It was 1956 and Jaeger–LeCoultre presented its first alarm clocked automatic timepiece. It was the beginning of a legend and a series of watches like the Memovox, mechanic watches that have made the history of the manufacture from Le Sentier, the same way the Reverso did in the first half of the previous century.
The year 2016 marks the first 60 years of the launch of that collection and, when it comes to watch-making, anniversaries are moments not to be missed and special occasions that fans write down on their personal calendars, knowing perfectly well that their favourite brand will come up with something special to mark the event. Jaeger–LeCoultre is one of those brands.
The Jaeger–LeCoultre Master Memovox Boutique Edition is the way that the brand has decided to celebrate its long dynasty of alarm clocked timepieces with. Five hundred pieces that will be sold exclusively through the 90 mono-branded boutiques across the world, these timepieces will probably become the objects of desire of all collectors.
The first Memovox was equipped with the 815 caliber, the new timepiece is also equipped with an automatic movement that is also an evolution of the big calibers that the manufacturers has developed in the last 60 years; the caliber is made of 268 parts, it guarantees up to 45 hours of power reserve and it beats at a frequency of 4Hz.
For this special edition, Jaeger–LeCoultre has crafted a dial with two different shades of blue, the most inner side is soleil–blue, while the outer side is opaline blue and it features a slightly more grainy texture. It is a tone-on-tone solution that creates a new alchemy that is also less rigorous than the shades of the stainless-steel-cased Master timepieces.
The inner disc rotates thanks to a crown located at 2 o’clock that moves the triangular disc on to the hour when the alarm clock is due to start, it features a chemin de fer scale with a white background and black indices, the outer scale, on the other hand, is hand-painted, and it is gray in colour, the same shade that was adopted for the 1971 “Snowdrop” version.
It is a very glorious colour combination on a 40mm case that is only 14mm thick. The indices with three facets have been applied on the dial at 12 o’clock, together with the manufacturer’s logo; a great contrast between the pastel tones of the dial and the polished tones of the imdexes that mimic the polishing of the case.
The words “Master Control” are engraved on the case-back that reminds us, from its very creation, of the collection that started that rigorous process of internal tests whereas each timepiece must undergo 1,000 hours of mechanic and temperature–related tests before being ready to be released from the brand’s labs.
The recommended retail price for the Jaeger–LeCoultre Master Memovox Boutique Edition is 11,000 euro and it can be already booked on the site. In my opinion, after the Memovox Polaris, this timepiece will become an object of desire, for its technical characteristics and for the peculiarity of its style that makes it completely different from all the Memovox timepieces that have been crafted until now.
(Photo credit: Jaeger-LeCoultre)
Gaetano C @Horbiter®
