JLC Duometre Chronograph Moon - What a Combo!

Launched at the Watches & Wonders 2024, the Jaeger-LeCoultre Duometre Chronograph Moon is watchmaking at its best.

But first, my two Duometre...

First, the Duometre a Chronographe (above)

And the Duometre a Quantieme Lunaire... And then there is the new Chronograph Moon (below)

The Platinum version...

And the Rose Gold version.

Fitted with the new Calibre 391, the Chronograph Moon is a combination of two previous iterations - the Duometre a Quantieme Lunaire and the Duometre a Chronographe, both of which I am featuring here.

I have always liked the Duometre range and as luck would have it, was able to acquire the Duometre a Quantieme Lunaire Limited Edition from the secondary market. This version comes with a white grand feu enamel dial.

Prominent in the Duometre range is the 1/6th second - also known as Foudroyante. Both worked differently in the Quantieme Lunaire and the Chronograph.

What's really interesting about the Duometre range is the movement.

Featuring two barrels, each barrel powers diffrent function - one the complication and the other powers the gear train for timekeeping.

Next up is the Duometre Chronograph...

Again, this is another Limited Edition piece in white gold case and a black dial.

Unlike the Quantieme Lunaire, where the time sub-dial is on the right the time subdial in this case is on the left at the 9 o'clock. The right sub-dial is the chronograph sub-dial with a digital reader to boot.

And unlike the Quantieme Lunaire, the Foudroyante function does not activate until the chronograph is activated. With the Quantieme Lunaire, the Foudroyante function is always constantly beating.

The movement also has 2 regulating organs - one for the chronograph and one for timekeeping. In this way, the accuracy of the timepiece improves as one barrel powers the chronograph and the other the time telling mechanism.

The chronograph is a column wheel (see below)...

As one would expect, the finishing on the Duometre is very well done.

Now back to the newly launched Chronograph Moon - this is a combination of the Quantieme Lunaire and the Chronograph...

Operating under the hood is the new Calibre 391 which I understand was modified from the 381. Whatever the case, it's no slouch and I suspect the movement under scrutiny will stand well on its own.

Between the platinum and the rose gold version, which one looks more appealing to you? For me, I still like the white metal but if only they could have done it in enamel, that would have been an outright winner for me.

Watches I Have Come Across - Lange Cabaret Moonphase

Throughout my watch collecting journey, I have been blessed to have come across many timepieces and I intend to document them in this photo essay. These are timepieces I don't own but have been fortunate to be able to see, feel, touch and photograph them. This time, I feature The Lange Cabaret Moonphase

The Cabaret range was not one of the 4 icons that was released back in 1994, but it is no less impressive.

First released as a time only piece, they later released it in several iterations - the moonphase and the Tourbillon.

The rectangular case with the big date at 12 o'clock is so Lange...

And the moonphase is located opposite at the 6 o'clock

What I like about the brand is that they do not take short cuts - what do I mean by that? Well, they developed a new movement to fit the form. A rectangular movement in a rectangular case.

And some Lange signature too... German silver and...

The hand engraved balance cock

And unlike the Lange 1, the adjustment for the date and moonphase is on the side of the case.

While not the most well known Lange, the Cabaret is still a lovely piece. And the Cabaret Tourbillon, when released, was the first Tourbillon that featured a stop function. Yes, when the crown is pulled the Tourbillon stopped and unlike all other timepieces when the Tourbillon continues to rotate while the wearer sets the time.

Leap Year GTG - All That Showed Up! Part 2

Following my Part 1 where I showcased more unusual Perpetual Calendar timepieces, this part will feature the "BIG" pieces... For the first photo essay please click on this link.

The Pateks, AP, Chopard, Moser and Roger Dubuis all feature in this report. Let's start with the most intelligent Perpetual Calendar there is out there - the Moser Perpetual One with the Flash Calendar feature.

First, the fume dial Endeavour Perpetual with a white gold case. For those who know, the minimalist display is ingenious. Unlike "regular" QPs using subdials to display the date and month, the Moser uses a small pointer arrow to indicate the month instead. If that's not ingenious, I don't know what is. Up until then, no watch brand has thought of that.

What's so intelligent about this perpetual calendar timepiece you say? Well, for one the date is a large date window that can be adjusted forward and backward. No worries about over winding - past the date, just set it back. Secondly, the date, month and leap year indication all change in synchrony - one of the few QPs that have this feature.

And the manual winding timepiece comes with 7 days of power reserve. The rose gold version above comes with a black lacquer dial. But unlike most QPs, the adjustment is entirely by the crown, save the one pusher at the 9 o'clock for the leap year advancement.

Next up is the pair of Chopard LUC Lunar One - one in rose gold and another in platinum. Both early versions from the brand.

As with the Moser, the Chopard also features an instant jump but has one more complication compared to the Moser - the moonphase indication.

The platinum version of the Lunar One...

At this juncture, we were all starting to discuss the Leap Year indicator - is it supposed to be showing 1 or 4? Lively discussion about how one has made mistakes on the Leap Year indication only to realise it too late after the date has passed... We believe most (if not all) indicators should show 4 with some brands actually having the 4 in red as with the Chopard.

One of the "bigger" piece at the GTG is this Audemars Piguet Royal Oak White Ceramic Perpetual Calendar... While they have released the blue ceramic piece, I find the white ceramic more appealing.

AP did it differently with their Leap Year indication using the letter L instead of the number 4. No confusion here.

Then the three Pateks - reference 5159, 5970 and 5146. Those familar with the references will know what I am talking about. First, another iconic piece - the Nautilus Perpetual Calendar.

As you can see, Patek uses the number 4 to indicate the Leap Year. But who is nitpicking? It's a Patek after all.

Not an everyday watch but definitely one with presence.

Then there is this retrograde beauty - a much more subtle QP.

The use of windows instead of sub-dials make this one more legible.

Property of a discerning gentleman.

The Grand Complication Perpetual Calendar Chronograph - the epitome of any collector's dream.

Perpetual Calendar Chronographs are not norms, hence the name Grand Complication for the 5970.

Even while the display of the 5970 uses sub-dials, the overall legibility is still very good. Grail worthy!

What about this Roger Dubuis Sympathie Bi-Retrograde Perpetual Calendar Chronograph?

Slightly more complicated than the 5970J with the bi-retrograde day and date, the case shape is so difficult to make that later versions came with rounded sapphire instead of one cut out to fit the case shape.

And the beauty is also at the back too...

Then there are two pieces that, while not QPs, are very interesting pieces. The Arnold and Son Luna Magna and the Carl F Bucherer Heritage Bicompax Annual Calendar. Let's start with the Carl F Bucherer annual calendar...

I'm not one for date windows at 4 o'clock but in this case, the window at 4 o'clock displays the month of the year.

Unlike Perpetual Calendars, Annual Calendars do not account for the Leap Year which means one has to adjust every February as the date jumps from 28 to 29 through to 1 March. Other than that, the annual calendar will get the days of the month correct regardless of it being 30 or 31 days. So if one wears it as a daily beater, one only need to adjust in the month of February.

What a moonphase! The Arnold and Son Luna Magna has one of the largest 3D moonphase display in the world of horology.

Magnificent!

The 3D moon is 12mm in diameter with one half of the sphere made of white marble and the other half of aventurine glass. Talk about a watch with presence...

The GTG was fun and for the first time, so many Perpetual Calendars made their appearance and presence felt. Many unusual finds and many big pieces on display. And then there were the 5 MIH Annual Calendars. I was somewhat disappointed no Lange QP made an appearance here - that would have been great.

So which particular Perpetual Calendar caught your eye?