Jaeger-LeCoultre Master Hybris Artistica Calibre 945 ‘Dragon’

Jaeger-LeCoultre has taken the concept of timekeeping beyond mere mechanics, introducing the Master Hybris Artistica Calibre 945 ‘Dragon’—a rare blend of art, astronomy, and horological mastery. With just five pieces in existence, this timepiece is an intricate work of art, featuring hand-engraved dragons and a pink gold case. Designed to represent mankind’s connection to the cosmos, the watch’s signature complication, the Cosmotourbillon, orbits the dial in one sidereal day, while a celestial sky chart tracks the movement of the stars in real-time. Adding to its mystique, the watch includes a minute repeater, ensuring its chimes are as mesmerizing as the celestial display on the dial.

At the heart of this timepiece is the Calibre 945, originally introduced in 2010. This movement integrates a sky chart, zodiac calendar, and Jaeger-LeCoultre’s patented Cosmotourbillon, which orbits the dial in one sidereal day. It also features a sophisticated minute repeater, a combination that highlights the brand’s innovation in astronomical timekeeping and chiming mechanisms. The Calibre 945 interprets celestial movements with a focus on sidereal time, used by astronomers to track the stars’ movement in the night sky.

The latest iteration of this calibre has been given a fresh artistic expression, with the dragon symbolizing a connection to the cosmos’ power and mystery. The dial itself is an artistic marvel. It is built on multiple levels, enhancing the cosmic display while providing a dynamic environment for the hand-engraved gold dragons. These dragons, adorned with intricate scales, climb around the raised sky chart disc, directing attention toward the rotating Cosmotourbillon. As the Cosmotourbillon completes its circuit of the dial in one sidereal day, the dragons accompany its movement, symbolizing the eternal nature of time.

The lower portion of the dial, a black sandblasted disc adorned with stars, complements the celestial map. Around its edge, the months and zodiac signs are displayed, with a gold sun-shaped pointer indicating the date. The dial is further encircled by three rings that show the time. These rings feature a mix of opaline and circular-brushed finishes, adding depth and dimension to the display. The inner ring shows the 24-hour time, while the outermost ring tracks the minutes, with the middle ring displaying 12 hours.

The watch’s case is crafted in pink gold and features a hand-engraved bezel that mirrors the dragon’s scales. This level of artistry is matched by the craftsmanship of the watch’s strap, which includes small-scale alligator lining for a luxurious feel. The intricate bezel engraving took over 50 hours of work, an ode to the attention to detail that Jaeger-LeCoultre’s Métiers RaresTM artisans are known for.

The Cosmotourbillon itself is a unique feature of the timepiece. It serves as the regulating organ of the movement and symbolises the passage of time as it orbits the dial in sync with the stars’ movement. The tourbillon’s anti-clockwise rotation measures one sidereal day, which lasts 23 hours, 56 minutes, and 4.1 seconds. This differs from the standard 24-hour solar day, which is based on Earth’s rotation around the Sun.

In addition to the astronomical complications, the Calibre 945 includes an advanced minute repeater mechanism, elevating Jaeger-LeCoultre’s tradition of chiming watches. The minute repeater, one of the most complex horological mechanisms, requires a sophisticated system to translate the time into a series of chimes, each representing hours, quarters, and minutes. Jaeger-LeCoultre has perfected the art of chiming with innovations such as crystal gongs and trebuchet hammers, ensuring the chimes are clear, harmonious, and pure.