This year Jaeger-LeCoultre’s SIHH showstopper was the stunning Reverso Tribute Gyrotourbillon replica watch, the latest evolution of their beautiful twin-axis tourbillon, first unveiled in 2004.
Today,we’re having a look at an earlier version, the Jaeger-LeCoultre Master Grande Tradition Gyrotourbillon 3 Jubilee replica watch– an amazing watch that also received a white gold diamond-set update this year. The platinum Jubilee edition was released in only 75 pieces.
Unsurprisingly, given its name, the first thing you notice about this Jaeger-LeCoultre Master Grande Tradition Gyrotourbillon 3 Jubilee replica watch is the tourbillon. As I mentioned it’s a twin-axis tourbillon, but that doesn’t quite capture what makes it so special. It’s also suspended in a spherical cage and fitted with a spherical balance spring. The result is absolutely entrancing, and proof – if any were needed – that JLC can compete with the best of the haute horological set.
But this Jaeger-LeCoultre Master Grande Tradition Gyrotourbillon 3 Jubilee replica watch has another impressive trick up its sleeve. You might think the subdial at nine is a big date and small seconds, but it’s actually a very clever digital monopusher chronograph, with an instantaneous minute display. Watching the minute counter advance at whip-like speed is quite amazing – thought it’s also a prodigious power hog, so the chronograph complication has its own dedicated gear train, complete with power barrel. A small day/night indicator rounds out the trio of dials.
What surprised me most about the Gyrotourbillon replica watch is just how good-looking, and well-designed it is in the flesh. There’s a tendency for watches with highly technical features like this to showcase the innovation at the expense of aesthetics, but this Jaeger-LeCoultre Master Grande Tradition Gyrotourbillon 3 Jubilee replica watch, with its three different dial textures, the exceptionally well-finished movement plates and yes, that marvel of engineering that is the Gyrotourbillon, all add up to a watch that’s a great example of the synthesis of art and technology that lie at the heart of high-end watchmaking.