Two Jaeger-LeCoultre watches have recently been awarded first and second prize respectively in the Chronometrie 2009 International Timing Competition. The two award-winning watches, The Master Tourbillon and the Reverso Gyrotourbillon 2, join Jaeger-LeCoultre’s Master Grande Tradition Tourbillon à Quantième Perpétuel, whose award we reported last month.
The Chronometrie 2009 International Timing Competition for mechanical wristwatches has not been held since 1972. The competition was specifically resurrected this year as part of the celebrations to make the 50th anniversary of the watch museum in Le Locle. The UNESCO World Heritage Site of Le Locle, in the Canton of Neuchâtel in Switzerland, was once the centre of the watch-making industry because of its role in the origins and development of the chronometer, long before the era of the quartz watch.
The Master Tourbillon wristwatch, with a Jaeger-LeCoultre Calibre 978, achieved a total of 909 perfect timing points out of a possible score of 1 000. The result means that the Master Tourbillon is now confirmed as the most precise mechanical wristwatch made today.
And if taking first place was not in itself god enough for Jaeger-LeCoultre, following closely behind in second place achieving a total of 908 points was their Reverso Gyrotourbillon 2 with a Jaeger-LeCoultre Calibre 174. A close run call indeed, but affirming the widely held reputation for precise time-keeping that Jaeger-LeCoultre watches have gained.
