Whether it comes to fragments from asteroids or of even more impalpable origins in the comets wandering through the solar system, meteorites lend themselves to all manner of inner fantasies. Their ages, estimated at millions or hundreds of millions of years, defy our imagination. Their rarity is equally fascinating, since very few of them actually manage to reach the surface of the earth. Known as “shooting stars” when they light up summer nights, or “bolides” when they are large or bright enough to be seen by day, meteorites leave a characteristic luminous trail when entering the atmosphere. An authentic invitation to make a wish…

Revealing the beauty of a celestial fragment

On this new watch, the strange and fascinating meteorite stone used for the dial shakes up the traditionally pure, understated aesthetic of the Master Calendar. Composed of a single block of meteorite discovered and officially registered in Sweden, it comes from the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter.

However, its iron content makes this material difficult to work with. To get an aesthetically perfect dial, this block of meteorite is cut into several thin plates in a process involving countless precautions, until the exact plate corresponding to the demands imposed by the Jaeger-LeCoultre watchmaking Manufacture is achieved. Still in its rough state at this stage, the meteorite must undergo several preparatory phases before revealing the structure of its stone that features a unique pattern shown by each cut. At the end of a lengthy and delicate procedure, it can at last express the beauty that it has stored up across several million years. The experience is unutterably moving, as if a part of the universe were converging towards the stone dial, at last within reach.

Useful functions

The earth’s spinning on its axis determines the length of the day, while its rotation around the sun defines the year. Likewise, moon phases – and the approximately 29-day gap between two new moons – are behind the duration of the week and month. Each major civilisation has sought to convey through a calendar the various celestial movements it has observed.

Calendar-related indications are among the most useful a watch can offer. Representing the iconic calendar complication, the complete calendar of the Master Calendar model displays the perpetual calendar by means of a long hand tipped with a red moon crescent sweeping around a scale around the dial rim graduated from 1 to 31. It also indicates the day of the week and the month in twin apertures at 12 o’clock. Featured on certain Renaissance pocket watches before being more widely used in the 19th century, this numerical display principle serves to catch attention and focus it firmly on the present.

Finally, the complete calendar indicates the various moon phases – new moon, first quarter, full moon and last quarter – in the traditional form of this emblematic heavenly body emerging from between two clouds and rising up against a star-studded sky.

Carefully balanced visual effect

The deftly mastered construction of the dial ensures immediate and pleasurable readings of the information, with hours and minutes shown by dauphine hands and small seconds at 6 o’clock.

Everything is driven by the will to achieve the right balance between watchmaking expertise, aesthetic elegance and optimal comfort. With a diameter of 39 mm and thickness of 10.6 mm, the case is designed to adapt to the curve of each wrist. Its subtle discretion could easily make one forget the considerable efforts deployed by the master craftsmen in fitting an automatic movement with a full calendar inside such a pleasantly sized case. This careful attention to detail runs all the way to the very heart of the watch. The sapphire crystal case-back of the Master Calendar puts the intricate workings of Jaeger-LeCoultre Calibre 866 on display, and its delicate finishes testify to a work of infinite patience. They reflect the soul and the rigorous discipline of the craftsmen of the Manufacture in the Vallée de Joux, for whom every gesture is imbued with true meaning.

The new Master Calendar watch remains true to its initial philosophy of setting an aesthetically harmonious and perfectly readable stage for time in its entirety. As though the present moment in time could be captured within a single glance.