The Jaeger-LeCoultre Master Compressor Extreme LAB :- The world first totally lubricant free watch took the extreme approach!

[Jaw]

With the advent of George Daniels/OMEGA Co-Axial, the rush by top brands into Silicium, and the re-invention of Detent Escapement last year by Jaeger-LeCoultre and Audemars Piguet, the race to search for the holy grail of a lubricant free watch by the industry was relentless..


Master Compressor Extreme LAB.

Some two years ago, while the Elipse Isometer Escapement was being prototyped, Jaeger-LeCoultre CEO Mr. Jerome Lambert made his intention clear to his product team. That JLC would not take half measure but to go all out to achieve the near impossible : - A watch without a trace of oil and grease.

On 10th April 2007 at the venue soon to be the Jaeger-LeCoultre museum (still under renovation), CEO Jerome Lambert and Marketing Director Stephane Belmont announced to a roomful of journalists that a Chronometric watch without lubricant, not in the escapement, not in the gear-train, not in the winding system, not in the rotor, NOT in the spring barrel, not in the canon-pinion and not anywhere in the watch, has been successully developed, prototyped, tested and proven in front of the media to work at extreme temperature conditions of as low as -40 degrees and as high as 60 degrees Centigrade.

This watch has 3 new patents pending each on both the movement and the watch case, using a variety of high tech materials and more, comes with a totally new patent pending hairsprings and Balancier designs (more details at a later date) with extreme chronometric and energy efficient performance.

The Horomundi team has collected tons of informations and will be gradually reporting the details in the next few months or so. Meanwhile we ask members to be patient as we reproduce the press release below:

Master Compressor Extreme LAB
When exceptions become the rule

The revolutionary Master Compressor Extreme LAB undoubtedly represents an exceptionalachievement. Operating without any form of lubricant, the new Jaeger-LeCoultre Calibre 988C powering this watch proves itself fully capable of running smoothly for years without any wear of its parts or deterioration of its performances. Even at temperatures of -40°C, when the oils or grease in a classic watch freeze and bring the movement to a halt, the Master Compressor Extreme LAB continues its task unperturbed by any such factors.

A new geometry of the balance, the use of new lighter and more resistant materials in the escapement, and a latest-generation tourbillon regulator, converge in enabling the Jaeger-LeCoultre 988C to establish a new precision benchmark.

Clothed in its high-tech garment, the Master Compressor Extreme LAB prefigures the future of watchmaking. This concentrated blend of technology and inventiveness, for which six patents have been filed, will delight the most discerning connoisseurs… since it will be expressed through an exclusive and limited production.

A unique concept watch (will be delivered and sold in limited quantities

- A lubricant-free watch
- Resistance to extreme temperatures: - 40° / + 60° C
- Innovative character rewarded by six patents
- Movement entirely redesigned and created by Jaeger-LeCoultre
- Two years of intense development
- High-tech design: carbon and titanium case Flagship complications
- Automatic tourbillon with a large variable inertia balance (11.5mg x cm2) oscillating at a high frequency of 28,800 vibrations/hour
- Two time zones
- Pointer-type AM/PM indication at 12 o’clock
- Patented jumping date display between 15 and 16 linked to local time, arranged on either side of the tourbillon

An exceptional concept, a lubricant-free movement

Revolutionary by its very nature, the Master Compressor Extreme LAB does away with the need for any lubricants in the movement. All watch parts have been entirely rethought to achieve the supreme horological quest to eliminate oil so as to ensure optimal operation.


Jaeger-LeCoultre CEO Jerome Lambert with the Master Compressor Extreme LAB.

Traditional mechanical movements use oils or grease to ensure the ideal operating of all the parts in motion. These take the form of oils in varying degrees of fineness for parts with high translation or rotation speeds, or grease for parts subject to powerful pressures or stresses. Unfortunately, the properties of such oils and grease deteriorates over time and the performances of the movement likewise decline if these lubricants are not replaced in due time.

Watchmaking is no exception to this rule, which is why only a lubricant-free watch movement could be genuinely considered as perfect.

Testing conducted during the 1970s on plastic movements had already shown the way towards doing without some of the oils and grease. However, these watches did not stand the test of time, which resulted in wear on the parts that in turn rapidly diminished their chronometric and functional performances.

In its ongoing search to enhance the reliability of mechanical movements, Jaeger-LeCoultre had already renounced the use of lubrication in the ball-bearing mechanisms of automatic winding systems, by introducing ceramic ball-bearings as early as 2002.

Today, the research team at the Manufacture in Le Sentier is raising the bar even higher, exploring totally uncharted territory by making a mechanical movement run without the help of any lubricant whatsoever. This research has culminated in the brand-new Jaeger-LeCoultre Calibre 988C: the first mechanical movement in watchmaking history to operate in an accurate and reliable manner with no lubricant.

