Rendez-Vous Moon

SIHH 2015

JAEGER-LECOULTRE

Rendez-Vous Moon,
living in harmony with the queen of the night
 
Endowed with its powerful and beautifully staged moon-phase display, the Rendez-Vous Moon of Jaeger-LeCoultre extends an enticing invitation to follow the guidance of the most feminine of celestial bodies.
 
A symbol of time, the moon is the hourglass of water tides and of our biological clocks. It is also an emblem of womanhood, alternately viewed as wife, daughter or sister. Its fertile, maternal image nurtures our imagination. Is it the milky colour conferred by the reflection of the sun – its husband according to the Incas – that has given it such a feminine aura' Others choose to see in it only the hidden, nebulous face. However, when positioned directly opposite to the sun that lights it up entirely, the moon shines with a benevolent radiance, illuminating the night with its full, glowing roundness. Meanwhile, its quarters serve to cultivate the mysterious aspects of its nature.
 
All eyes on a stellar complication

Jaeger-LeCoultre wished to share its fascination for the heavens above us with women who are drawn to the beauty of our universe. With them in mind, the Manufacture has designed and developed a new model for its iconic feminine line. It has chosen to equip it with moon phases, a traditional watchmaking complication that finds a new form of aesthetic expression in the Rendez-Vous Moon.
 
Moon phases play the starring role, exuding an exceptionally powerful presence on this model. Generously proportioned and more radiant than ever, this display vividly reveals the creative freedom that drives the Grande Maison. As the days and nights slip by, the moon shares its precious information with the woman who wears the Rendez-Vous Moon. Full moon, new moon, waxing gibbous, first quarter or first crescent: each and every step in its cycle can be experienced live. One may choose to take account of lunar indications just as entire generations have done and continue to do, or one may decide to ignore them. While that is a matter of personal inclination, one thing is for sure: the moon phase is to watchmaking what haute couture is to fashion: remarkable and thus essential.
 
The decision to endow this horological complication with a degree of precision testifies to Jaeger-LeCoultre’s strong commitment to the development of its new movement. While a classic moon phase shows a one-day deviation every two and a half years, the Rendez-Vous Moon is destined to remain accurate for 972 years – an eternity by human standards.
 
Subtle equilibrium

In this new creation, the pursuit of harmony was more relevant than ever, the aim being to preserve the expressive and distinctive characteristics of the Rendez-Vous line, while giving the moon a space commensurate with its decisive role in setting the cadence of our lives.

A sharp eye will immediately note that the crescent of the Rendez-Vous Moon bears a stylised hours arc distinguished by elongated numerals. It tops a disc affording a captivating vision of the heavenly canopy and occupies almost half the dial. The deep blue sky reveals the constellations and shines with a sprinkling of sparkling diamonds. The main highlights of this model, meaning the display of the passing hours and the calendar complication, thus divide up the available territory in a spirit of perfect equity – very much like the Rendez-Vous Moon as a whole, in which technical and aesthetic elements play an equally important part.
 
A luminous mantle

Mother-of-pearl was the natural choice to adorn the moon disc. This material is symbolically associated with a variety of feminine, soothing and sometimes even protective virtues, such as smoothing out life’s difficulties and sorrows. The colour and the shimmering iridescence vary from one type of mother-of-pearl to the next, but its emotional impact remains unchanged.
 
Diamonds also take part in this celebration of light, since gem-setting is one of Jaeger-LeCoultre’s traditional skills. On the white gold model, Jaeger-LeCoultre has opted to set the gems dancing along the side of the case all the way to the crowns, bezel and lugs, before unfurling in a glittering diadem above the numerals. The gem-setting thus creates a beaming circle of light both above and all around the watch. It is subtly modified in step with wrist movements. The two crowns are each set with an inverted diamond. One serves to adjust the time and the moon phase. The other guides the moving star serving to personalise time. Sparkling on the chapter ring at the precise time chosen by the wearer, it represents a real-life or secret rendez-vous that is truly hers alone. 
 
Two sizes, two expressions of seductive appeal 

Jaeger-LeCoultre has opted to provide two versions of this new model, in 36 and 39 mm diameters. They share several characteristics, including the mother-of-pearl moon disc studded with constellations and sprinkled with cabochons representing the stars. Both versions come on a blue satin strap.
 
The 36-mm Rendez-Vous Moon features a dial bearing blue numerals that echo the deep shade of the sky. Sparkling with the radiant fire of 166 brilliant-cut diamonds, this model makes a perfect fit on the daintiest wrists. 
 
The larger 39-mm diameter of the Rendez-Vous Moon is matched by correspondingly enhanced sophistication. The generously sized dial provides ample space for guilloché craftsmanship. The sky of the Rendez-Vous Moon is adorned with this delicate engraving technique performed using a dedicated rose engine that requires a sure hand to create beautifully intersecting motifs. The resulting pattern is coated with a blue lacquer that induces a unique depth effect, drawing the gaze into the nocturnal expanses of the dial framed by a seductive row of diamonds. A total of 208 brilliant-cut diamonds play their part in the exquisite gem-setting of this captivating creation.