Jaeger-LeCoultre Reverso Hybris Mechanica Calibre 185 Quadriptyque
The Grande Maison celebrates an icon, the Reverso, by designing the most complicated watch in the history of this iconic collection. The Reverso Hybris Mechanica Calibre 185 is the result of more than six years of development, combining key elements of Jaeger-LeCoultre expertise with innovative new astronomical indications. It is the world’s first wristwatch to feature four-sided displays. Thanks to three displays of lunar information on the inner face of the Reverso’s emblematic stretcher (synodic cycle, draconitic cycle and anomalistic cycle), the Hybris Mechanica Quadriptyque watch is able to predict upcoming astronomical events such as supermoons and eclipses: the first wristwatch in the world to offer such an in-depth reading of the cosmos.
Few watchmakers have the in-house expertise needed to create striking watches. Even rarer are those that have been doing so since 1870 and have accumulated a century and a half of experience and know-how. Only one watch manufacturer has more than 200 striking calibers in its modern and historic repertoire: the Grande Maison du Sentier. The reverse side of the Quadriptyque case is a skilful tour de force of Jaeger-LeCoultre’s heritage as an innovative expert in striking watches.
By sliding the trigger located just above the crown, the Quadriptyque sounds its melody to indicate the time. First, a series of low notes sound the hours. Next, the quarter hours are indicated by pairs of high and low notes. Finally, a succession of high notes indicates the number of minutes since the last quarter-hour. The melody of the hours-quarter-hours-minutes gives the time by means of a musical code. The Reverso Quadriptyque’s minute repeater mechanism is fully visible alongside the second time display, which shows the same time as the front dial, but in a jumping hour and peripheral minute format. When the Quadriptyque plays the hour, in a symphony of springs, cams, hammers and gongs in motion, its striking confirms the visual display of the second dial.
Visible through the movement’s plate, which is hand-decorated with the guilloché pattern known as “Clous de Paris”, the components of the striking mechanism are unique thanks to Jaeger-LeCoultre’s expertise in this field. These include the silent regulator, patented by the Manufacture in 1895 to neutralize the buzzing created by earlier regulators. Other recent innovations from the Maison are present in the Quadriptyque, including crystal gongs (already present in the 2005 Master Minute Repeater Antoine LeCoultre) that link the repeater gongs directly to the sapphire crystal in order to exploit its acoustic properties to the full, square-section gongs that maximize contact and energy transmission between hammers and gongs (a mainstay of Jaeger-LeCoultre repeater watches since 2006), and articulated trebuchet hammers (developed for the 2009 Hybris Mechanica Duomètre à Grande Sonnerie) that release a clean, powerful beat from the gongs. Together, these innovations enable Jaeger-LeCoultre minute repeaters to produce some of the most powerful and clearest striking wristwatches to date.
A new feature of the Reverso Hybris Mechanica Calibre 185 is the completely new construction of the striking components, which create a ringing sound without pauses between the hours, quarters and minutes. Conventional minute repeater mechanisms use pivoting supports that rely on the time given by the cams to activate the different groups of notes. This often results in dead times between note groups, particularly when only the hours and minutes are sounded, without the intermediate quarter-hours. The Hybris Mechanica Master Ultra Thin Minute Repeater Flying Tourbillon (2014) and the Master Grande Tradition Gyrotourbillon Westminster Perpétuel (2019) included exceptional advances in ringing expertise in reducing these dead times, but the Reverso Quadriptyque has reached the supreme stage in this field. By refining and reversing certain steps in this mechanical sequence, the Quadriptyque has succeeded in completely eliminating these dead times.
The melody of the Reverso Hybris Mechanica Calibre 185 is an uninterrupted opus of acoustic excellence. This is the sound of innovation at its best.
