Just like Aston Martin does it with their luxury grand tourers, Jaeger-LeCoultre offers you a breathtaking combination of ingenious engineering and beautiful exterior with their latest AMVOX 3 Tourbillon GMT Aston Martin (Ref. 193 C4 50).
The outstanding Calibre 988c is full of technological innovations and is as complex as a modern mechanical movement can be. The body is meticulously crafted and the open-working dial somehow manages to be extremely legible while putting on display the timekeeper’s inner workings. Although the Ref. 193 C4 50 lacks the usual transponder chip that would allow you to open and start the sports car, it is still worth every single penny that Jaeger-LeCoultre plans to charge for it.
Just like money follows money, big brands tend to attract each other.
The truism comes especially obvious when these brands belong to different markets or even different industries.
Take for example the makers of luxury watches and luxury cars. Just about any carmaker or race team owner at least once partnered with a Swiss watchmaker to create a co-branded “special edition”.
It is like two rock stars that record a single together targeting each other’s loyal fans.
No wonder that Jaeger LeCoultre, one of the biggest players on the market, and Aston Martin, the company that produces the best exclusive cars for everyday driving pleasure, have teamed together to create this wonderful watch.
Well, it is more appropriate to say “teamed again,” since it is the third installment of the super-limited series.
The AMVOX 3 Tourbillon GMT Aston Martin (Ref. 193 C4 50), as the company is reporting in its press release, features a large 44mm case made of ceramics and 18Kt rose gold.
The lightweight Caliber 988C features automatic winding, 35 jewels, and a power reserve of 48 hours. A pair of sapphire crystals on both sides protects the mechanism from dust, moisture, and other unpleasant things that can ruin such a pricey piece of fine machinery.
First revealed last year together with the JLC Master Compressor Extreme LAB concept, the movement sports a lubricant-free design and is operational in a wide range of temperatures from -40° to +60° Celsius. Even the spring barrel, which is always greased to assure smooth operation, is now “lubricated” not with oil, but with almost eternal graphite powder.
Unlike the previous iterations, the new AMVOX3 features such elaborate complications as a tourbillon escapement that you can admire through a cut-out at 6 o’clock. Equipped with a variable-inertia balance oscillating at a cadence of 28,800 vibrations per hour, the tourbillon features a luminous, open-worked rectangular hand and serves as a small seconds indicator.
The other complication is the second time-zone display. Besides the usual additional hour hand, there is also an ever-useful AM/PM indication at 12 o’clock.
You can easily adjust the main hour hand in one-hour backward or forward increments by rotating the crown, which is convenient, especially for those who have to cross multiple time zones during the day.
See also: IWC Pilot Double Chronograph Edition TOP GUN
Photos: Jaeger LeCoultre
Jaeger LeCoultre AMVOX 3 Tourbillon GMT specification:
Price range: €70,000 (MSRP)
Movement: Mechanical automatic Jaeger-LeCoultre Calibre 988c, Swiss Made
Movement finish: Crafted and decorated by hand, ruthenium-treated bridges, and mainplate
Complications: Automatic tourbillon with large 11.5mg x cm2 variable-inertia balance, AM/PM indicator bridge in black anodized aluminum
Power reserve: 48 hours
Case: Ceramics, with back bezel and crown in 18-karat pink gold
Size: 44.00 mm
Dial: Black with gridwork motif inspired by automobile air inlets, Black luminescent numerals
Strap: Black leather strap with a folding clasp in satin-brushed 18-karat pink gold
Water resistance: 50 meters
Crystal: Cambered sapphire crystal, hardness No 9
Limited Edition of individually numbered 300 units
Back: Sapphire