Jaeger-LeCoultre (JLC, French pronunciation: [ʒe-gur lə-koult-tar]) is a high-end luxury watch and clock manufacturer based in Le Sentier, Vaud, Switzerland. In addition, Jaeger-LeCoultre also has a long tradition of supplying movements and parts to other prestigious watch companies in Switzerland. Since 1996, Jaeger-LeCoultre has been a fully owned subsidiary of the Swiss luxury group Richemont. Their watches compete with other high-end brands such as Patek Philippe & Co, Vacheron Constantin, and Audemars Piguet.
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In 1833, Antoine LeCoultre (1803–81) founded a small workshop in Le Sentier, Switzerland, for the manufacture of high-quality timepieces.[1]:10 In 1844, he measured the micrometre (μm) for the first time and created the world's most precise measuring instrument, the millionometer, capable of measuring to thousandths of a millimetre.[1]:13 In 1847, LeCoultre developed a system that eliminated the need for keys to rewind and set watches, using a push-piece that activated a lever to change from one function to another.[1]:14 In 1851, he was awarded a gold medal for his work on timepiece precision and mechanization at the first Universal Exhibition in London.[1]:15
Antoine's son, Elie LeCoultre, desired to control all stages of timepiece production, so in 1866 he transformed his workshop into a manufacture, allowing his employees to pool their expertise under one roof. In 1870, LeCoultre began using mechanized processes to manufacture complicated timepiece movements. Within 30 years, LeCoultre had created more than 350 different timepiece calibers, of which 128 were equipped with chronograph functions and 99 with repeater mechanisms. From 1902 and for the next 30 years, LeCoultre produced most of the movement blanks for Patek Philippe of Geneva.
In 1903, Parisian Edmond Jaeger challenged Jacques-David LeCoultre, grandson of Antoine, to manufacture ultra-thin calibers of his design.[1]:21 Out of their relationship emerged a collection of ultra-thin pocket watches, followed by others that eventually, in 1937, officially culminated in the Jaeger-LeCoultre brand.[1]:21 In 1907, French jeweler Cartier, a client of Jaeger's, signed a contract with the Parisian watchmaker under which all Jaeger's movement designs for a period of 15 years would be exclusive to Cartier. The movements were produced by LeCoultre. Also in 1907, the LeCoultre Caliber 145 set the record for the thinnest movement at 1.38 mm.[1]:22 JLC began manufacturing the Atmos clock in 1936 after purchasing the patent from Jean-Leon Reutter, who invented it in 1928. The company was officially renamed Jaeger-LeCoultre in 1937. In 1941, Jaeger-LeCoultre earned the highest distinction from the Neuchâtel Observatory for its tourbillon Caliber 170. In 1982, the Jaeger-LeCoultre museum was established in Le Sentier. In 2009, JLC produced the world's most complicated wristwatch, the Hybris Mechanica à Grande Sonnerie with 26 complications.[2]
LeCoultre manufactured a compact camera named Compass. It was a very advanced instrument at the time of manufacture, with many features. Compass, Submin, http://www.submin.com/large/collection/compass/ Jaeger-LeCoultre has produced measuring instruments, such as speedometers and fuel meters, under the Jaeger brand. The Jaeger instruments for automobiles were mostly used by the French automobile makers Citroën, Peugeot and Renault. Jaeger speedometers and tachometers were also supplied to British sports cars manufacturers such as Triumph. Many Italian cars such as Ferrari have used Jaeger automobile instrumentation.
Watches sold in North America were sold under the LeCoultre name from 1932 to approximately 1985. After that the Jaeger-LeCoultre name was adopted uniformly worldwide. According to factory records, the last movement to be used in an American LeCoultre watch shipped out of Le Sentier in 1976.
There is substantial confusion over the use of LeCoultre name for the North American market. Some collectors and misinformed dealers make the erroneous claim that the American LeCoultre has nothing to do with Jaeger-LeCoultre Switzerland. The confusion stems from the fact that, in the 1950s, the North American distributor of LeCoultre watches was the Longines-Wittnauer Group, which was also responsible for the distribution of Vacheron Constantin timepieces. Collectors have confused this distribution channel with the manufacture of the watches. Outside the actual distribution channel, the LeCoultre product, at the manufacturing level, had nothing to do with either Longines, Wittnauer or Vacheron Constantin — with one exception of the "Galaxy", an upmarket mysterious dial diamond watch. According to Zaf Basha, p. 192, Galaxy is a collaboration between Vacheron & Constantin and LeCoultre for the American market. It has got LeCoultre in the front and Vacheron & Constantin — LeCoultre stamped on the case. In addition, the LeCoultre trademark was owned by the Société Anonyme de la Fabrique D'Horlogerie LeCoultre & Cie, Le Sentier. The LeCoultre trademark expired and was replaced by the Jaeger-LeCoultre trademark in 1985.[3]
Atmos is the brand name of a mechanical clock manufactured by Jaeger-LeCoultre, which does not need to be wound. It derives energy from small temperature changes and atmospheric pressure changes in the environment, and can run for years without human intervention.
The first Atmos clock was designed by Jean-Léon Reutter, an engineer in Neuchâtel, Switzerland, in 1928.[4] This noncommercial prototype, which predated the Atmos name but is now known unofficially as Atmos 0, was driven by a mercury-in-glass expansion device. The mechanism operated on temperature changes alone. A one degree change in air temperature will wind an Atmos Clock for two days.
In 1929, Compagnie Générale de Radio (CGR) in France began manufacturing the first commercial model, Atmos 1, which used a mercury and ammonia bellows power source. In 1935, Jaeger-LeCoultre took over production of Atmos 1 while it developed a second design which used the present ethyl chloride power source. This model, later named the Atmos 2, was announced in 1936, but problems delayed full production until 1939. Subsequent models were based on this design. To date, over 500,000 Atmos clocks have been produced.[5]
Initially the Atmos clock was produced in a variety of designs, but in 1937 a single design was chosen. The current design is an open-dial model made of brass, set on a brass base and covered by a detachable case consisting of four crystal sides and a crystal top set in a brass framework. As of 1954, neither the mechanism nor the design had been patented.
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