A Minute Repeater with a rich and intense sound

So as to provide an audible indication of the time, the Master Grande Tradition Grande Complication is equipped with an additional characteristic in the form of a mechanism sounding the hours, the quarters and the minutes on demand.

While it revives the 19th century codes of elegance and virtuosity, the Master Grande Tradition line by Jaeger-LeCoultre first and foremost reflects the spirit of this brilliant age. The latter was characterised by a distinctive fervour nurtured by the fact that anything that was mechanically measurable could now be displayed. Complications were associated in ways embodying the victory of the watchmaker’s intelligence and dexterity. Watches epitomised a balance between sophisticated technology and pure beauty. Each model of the Master Grande Tradition line proudly bears this heritage, like this new work that deeply proclaims its kinship with astronomy.

Master Grande Tradition Grande Complication brings the complexity of the universe to the wrist.

A tribute to the grand horological tradition

Precious materials and refined execution are part of the signature features of the Master Grande Tradition line. The case of the Master Grande Tradition Grande Complication is made of pink gold, a choice motivated by the sophisticated aura created by this metal with its warmly shimmering reflections.

The 2015 edition of the Master Grande Tradition Grande Complication has been designed in keeping with the line’s new aesthetic codes, testifying to even greater loyalty to the design of 19th century pocket watches. The bezel is concave and the contrasting effects between the satin-brushed case middle and polished lugs accentuate the technical nature of the watch. This meticulous work on finishes performed on visible elements – as well as invisible ones such as certain movement components – firmly rank this model in the upper echelons of Haute Horlogerie.

The sidereal orbital tourbillon, a wonderful way of reading the time

The Master Grande Tradition Grande Complication is entirely dedicated to astronomical time measurement. As the most striking characteristic of this watch, the flying tourbillon is viewed here as the key element used to show the time. Its counter-clockwise revolution in 23 hours, 56 minutes and 4 seconds is a fascinating sight. The tourbillon whirls around the dial, to which it is fixed, very much like a capsule suspended in the stratosphere. The sense of weightlessness is accentuated by the minimalist carriage made of ultra-light titanium.

To highlight the astronomical aspect of time measurement, the tourbillon does not indicate the passing of civil time, but instead that of sidereal time – based not on the sun but on other more remote, fixed stars. Sidereal time is the unit used by astronomers to follow the trajectory of heavenly bodies. In its own unique way, the Master Grande Tradition Grande Complexity expresses the complexity of the universe around us, whose stunning reality can be viewed with a single glance at the wrist.

A spectacular and functional calendar

The dial of the Master Grande Tradition Grande Complication reproduces the sky chart of the Northern hemisphere, displaying its pattern of constellations with evocative names we have heard since childhood: Big Dipper, Polestar, Cassiopeia, as well as the belt of 12 constellations composing the Zodiac. The latter correspond to the oldest constellations identified by humankind and represent the four fundamental elements: air, earth, fire and water.

A Minute Repeater with a rich and intense sound

So as to provide an audible indication of the time, the Master Grande Tradition Grande Complication is equipped with an additional characteristic in the form of a mechanism sounding the hours, the quarters and the minutes on demand.

While truly fascinating in the way it succeeds in delivering such an array of complex information, the Master Grande Tradition Grande Complication is equally so inits ability to stir an almost childlike sense of wonderment. It is made to be observed, discovered and of course loved, because the wealth of horological inventiveness it harbours is driven by a single overriding ambition: to share a taste for all that is beautiful.