If the Swiss are known for two art forms, they’re chocolate and watchmaking. Whether the Swiss are master chocolatiers is a matter of subjective taste. Timekeeping, however, is a matter of objectivity; watch aficionados around the world celebrate Swiss watchmakers for their remarkable engineering, unconventionally old-school craftsmanship, and emphasis on artisanal metallurgy. If you’ve got reason to doubt it, we encourage you to take a look at Jaeger-LeCoultre’s latest, the Reverso Hybris Mechanica Calibre 185 Quadriptyque.
After 6 years of preparation, 12 patents, and countless human hours spent on re-engineering, the Calibre 185 comes to market as a first-in-kind, four-faced mechanical dress watch.
Reverso Hybris Mechanica Calibre 185 Features
First, let’s run down the global list of features that make this timepiece so significant, and then we’ll wind our way through the unique facets of each face.
Global Features:
- A slim, rectangular case measuring just 51.2 mm x 31 mm x 15.15 mm
- Hand-wound movement
- 97 jewels across 11 complications
- 50-hour power reserve at a 28,000 bph beat rate
- Simple reset via an automated winding and setting mechanism
Face I:
- Time display
- Perpetual calendar
- Flying tourbillon/running seconds indicator (at 7 o’clock position)
- Partially skeletonized guilloche pattern dial to reveal day, month, and date wheels
Face II:
- Situated on the reverse side of Face I
- Smaller time display with digital jumping hour
- Visible, chiming minute repeater components
Face III:
- Situated inside the case
- Incorporates three predictive lunar cycle displays (anomalistic, draconic, and synodic)
Face IV:
- Situated in the case back
- Displays moon phase as seen from the southern hemisphere
Availability & Pricing – Hold on to Your Seats!
The Calibre 185 is JL’s 90th-anniversary commemorative watch. Given the severity and human hours spent crafting just one of these master timepieces, it should come as no surprise that the Swiss horologist is releasing only 10 pieces.
The cost? A humbling €1.35 million each, or about $1.6 million at the time of writing. For availability and reservations, visit the brand’s website.