UNVEILING THE CELESTIAL ORBIT
Before the official creation of time calculation systems, societies observed celestial phenomena and created myths and stories about the dance of celestial orbs. The first astronomers were also mathematicians, and instruments developed according to their formulas could mechanically calculate the positions of various celestial objects. The interactions between the orbits of the Sun, Earth and Moon determine the rhythms of life, and watchmaking was first developed to bring order to the world around us. As a watch manufacturer with almost two centuries of expertise in Haute Horlogerie, Jaeger-LeCoultre has mastered time in all its expressions, whether everyday or esoteric. One of Jaeger-LeCoultre’s key features is the display of sidereal time, determined by the stars rather than the sun, introduced for the first time in the Master Grande Tradition Grande Complication (2010).
This year, for the very first time in the history of mechanical watchmaking, Jaeger-LeCoultre combines three lunar information displays (the synodic cycle, the draconitic cycle and the anomalistic cycle) in a single wristwatch. This unique micromechanical combination of indications, located on the inner face of the Reverso Hybris Mechanica Calibre 185 stretcher, enables the prediction of eclipses (both solar and lunar) as well as rare lunar phenomena such as supermoons.
On the upper half of the inner face of the Reverso Quadriptyque stretcher is a very large-scale representation of the moon phases in the Northern Hemisphere. A laser-engraved moon is progressively covered and revealed by a moving blue lacquered disc enhanced with gold flakes, indicating the Moon’s age in the synodic cycle. While conventional moon-phase displays accumulate an error of one day every 32.5 months, the Quadriptyque moon-phase display needs adjusting only once every 1,111 years.
Just below the moon-phase display, on the left, is a counter with a three-dimensional micro-sculpted rose-gold sun around which orbits a tiny half-spherical moon. This counter displays the draconic cycle, which indicates when the Moon’s path meets the Earth’s orbit around the Sun (known as the ecliptic plane). This crossing, which occurs twice per cycle, is indicated by the horizontal alignment of the Moon and Sun on the counter. At this moment, the Moon, Earth and Sun are on the same plane, but not necessarily aligned. For this alignment to take place, an additional condition known as syzygy must be met: the Moon must be new or full. These events lead to eclipses on Earth, lunar if the Moon is full, or solar if the Moon is new. However, the visibility of an eclipse depends on several factors, such as the observer’s geographical position.
To the right of the draconic cycle counter is a domed representation of the Earth in miniature enamel paint, around which a half-spherical moon orbits eccentrically. This counter represents the anomalistic cycle, indicating the variant distance between the Earth and Moon. When the Moon is at its apogee, it is farthest from the Earth, and at its perigee, it is closest. When the Moon is full and at perigee (or close to it), an event known as a supermoon takes place: the Moon can appear up to 14% larger than usual.
The simultaneous display of synodic, draconic and anomalistic cycles in a wristwatch is unprecedented in watchmaking, the latter two indications being protected by patents. The Reverso Hybris Mechanica Calibre 185 is the only watch ever designed to provide such an in-depth reading of astronomical phenomena.
Jaeger-LeCoultre’s Hybris Mechanica watch family began in 2003 with the Atmos Mystérieuse clock and has since grown to include nearly 20 groundbreaking horological creations, including the Master Hybris Mechanica Gyrotourbillon 1 (2004), the Reverso Hybris Mechanica Grande Complication à Triptyque (2006), the Master Ultra Thin Minute Repeater Flying Tourbillon (2014) and the Master Grande Tradition Gyrotourbillon Westminster Perpétuel (2019). The name Hybris is inspired by the Greek “hubris”, which refers to the ambition of the legendary heroes of Antiquity. Jaeger-LeCoultre’s promise to constantly push back the boundaries of watchmaking has been kept for 18 years.
TURN THE UNIVERSE UPSIDE DOWN
The Reverso watch was created in 1931 in response to the need to protect delicate watch mechanisms from collisions with hooves or mallets during polo matches. Today, 90 years later, a much older phenomenon is reflected in the Reverso Hybris Mechanica Quadriptyque model, a phenomenon that guides our calendrical rhythms according to rules as precise and structured as those of this majestic equestrian sport.
The original Reverso had a single time-indicating face, in a mobile case that could be turned over in its stretcher, revealing a sturdy caseback. The next generation Reverso featured a second dial on its caseback, either in a different design to match the wearer’s aesthetic preferences (Duetto), or displaying a second time zone (Duoface) to offer additional functionality when traveling. The Reverso Hybris Mechanica à Triptyque (2006) was a quantum leap in watchmaking innovation, with a third display located on the inner face of the Reverso stretcher.
