Jaeger-Lecoultre Introduces Three New High Jewellery Timepieces to its Calibre 101 Collection
Jaeger-LeCoultre presents three magnificent new High Jewellery watches that unite exceptional gem-setting with the signature Calibre 101
Each of them an exuberant and distinctive expression of femininity, the new timepieces reaffirm the boundless creative scope offered by the alliance between this unique watch mechanism and high jewellery.
An entirely new design, the 101 Secrets is set with almost 27 carats of diamonds. The most precious Calibre 101 timepiece created by Jaeger-LeCoultre to date, the rivière-style bracelet features a new secret mechanism that enables the wearer to reveal the dial only when she wishes.
The 101 Bangle, first presented in 2020, has been reinterpreted in two one-of-a-kind pieces – one in pink gold with a red lacquer dial complemented by diamonds; and one in white gold with a snow-white lacquer dial complemented by sapphires and diamonds.
Originally conceived and developed for jewellery watches and introduced in 1929 by La Grande Maison, Calibre 101 revolutionised feminine watchmaking – its minuscule size and baguette shape offering new realms of aesthetic freedom to designers. Weighing barely one gram, the tiny, hand-wound calibre remains the smallest mechanical movement in the world to this day. It is also one of the world’s oldest movements to have remained in continuous production by Jaeger-LeCoultre.
101 Secrets – a new design with a hint of Art Deco spirit
Defined by four rows of diamonds – two outer rows of claw-set diamonds set on either side of a double row of grain-set diamonds – the 101 Secrets forms a river of light and sparkle that flows around the wrist, giving no hint of the timepiece concealed within it.
The tradition of secret watches dates back to the 19th-century, when pocket watches (then worn by both men and women) had cases with hinged covers – often richly decorated with enamel and gemstones – that closed over the dial, protecting the glass from scratches. As women began to wear wristwatches early in the 20th century, the notion held that a lady did not need to have the time constantly on display. Today, secret watches present a creative playground where jewellery and watch design are united to create pieces of exceptional beauty and genuine practical value.
The plural form of secrets in the name of this precious new timepiece refers to two elements of hidden magic. The first secret is the fact that this is a timepiece as well as a piece of jewellery: the dial remains hidden until the wearer wishes to see the time. The second secret is a new mechanism concealed within the rows of diamonds – a feat of micro-mechanics so tiny that it remains almost invisible, its position known only to the woman wearing the watch. When she presses gently on the hidden ‘button’, a small section of the bracelet pops open like the pages of a book, revealing the time on a glowing mother-of-pearl dial. When she releases the button, the dial disappears and the bracelet once again becomes an endlessly flowing river of diamonds.
For the two outer rows of diamonds, the gem-setters chose the claw setting – a traditional technique that holds the stones above the surface of the gold, allowing light to pass through them from every angle and maximising their sparkle. The larger diamonds are almost imperceptibly graduated in size and set in perfect symmetry – further testament to the gem-setters’ skill. The grain-setting of the inner rows of diamonds provide a visual anchor for the larger stones and, together with the diamonds framing the dial – visible when the watch is open – emphasise the Art Deco-inspired geometry of the design. Bringing even more light into the piece, the profile of the bracelet is also set with diamonds.
With a total of 1,024 diamonds (for 26.75 carats), the 101 Secrets represents a total of 182 hours of meticulous gem-setting, all undertaken in Jaeger-LeCoultre’s own Metier Rares™ workshop.
101 Bangle – introducing colour in two one-of-a-kind reinterpretations
For the design of the 101 Bangle, first presented in 2020, Jaeger-LeCoultre’s designers took inspiration from …
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