was a genius. His inventive spirit and his ability to complete the vision of others are at the core of Jaeger-LeCoultre to this day. From early in its founding, Jaeger-LeCoultre developed long-standing relationships with other high-end watch manufacturers whereby they produced the movements that gave those companies their distinction.

Much of Jaeger-LeCoultre’s work over the first century had been developed for others. From 1902 to approximately 1932, LeCoultre produced most of the movement blanks for the high-end watch manufacturer, Patek Phillipe. In 1903, watch designer and manufacturer, Edmond Jaeger, began working with LeCoultre to manufacturer an ultra-thin collection of pocket watches Jaeger designed. In 1907, the French jeweler, Cartier, contracted with Jaeger to be the exclusive manufacturer of Cartier's movement designs for a period of 15 years. Those movements were produced by LeCoultre. During the 1970s and early 1980s, Jaeger-LeCoultre produced a 36-jewel, self-winding calibre for Patek Philippe.

The Atmos is the brand name of a mechanical clock that Jaeger-LeCoultre began manufacturing in 1936. This modern marvel did not need to be wound manually. It derives energy from changes in temperature and atmospheric pressure. It can run for years without any human intervention.

Nearly 100 years after the founding of LeCoultre, Cesar de Trey, a businessman, was challenged by some fellow polo players to create a watch that could withstand the abuse and hard knocks inflicted while playing polo. He shared this problem with Jacques-David LeCoultre. LeCoultre collaborated with Edmond Jaeger and they created the Reverso watch. 
 

The iconic Reverso is what sets Jaeger-LeCoultre apart from other watch manufacturers. It is one of the grandest distinctions for Jaeger-LeCoultre. Jaeger-LeCoultre celebrated the Reverso’s 80th birthday this year by introducing several tributes to the 1931 models. It weighs less than 1 gram and has 98 parts today. 

Hours and hours of craftsmanship and quality control go into each and every Jaeger-LeCoultre watch. Virtually every component is hand-finished and produced in-house. The Reverso Tourbillon, Reverso Minute Repeater, and the Master Control series are masterpieces requiring a 1,000 hours of testing and assembly at the patient hands of master watchmakers who work painstakingly to create a piece of art.

In 1937, Jaeger and LeCoultre officially joined forces and became Jaeger-LeCoultre. However, watches were sold in North America under the LeCoultre name from 1932 to approximately 1985. The Jaeger-LeCoultre name was officially adopted worldwide after 1985 when the LeCoultre trademark expired. 

Jaeger-LeCoultre has been a fully-owned subsidiary of the Swiss luxury group Richmont since 1966. Their watches compete with other high-end brands such as Audemars Piguet, Vacheron Constantin, and Patek Phillipe.

Jaeger-LeCoultre watches have enjoyed a long and wonderful history. If you’re contemplating the purchase of a highly prestigious, quality watch from a respected brand, then Jaeger-LeCoultre would be an excellent choice.

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REFERENCES: 

http://www.jaeger-lecoultre.com
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jaeger-LeCoultre
http://www.classicwatch.com/asp/watches/…sp?code=62