HYBRIS MECHANICA

Jaeger leCoultre is one of those "Houses" that never cease to amaze me. After the last years almost supernatural development of until now unseen horological exploits there is still room for more. Jaeger, as I have mentioned many times in the past, absolutely rules the market in the midrange complication. You will NOT get movements of this variety and complexity at any other manufacturer. The AMVOX2, Scuadra GMT or even the Duometre are simply unthinkable at these prices under more "prestigious" brand names. There is no question in my mind that Jaeger is by a landslide the most honest manufacture out there. It is undoubtedly one of the more prestigious watch manufacturers of our times. Wether one might like them or not, one thing is certain... they are a great piece of machinery. Yet, it does not share the "glamour" or "bling-bling" that houses like Patek or AP have, but adepts are growing at a steady rate. The advantage of not being a fashion item is that in the long run you only depend on yourself and the customers you have convinced. Contrary to fashion victims there are very loyal and are likely to stick with you for a long time.

After the Triptyque and the GyroTourbillon Jaeger sets the bar to an even higher level. The "Hybris Mechanica" is a jaw dropper. Whether it is the MOST complicated watch to date is generally a difficult statement to back. Here, however, it is not difficult at all. At least you could put it up there in the glorious "top ten" of all time. Don't be confused, that top ten is a very difficult place to be. Patek's calibre 89 and Richard's RM008 are two that I dare put in this category together with the Hybris Mechanica. The other seven spots I let you decide...

Essentially the Hybris Mechanica is a Grande Sonnerie including a Westminster Carillon with four hammers that includes a jumping hour regulator and perpetual calendar as its main functions. Upsss... forgot the flying Tourbillon. Just like in the Duometre the power reserves of the "sonnerie" and watch are separate. A new development is the activation of the repeater by pressing the crown instead of pulling a lateral trigger. The whole lot will be delivered in a special safety vault over 2,000 pounds heavy including a Gyro and a Triptyque. There will be only 30 sets of these available. Instead of getting into too much mechanical and technical details, many of which are not too clear yet, I am posting some pictures for your enjoyment. I will try to get a full technical explanation/resume in English for you. Once I have it, I will post it...


Now, back to business. The price will obviously be completely out of this world and considering a purchase is wishful thinking for all but a few. So why should this watch be of any consequence if there are going to be so few of them and so expensive? Easy. Because like with car prototypes there are things developed on products such as this that might one day find themselves into more affordable watches. Here are some things that jump to my mind when I see the Hybris;

- The crown to activate the Sonnerie. Could this be a way to dispose of the lateral trigger and improve on waterproof ratings on repeaters? Despite new material and miracle rubber gaskets these triggers are a nightmare to adequately waterproof.

- The style and philosophy of the Duometre is patent with the Hybris. This hopefully means that the Duometre "project" is alive and will keep evolving. A great development for watch lovers.

- Jumping hours, retrogrades and regulators could be back at Jaeger. For us watch lovers it would be great to see this in the Duometre philosophy.

- The fact that Jaeger had the BALLS to go ahead with this project despite the current economic situation. Many big projects such as this where put on standby by most other big companies. AP was the other exception. I do not want to be mean but, what novelties did Patek present this year in terns of horological development? A no-show like most others...

- The most surprising and what probably will be eclipsed by the Hybris is the new adjustable "Ardillon" buckle. Wonderful! At last the problem has been tackled and from the looks of it resolved!!! Out of all three variants; the deployant buckle, the butterfly buckle (just like the deployant but with two hinges so the buckle remains in the middle) and the classic ardillon... I always liked the ardillon because it was secure, thiner than a deployant and more comfortable. Except for sports watches the classic ardillon is still the best solution to fasten you strap. One of the problems with classic ardillons occurs in summer with swelling wrists. Most people need to their strap to another hole during summer because of the heat making you wrist swell. This meant that you have to remove the watch, at the risk of dropping it, and set it to a different hole. This also takes a tole on the leather strap causing it to wear much more quickly. With this new ardillon the problem has been solved. You get the flexibility to adjust size for heat without removing the watch and keep the comfort or a traditional ardillon.


Believe it or not, out of all the novelties included in this new marvel this is without a doubt the first I would love to see in regular production models. Hell, the second they have matching metals of this new ardillon for my cases I am getting one for all of my Jaegers!

Jaeger leCoultre...