A Closer Look At The New Jaeger-LeCoultre Master Ultra Thin Tourbillon Moon

With over 1,200 calibers to its name, it is hard to believe that Jaeger-LeCoultre has never paired a tourbillon with a moon phase before, but it was obviously not in the stars, until now, that is.

The tourbillon was invented by Abraham-Louis Breguet in 1801 to counteract the negative impact of gravity in pocket watches, but its popularity waned with the arrival of the wristwatch, which was less affected by gravity due to it being on the wrist.
 

Jaeger-LeCoultre never quite abandoned the tourbillon, though, creating several tourbillons throughout the 1940s and ‘50s that won a host of chronometry prizes. In 1993, La Grande Maison equipped one of its Reverso models with a tourbillon, at a time when it was still an extremely rare complication to find. This was followed in 2004 by the arrival of its first spherical, dual-axis Master Gyrotourbillon 1, further highlighting La Grande Maison’s affection for this mesmerizing complication.

The tourbillon inside the Jaeger-LeCoultre Master Ultra Thin Tourbillon Moon is based on the brand’s award-winning Caliber 978, which was first developed in 2009 and updated in 2019 with new high-end finishings. For the Master Ultra Thin Tourbillon Moon, Jaeger-LeCoultre’s engineers capitalized on the 978 movement to develop the new automatic Caliber 983, which includes a moon phase and a jumping date.
 

From a visual standpoint, the new tourbillon includes a newly designed bridge in polished pink gold that secures the titanium tourbillon cage, and it is positioned in a wide aperture to maximize the passage of light to draw the attention of admirers. On the reverse side of the movement, it has been decorated with elegant Côtes de Genève stripes.
 

This new timepiece also features a triple moon phase indicator, displaying the age of the moon as well as its phases in both hemispheres. The moon phase in the Northern Hemisphere is indicated traditionally, with a polished golden disc against a deep blue starry night sky. The Southern Hemisphere indicator surrounds the Northern Hemisphere indication via a ring with the moon phases on the left and the age of the moon on the right, each indicated by a double-ended hand.
 

Additionally, the Jaeger-LeCoultre Master Ultra Thin Tourbillon Moon comes in a 41.50mm case made of the Maison’s new Le Grand Rose gold. Unveiled earlier this year during Watches & Wonders, the new alloy is highly resistant to fading over time, has an outstanding sheen, and a deep color. The case is fully polished and comes with elongated and beveled lugs and a thin bezel.
 

The dial comes in an elegant eggshell white and is paired with gold Dauphine hands and applied gold indices. Touches of red have also been added to the dial to increase legibility. The timepiece has a power reserve of 45 hours, water-resistance of 50 meters, and comes on a brown alligator leather strap. Each model also comes with an impressive 1,000-hour control certificate and an eight-year warranty.
 

So it seems that even when you have 1,200 calibers under your belt, there is always something new and exciting to create to seduce the world’s watch lovers! The Jaeger-LeCoultre Master Ultra Thin Tourbillon Moon is priced at $81,500.
 

(Photography by Liam O'Donnell)