Weekly Watch Photo – Jaeger-LeCoultre Duomètre à Sphérotourbillon

An intriguing macro photo of a tourbillon is what triggered me to choose this as Weekly Watch Photo. Not just a normal tourbillon, but one with a entirely different hairspring and one that makes an unusual rotation!

The connoisseurs among you already recognized the tourbillon from Jaeger-LeCoultre’s new Duomètre à Sphérotourbillon that we fully explaned in an extensive article about all its special features and techniques. If you look close you can see the cylindrical balance spring, which expands and contracts ‘vertically’.

In the explanatory article I also told you about Jaeger-LeCoultre’s dual wing concept. In my opinion the logical next step in the evolution of mechanical timepieces with a complication. The simple logic of it is that measuring and displaying the exact time, does not have to be influenced by other operations/functions of the watch.

Maybe the concept isn’t entirely new, but I’m pleased to see it on the Duomètre à Quantième Lunaire 40.5 that was released this recently and other models from the Duomètre collection. A similar system can also be found on the Grönefeld One Hertz, that was recently elected as Watch of the Year 2011 by all Timezone members.

And here is the watch that contains this magnificent movement… The Jaeger-LeCoultre Duomètre à Spherotourbillon. This is the platinum version. Located above and below the hours/minutes subdial are the power reserve indicators of the two different gear trains. The photo below also shows how the tourbillon axis is inclined at a 20 degree angle.

For more photos, including some big size photo you can use as desktop wallpaper, visit Peter Chong’s website here.

This article is written by Frank Geelen, executive editor of Monochrome Watches.