LONDON, 8 JULY 2019: Guests of Jaeger-LeCoultre enjoyed a gala dinner in a celebration of the Art of Precision, in the company of friend of the Maison Benedict Cumberbatch, shining the light on the Maison’s 186-year history of watchmaking at London’s Royal Academy of Arts Summer Exhibition. Founded by King George III in 1768, the Royal Academy is an independent institution led by eminent artists and architects whose mission is to be a voice for art and artists, while promoting the visual arts through exhibitions, education and debate.
A highlight of the evening was a Letters Live performance by Benedict Cumberbatch, Juliet Stevenson, Ellie Bamber and Clarke Peters. A philanthropic initiative, Letters Live promotes the power of literacy by inviting influential artists to perform live readings of historical letters, while adding their own artistic interpretation to the original text.
Jaeger-LeCoultre watches on display during the evening including the Maison’s latest masterpiece introduced at 2019 Salon International de la Haute Horlogerie (SIHH), the Master Grande Tradition Gyrotourbillon Westminster Perpétuel, brings together high watchmaking and modern wearability. It boasts a miniaturised multi-axis gyrotourbillon and has been designed with four sets of hammers and patented crystal gongs to play the Westminster carillon, the musicality made famous by the clock tower housing Big Ben at London's Palace of Westminster. The new design also incorporates a one-minute constant force mechanism which acts as a secondary power source, providing consistent energy to the tourbillon in order to further enhance the accuracy of both the jumping minute hand and the minute repeater.
Also on show was the Master Grande Tradition Répétition Minutes Perpétuelle, with new helix shaped gongs and an innovative configuration which instead of seeing the gongs lying flat allows them unprecedented height and space, in a structure designed to replicate the richness and strength of the chimes of antique sonnerie pocket watches. The Master Grande Tradition Répétition Minutes Perpétuelle comes with a new case comprising more than 80 separate hand finished parts and an automatic mechanism and perpetual calendar overcoming the need for manual winding.
The Royal Academy has played host to some of the most celebrated treasures of the art world for over 250 years, including the only marble sculpture by Michelangelo in Great Britain. Tonight it served as the perfect venue to savour both the craftsmanship and the infinitesimal attention to detail evident in the masterpieces of Jaeger-LeCoultre.
