Jaeger-LeCoultre Master Hybris Artistica Calibre 945 ‘Dragon’
Jaeger-LeCoultre Puts the Art of Watchmaking on Full Display with its New Master Hybris Artistica Calibre 945 “Dragon”
The brand’s latest incarnation of its revolutionary calibre 945 features the technical prowess of expertly crafted grand complications, plus a magnificent new design showcasing its expertise in hand-engraving techniques.
By Cait Bazemore
Contributor
Today, we get Jaeger-LeCoultre’s newest expression of the calibre 945, combining the technical prowess of the celestial flying tourbillon and a minute repeater with the brand’s equally adept mastery of decorative crafts.
Together, the true art of watchmaking is on full display in the limited edition Master Hybris Artistica Calibre 945 “Dragon.”
Two Decades with a Focus on Complications
In the past two decades, we’ve seen Jaeger-LeCoultre produce a stunning array of highly complex timepieces. The pivotal moment in the Maison’s development of its complications came in 2010 with the release of the calibre 945, which offered an exceptional combination of an orbital flying tourbillon, a minute repeater, and a zodiac calendar.
Since the calibre 945’s debut, the brand has continued to riff on the models housing the movement and the development of its other tourbillons and minute repeaters.
In the last ten years alone, we’ve seen Jaeger-LeCoultre release its first timepiece with a combo tourbillon and moonphase (from the Master Ultra Thin collection and featuring the calibre 983), the Reverso Hybris Mechanica Calibre 185 Quadriptyque (the most complicated Reverso ever made) with four faces and 11 complications, and a special Reverso Tribute Minute Repeater with a skeletonized dial so we could see into the calibre 944 movement and watch the brand’s patented and proprietary trebuchet hammers in action.
When it comes to the calibre 945, 2022 was the last time we saw the movement powering new releases: the Master Hybris Artistica Calibre 945 Galaxia in rose gold and the Master Hybris Artistica Calibre 945 Atomium in white gold.
As with all models housing the calibre 945, these two 45mm x 16.05mm minute repeaters focus on sidereal time, i.e., the measurement used by astronomers to track the apparent movement of the constellations across the night sky.
The Jaeger-LeCoultre Calibre 945 – Worthy of Celebration Again
Like the models from 2022, the new Master Hybris Artistica Calibre 945 “Dragon” highlights the poetic nature of sidereal time.
Plus, thanks to masterful engineering, a sky chart is united with a multi-tiered dial construction to create the celestial vault, a zodiacal calendar, and the Maison’s patented Cosmotourbillon (a positively celestial flying tourbillon that orbits the dial) as well as a minute repeater.
The star chart of the celestial vault maps the Northern Hemisphere night sky as seen from the 46th parallel – the latitude of Jaeger-LeCoultre’s home in the Vallée de Joux – tracking the position of the constellations in real-time.
Meanwhile, around the edge of the celestial map, you’ll find the names of the months and the tourbillon seconds marked in white, with the month and date of the zodiacal calendar indicated by a sun-shaped gold pointer.
Moreover, this watch’s tourbillon is elevated beyond its purely technical function as the regulating organ of the calibre because it is a Cosmotourbillon and, thus, orbits the dial. That means the Dragon’s tourbillon also measures the passing of time as it makes a complete, anticlockwise circuit of the dial in one sidereal day.
Fun Facts: With a duration of precisely 23 hours, 56 minutes, and 4.1 seconds, a sidereal day is defined by Earth’s rotation measured in relation to more distant fixed stars. Alternatively, the 24-hour solar day – our civil time – is measured by Earth’s orbit around the Sun.
As previously mentioned, the calibre 945 is also a minute repeater. This never-ending quest for the ideal sound has resulted in several patented innovations for the brand, including crystal gongs, the aforementioned trebuchet hammers, and a silent interval governor.
In the minute repeater mechanism of calibre 945, all three inventions contribute a special magic that complements the romance of celestial timekeeping.
A New Design Language for the Calibre 945
Just in time for the final months of the year of the dragon, the Jaeger-LeCoultre Master Hybris Artistica Calibre 945 “Dragon” limited edition harnesses the majestic beauty of the dragon.
Specifically, the two sculpted, three-dimensional dragons, which frame the edge of the dial’s highest tier and seemingly hover over the domed sky chart disc, draw the eye towards the Cosmotourbillon in an extremely pleasing way. Made from 18-karat yellow gold and intricately hand-engraved, these dragons breathe life into the dial as well as add depth and movement.
Of course, since these figures are only at the top of the multi-level dial, they stand out beautifully against the deepest point of the dial, which features a matte-black sandblasted disc decorated with tiny stars that echo the celestial map.
Altogether, the dial is encircled by three concentric rings that carry the indices for solar time: The opaline inner ring (the one with “Jaeger-LeCoultre” sandwiched between 02:00 and 22:00) indicates 24 hours; the outermost ring, which sits right below the crystal and has a silver opaline finish, displays minutes; and between them, the 12-hour ring is circular brushed and has applied golden indices.
Finally, this breathtaking dial is housed within a 45mm x 16.05mm rose gold case that also incorporates decorative techniques echoing the dragon motif. The hand-engraved bezel, for instance, required 50 hours of work by the skilled artisans in the Métiers Rares atelier of the Manufacture to mimic the scales on the animals’ bodies.
Pricing & Availability
The Master Hybris Artistica Calibre 945 “Dragon” is available today in a limited run of only five pieces. The price is available upon request. For more information, visit the Jaeger-LeCoultre website.