Jaeger-LeCoultre Master Hybris Mechanica Ultra Thin Minute Repeater

When it was unveiled in 2014, Jaeger-LeCoultre’s Calibre 362 stunned the horological world as the slimmest automatic minute repeater with a tourbillon regulator. For 2026, Jaeger revisits its high-complication masterpiece with the new Master Hybris Mechanica Ultra Thin Minute Repeater, a ten-piece limited edition with an openworked dial reaffirming the Maison’s dominance in chiming mechanisms, ultra-thin movements and precision regulators.

Jaeger-LeCoultre’s expertise in ultra-thin movements dates back to 1907 with the record-breaking 1.38 mm-thick calibre 145, while its dominion over tourbillon regulators dates to 1946. Since 1870, when the Grande Maison released its first minute repeater, Jaeger has crafted more than 200 different repeating calibres. Uniting all three disciplines, the brand’s Calibre 362 did not superimpose separate layers for each complication but was conceived as a fully integrated movement.

With 537 components and a thickness of just 4.7mm, Jaeger’s patented Calibre 362 is a miracle of space-saving solutions. The striking mechanism, for example, occupies just one third of the total volume with racks, hammers and gongs within the mainplate. The 59-component flying tourbillon is suspended without an upper bridge to reduce structural height, and the rotor is peripheral to preserve the ultra-thin profile while ensuring efficient winding.

Housed in a 42mm x 8.25mm pink gold case, the entire movement is revealed, offering a dazzling landscape of technical features. Pushing the regular practice of skeletonisation, in which existing bridges are opened up, Jaeger goes one step further by using sapphire bridges to leave nothing to the imagination. Technically challenging, setting the vital 11 ruby jewels into the sapphire was not possible, so pink gold chatons were used instead.

Framing the mechanical scenery is a white gold sandblasted minute ring, followed by an openworked white gold ring with twelve apertures that reveal the peripheral pink gold rotor and its guilloché decoration as it spins around the dial on 36 ceramic ball bearings, delivering energy to the barrel for the 42-hour power reserve. Also crafted in pink gold are the applied hour markers and dauphine hands.

The complex 60-part Master Grande Tradition case features an alternative to the conventional slide to activate the minute repeater. Instead, the minute repeater is activated by a redesigned retractable button at 10 o’clock and a second button at 8 o’clock that locks and releases it. The 187 components of the minute repeater are integrated directly into the calibre and create a clear chime thanks to the square-profile gongs that are struck by the trebuchet-style articulated hammers. Invented for the calibre, Jaeger’s patented silent time-lapse reduction mechanism minimises the pause between the hour and minute chimes to provide a fluid, uninterrupted acoustic sequence. With no bridge to block the view, the transparency of the flying tourbillon is enhanced by a cutaway in the base plate, and reveals its patented, fully exposed S-shaped hairspring.

Fourteen finishes adorn the calibre: sandblasting, perlage, Côtes de Genève, guillochage, and more, with 48 inner angles and 60 hand-bevelled components requiring seven weeks of assembly. A limited edition of 10 pieces, we await confirmation of the price. More information at jaeger-lecoultre.com.