The engineers and watchmakers have resorted to new materials and new combinations of materials in order to rise to this historical challenge. The Easium™ carbonitride thus makes its grand entrance onto the watchmaking stage. This extremely hard material features extraordinary tribological properties and is therefore particularly suited to the making bearings able to operate without lubricants. This is why, in Jaeger-LeCoultre Calibre 988C, Easium replaces the traditional jewels lubricated with a fine oil. The burnished steel pivots of the balance-staff are coated with a special surface treatment and turn inside an Easium bearing. The endstone is also made from Easium. This is also a material used to make the two bearings allowing the carriage to turn in the bridges without any need to add jewels that would require lubrication. Watchmakers examining the movement will look in vain for the red gleam of the pallet-stones, noticing instead a distinctive dark substance: black crystalline diamond, a synthetic material as hard as natural diamonds but with considerably enhanced operational properties. Its friction on the silicon teeth of the escape-wheel does not require any oil to improve its operating longevity. All the burnished steel pivots of the wheels and pinions are coated with a surface treatment that obviates any need to oil the jewels

On the other end of the movement, the barrel grease has also disappeared. Instead, a graphite powder helps the bride to slide smoothly inside the drum when the mainspring has been wound beyond the maximum power reserve by the automatic winding mechanism. The molecular structure of graphite consists in a stack of microplatelets; contrary to grease, it retains its lubricating properties over time, whatever the temperature and the hygrometry level. As for the ball-bearing mechanism of the oscillating weight, in addition to the use of ceramic ballbearings mentioned earlier, friction has been reduced by optimising the rotor which features carbon fibre arms and a distinctly lighter and more rigid base. Finally, the oscillating weight segment is surprising in itself with its iridium platinum alloy, the densest non-toxic physical body currently machinable. The entire winding/time-setting mechanism is coated with Nickel-PTFE in order to eliminate the customary greasing points. The date jumper-spring features a frictional surface that also operates in “dry” mode.

The early years of each century are particularly propitious to creativity. On behalf of all watch connoisseurs, one may sincerely hope that the discoveries being made by Jaeger-LeCoultre will have a lasting influence on 21st century horology.

The quest for precision

After several years devoted to a given profession, one might tend to develop a sense of knowing everything and of mastering everything – until a little something challenges even the most deeply ingrained convictions. By way of example, let’s take an inescapable part of a mechanical watch: the balance. Aren’t the most efficient balances circular? The latest research by Jaeger-LeCoultre proves the exact opposite. Lengthy testing has revealed the importance of the total surface of the balance on its aerodynamic performances. The larger the surface, the greater the aerodynamic friction and the more energy it takes to maintain the oscillations of the balance and spring – which is in turn detrimental to precision. The geometry devised by Jaeger-LeCoultre, coupled with the use of an extremely dense material – in this case iridium platinum – minimises the surface in friction. Thus, given a constant level of inertia, this balance requires less energy to oscillate than a traditional balance.


The first photograph of the real watch.

The geometry of the balance has also been designed to reduce the ratio between the mass and the inertia of the balance. High inertia ensures a stable regulator that is fairly insensitive to the vibrations and daily shocks to which a watch is subjected and which disturb its precision. Nonetheless, high inertia implies a higher balance mass, leading to larger losses due to mechanical fiction and thus increased energy consumption to maintain the oscillations – as well as a larger difference in amplitude between horizontal and vertical positions. The balance of the Jaeger-LeCoultre Calibre 988C has been optimised in order to reduce total mass without modifying the determined inertia. The shape of the arms, the openings and the geometry enable a several-point gain in the mass/inertia ratio. This factor directly influences the variations in rate between different positions that are well-known to watchmakers, due to the difference in amplitude between the “dial-up” and “pendant-up” positions. The lower the mass/inertia ratio, the smaller the differences between the various positions, thus enabling the watchmaker to perform a more precise adjustment of the watch.



Meanwhile, the balance-spring makes its own contribution to accuracy. It beats in a perfectly concentric manner in order to guarantee ideal isochronism. Not only does it feature the carefully calculated form of a Phillips terminal curve, but the watchmakers have also created something they call a “bend” in the centre. The “bend” is a distortion of the balance-spring at a
specific place, close to the collet pinning-point, and which at given moments modifies the rigidity of the spring and corrects the natural tendency of any spring to “breathe” in an off-centred manner. Only this winning combination of an outer Phillips terminal curve and a central “bend” makes it possible to create a balance-spring that develops in a perfectly concentric way (meaning with symmetrical expansions and contractions in respect to the centre).

Precise adjustment of this movement is of course performed using screws placed on the balance. This process, now used on all the Jaeger-LeCoultre automatic calibres, has replaced the traditional index assembly and ensures peerless initial reliability of the rate that thereby remains unperturbed over time, even if the watch is accidentally jarred.

