Looking through the treasures of Jaeger‑LeCoultre’s Heritage Gallery, timepieces designed for women since the 19th century brim with creativity and preciousness. All eyes on some of our Maison’s most iconic feminine watches in this first Heritage chronicle.
The Grande Maison has always devoted considerable attention to ladies’ timepieces, in terms of both their aesthetics and their mechanism. In the 19th century, the Manufacture equipped pendant-watches, brooch-watches or wristwatches with their calibers and embellished them using the finest engravers, enamellers, and gem-setters. This tradition goes back to the first round calibers with extremely small diameters, such as the LeCoultre Calibre 7 HP, created by the Maison in 1880.
From 1903 onwards, the association between the Frenchman Edmond Jaeger and Jacques-David LeCoultre of Switzerland, became one of the most successful examples of the balance between style and technique. These two men quickly grasped the fact that the emergence of the wristwatch would revolutionize the shape of watches. From invisible to dazzling, from secret to open, Jaeger‑LeCoultre has enriched this tradition creating swiveling or pivoting watches, ring and pendant-watches ranging from the pure Art Deco style to the most expressive floral motifs. Every one of these timepieces have always been dominated by one requirement: to offer women a movement that is entirely designed and produced under the roof of the Manufacture and that perfectly fits the shape of its case.
Alll of these creations were made possible thanks to the inventive spirit that has always animated our watchmakers. Pushing boundaries and conventions, placing a crown on the back of a caliber for example, Jaeger‑LeCoultre channels the power of the imagination to achieve outstanding horological feats.
In 1925, the creation of the Duoplan allowed the Manufacture to go one step further as the fashion at that time was for very small watches which dimensions would not allow a precise movement to fit in. The Duoplan was revolutionary in that it was built on two levels, offering women a winning combination of elegance and fine watchmaking while gaining precision and accuracy. This caliber equipped some of the most precious watches designed at the Manufacture.