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The famous prize-winning Calibre 978 returns in Grande Tradition style with openworked areas on the dial to reveal the restructured movement decorated with refined finishings throughout.
Jaeger-LeCoultre revisits one of its most important contemporary tourbillon movements with the new Master Grande Tradition Tourbillon Jumping Date. While the underlying Calibre 978 is familiar to collectors, the latest iteration restructures the movement’s architecture. Featuring a partially openworked dial, the tourbillon, signature jumping date mechanism, and 24-hour display come to the fore. Paying homage to the renowned calibre with refined finishings, the 100-piece limited edition comes in a luxurious 42mm pink gold case.
With experience in producing tourbillons dating back to 1946, the Calibre 978 debuted in 2006 and won the first modern chronometry competition. A demanding 45-day trial conducted in Le Locle in 2009 tested precision, resistance to shocks, and magnetism. Improved over the years, the ultra-light tourbillon featured now weighs less than 0.5 grams, comprises 77 components, and rotates in the large aperture at 6 o’clock.
In addition to its one-minute tourbillon, Calibre 978 is celebrated for its intuitive, visually engaging jumping date display. Using golden printed numerals on the periphery of the dial, with the 15 and 16 straddling the tourbillon and separated by almost 90 degrees, the date is indicated by a long gold pointer hand with a red-tipped JL anchor. Unlike regular pointer-date displays, the playful jumping date mechanism, activated at midnight on the 15th of each month, causes the hand to perform a smooth jump from 15 to 16, effectively leaping over the tourbillon.
As a practical and versatile function, the 24-hour disc at noon indicates day and night when synchronised with the primary time display. It can be adjusted independently of the main hour and minute hands, allowing it to double as a second time zone indicator.
The pink gold dial is decorated with a barleycorn pattern and treated with layers of deep-blue translucent enamel. Echoing the aperture of the tourbillon, the dial features a series of openworked areas to highlight different elements. The 24-hour disc at noon has an openworked sandblasted interior and, like the tourbillon, is secured by a polished white gold bridge with a rounded profile created using berçage. A second cutaway at 9 o’clock reveals the calendar driver mechanism, also sandblasted, allowing observation of the rapid glide in action, while another aperture at 2 o’clock reveals the structural screws holding a wheel staff.
The applied pink gold hour markers, indicated by the gold dauphine hour and minute hands, are also polished to reflect light. Matching the red tip of the pointer date hand, the 24-hour sub-dial is indicated by a small red arrow.
Finishing and architecture have been significantly elevated. Ten different decorations are applied to the calibre, from perlage and sandblasting to Côtes de Genève, sunray brushing and diamond polishing, with more than 30 components decorated by hand and 48 hand-bevelled angles. The 22k pink gold rotor, with a large cutaway, reveals a clear view of the tourbillon through the sapphire caseback. The automatic movement beats at 28,800vph and delivers a power reserve of 45 hours.
The movement is integrated into a Grande Tradition-style 42mm x 12.5mm pink gold case with polished, brushed, and microblasted surfaces. The watch is paired with a classic black alligator strap and a pink gold folding buckle. A limited edition of 100 pieces; price to be confirmed. More information at jaeger-lecoultre.com.
