04 June 2013 | Jaeger-LeCoultre

The JLC's Master Class

Are you lucky enough to own a Jaeger-Le Coultre? Then you are certainly a very refined person and a devotee of the very best in watch making. And even more so if you’re lucky enough to take part in one of the many events that Le Sentier organizes for its clients. For it was in the splendid edifice of Castel Monastero, a fantastically beautiful structure in a medieval village immersed in the region of Siena and restored to its ancient splendour, transformed into a luxury hotel and spa, that Jaeger-LeCoultre and the prestigious Bruno and Pisano Boutique of Naples organized the Master Class.

The event lasted two days and was geared to a select group of guests. But just what is the Jaeger-LeCoultre Master Class? A movable event that offers the devotee of the best in watch making the rare opportunity to feel like a master watch maker for a day. Arrival at 14:00 in the estate of Castel Monastero, and, after a taste of the sumptuous Tuscan cuisine:

everyone to watch making school:

We were welcomed into a classroom that had been set up exactly like a watch making laboratory, with all the instruments the students could possibly require. The Jaeger-LeCoultre calibre chosen for the exercise? The 875, mounted inside the model-icon of the manufacture that made it famous throughout the world, the Reverso:

This was not just any calibre, but a complicated movement that would truly make the experience more exciting and appealing. Details that indicate just how attentively everything was planned and organized.

This particular calibre of the Reverso (in-house of course) has a very interesting movement, manual winding, consists of 218 components, with a rotor that oscillates up to 28800 vibrations\h, an (8 day) power reserve, double barrel and last but not least a large date display - a true complication…:

All contained, as Jaeger-LeCoultre has accustomed us for over 180 years, into minute dimensions.

After a brief introduction by one of the master watch makers of the brand, we were provided with a step by step guide to dismantling the bridges, the power reserve module, the two barrels and after completing all the necessary steps, the movements to carry out and how to position the parts on the work table. This was then followed by the reverse cycle when we had to reassemble and operate the calibre mechanism. In performing these exercises, which were pretty difficult for beginners, we realized just how delicate and time consuming is the work carried out daily by the people who assemble or adjust our watches. Something that outsiders tend to overlook but that really makes you appreciate the Jaeger-LeCoultre you’re lucky enough to own and wear. A unique experience. Probably one of the most successful and fascinating of all the events manufactures organized for customers throughout the world.

(Photo credit: courtesy of Jaeger-LeCoultre; Horbiter's proprietary photo-shooting)

Gaetano C. @Horbiter - Watches & Luxury

TWITTER @Gaetano Cimmino

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