This year sees the birth of the world’s first four-sided wristwatch, the Reverso Hybris Mechanica Calibre 185 (Quadriptyque), the ultimate illustration of the Reverso concept. The last face of the Quadriptyque, the outer face of the stretcher, shows the moon phases in the Southern Hemisphere. The majority of moon phase indications are from the Northern Hemisphere perspective, and the display of Southern Hemisphere moon phases on the fourth face of the Quadriptyque represents the fulfillment of Reverso’s fundamental dualism. An engraved map of the starry sky, lacquered in a blue gradation, forms the backdrop to the pink gold moon, crafted in Jaeger-LeCoultre’s Atelier des Métiers Rares®.
The secret of the Reverso Hybris Mechanica Quadriptyque’s four functional faces lies in a solution first used on the 2006 Reverso Hybris Mechanica Grande Complication à Triptyque. Every day at midnight, a stem is released from the main case movement to activate a mechanical corrector in the stretcher, advancing its displays. The mechanism that drives the displays is located directly in the stretcher, without any movement plates to thicken the watch. Despite its numerous indications and complications, Jaeger-LeCoultre’s expertise in ultra-compact watchmaking makes the Quadriptyque one of the most wearable grand complication watches of our time.
The Reverso Hybris Mechanica Calibre 185 is presented in an exceptional case equipped with an integrated mechanism that allows the owner to set all calendars and astronomical displays quickly and intuitively after a period without wearing the watch.
A two-position crown on the side of the case indicates the number of days passed without wearing the watch. By positioning the Quadriptyque in the correction holder, the correction crown in the case can be set to its second position and wound to quickly update the watch’s date and astronomical indications. There is no risk of incorrectly correcting the watch or damaging the movement, since the entire process is controlled by the case’s correction mechanism.
The latest watch in the Hybris Mechanica collection required six years of research and development. Its creation was made possible thanks to 188 years of innovation and expertise acquired in the workshops of the Grande Maison. With the Reverso Hybris Mechanica Calibre 185, Jaeger-LeCoultre strengthens its position at the pinnacle of mechanical watchmaking and reaffirms its commitment to pushing back the boundaries of watchmaking expertise.
TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS OF THE JAEGER-LECOULTRE REVERSO HYBRIS MECHANICA CALIBRE 185 QUADRIPTYQUE
Case: white gold
Dimensions: 51.2 x 31 mm
Thickness: 15.15 mm
Movement: Hand-wound Jaeger-LeCoultre Calibre 185
Face 1: Hour – Minute, Tourbillon (indicating Seconds), Instantaneous Perpetual Calendar, Big Date, Day, Month, Leap Year, Day / Night
Face 2: Digital Jumping Time, Minute, Minute Repeater (with system to avoid dead time)
Side 3: Moon phases in the Northern Hemisphere, Draconitic Lunar Cycle (Moon’s position), Anomalistic Lunar Cycle (apogee and perigee), Month, Year
Side 4: Moon phases in the Southern Hemisphere
Power reserve: 50 hours
Water-resistance: 30 meters
Strap: blue alligator leather
Reference: Q7103420
Limited edition of 10
KEY FEATURES OF THE JAEGER-LECOULTRE REVERSO HYBRIS MECHANICA CALIBRE 185 (QUADRIPTYQUE)
The world’s first four-sided watch, the most complicated Reverso ever conceived
– 11 complications in all, including a perpetual calendar, minute repeater, synodic, draconic and anomalistic cycle indications (never before presented together on a wristwatch), requiring 12 patents
– Uniting Jaeger-LeCoultre’s undisputed mastery of striking watches, precision mechanisms, astronomical complications and ultra-compact watchmaking
– Ergonomic design and construction: the Reverso with the most complications is also one of the most comfortable to wear.
Price of the Jaeger-LeCoultre Reverso Hybris Mechanica Calibre 185 Quadriptyque (according to sources): €1,350,000 before tax.
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