To perfect the exceptional efficiency of this regulating organ, the aerodynamic properties of the balance have been fine-tuned by bevelling the arms, by streamlining the shape of the weights, and by integrating adjustment screws inside the weights. The escape-wheel is made from silicon,
which is considerably lighter than steel and thus also favourably influences efficiency.

A one-minute tourbillon houses this literally extraordinary regulator. The tourbillon carriage is machined from blocks of a magnesium alloy that is two and a half times lighter than titanium, and contributes to reducing energy losses due to friction and thus further improves the exceptional efficiency of the regulator. The cadence of 28,800 vibrations per hour, the high (11.5 mg.cm2) inertia of the balance and the tourbillon, together guarantee the Master Compressor Extreme LAB a smooth transition from the laboratory to the wrist.

With this unprecedented watch, Jaeger-LeCoultre confirms its technical leadership in ensuring precision whatever the conditions.

A high-tech exterior

Inspired by the unshakeable conviction that the beauty and perfection of a work of art is expressed in even the smallest details, the watchmakers and designers of the Manufacture have raised the game of precision and functions to unprecedented levels of refinement.

The aesthetics of the Master Compressor Extreme Lab reflect the technology within. Its transparent dial reveals the heart of the horological mechanism featuring a particularly attractive graphic design characterised by subtle contrasts between the black aluminium of the openworked centre bridge and the flange, the white colour of the applied hanging numerals and hour-markers, and the grey of the tourbillon bridge. The centre bridge is made from an aluminium alloy reinforced with particles of titanium carbide, Ticalium®. The mechanical hardness and resistance of this alloy are thus improved by 20% without increasing the density. The case visually reflects the movement with its association of carbon, silicon carbonitride and grade 5 titanium. Three patents have been filed for this case construction alone. The first covers its original structure featuring an interior carbon fibre case fitted inside a titanium ring. The obvious advantage is a gain in weight, but the resulting aesthetic effect is doubtless even more remarkable. The case as a whole is topped by a bezel in silicon carbonitride, a material that is lighter and more resistant than traditional ceramics.


Non Media photo, sapphire case-back view.

The second patent request relates to the suspension mounting of the movement. The silentblock, made from a supple red polyurethane material, not only serves to avoid any risk of water seeping into the crown tube, but also mechanically isolates the movement and its Compressor crown. The calibre and winding-stem are thus mounted in a “free-floating” manner and there is thus no metal to metal link between the movement and the case, which means the watch mechanism is protected from detrimental external influences such as violent shocks or vibrations.

The red eloxed aluminium crown echoes the red elements on the dial, the silent-block shockabsorber and the strap.

Jaeger-LeCoultre has also devoted special attention to the strap of this watch. Its double-layered construction enhances both its robustness and its virile appearance. The unusual combination of materials such as leather, cordura canvas and alcantara, reinforced by a composite strip, lends this strap a three-dimensional appearance on a par with the case to which it is attached. Another patent has been filed for the notched adjustment of the strap fastening, designed to ensure a perfect fit around the curve of the wrist.

With the Master Compressor Extreme World and the AMVOX2, Jaeger-LeCoultre once again demonstrates a proven ability to use its mastery of watchmaking technology to create inventive and functional exterior features that contribute to the performance of its timepieces.



The Jaeger-LeCoultre research unit

Located for the past 145 years at the heart of the Vallée de Joux, the acknowledged paradise of watch complications, Jaeger-LeCoultre has been assiduously cultivating the pioneering spirit characteristic of the inhabitants of the region. Only inventiveness and an ability to adjust to their environment could have enabled the people of the valley to survive through the centuries. Antoine LeCoultre, the man behind what was to become the Jaeger-LeCoultre brand, displayedva particularly powerful inventive spirit. The watch components he made with machines he hadvhimself designed and produced turned out to be so precise that he even had to invent new measuring instruments able to measure one thousandths of a millimetre for the very first time. This spirit is still perpetuated within the Manufacture Jaeger-LeCoultre, which has developed around Antoine’s original farm-workshop. Building on the experience gained from over 1,000 movements developed since its early days, and the expertise of a complete “Manufacture” making it possible to create prototypes of the most innovative mechanisms, the Jaeger-LeCoultre development team is capable of pushing the frontiers of what is deemed conceivable in the sphere of traditional watchmaking. Recent inventions such as the spherical tourbillon in 2004, the crystal gong in 2005 and the ellipse isometer escapement in 2006, eloquently confirm this capacity. These impressive feats stem from a healthy confrontation between watchmaking
tradition, cutting-edge development and production technologies, and the use of new materials – the end result being that Jaeger-LeCoultre is widely considered by analysts to be the most innovative brand in the high-end watchmaking segment.

This approach has led to the emergence of new professions in the company’s premises in Le Sentier, including computer simulation specialists, watchmaking analysts and material engineers, all working side by side with the traditional professions within the sector. This emulation in turn gives rise to mechanisms that will forge the success of the watches of the future. In order to reinforce its approach aimed at boosting and enhancing watch technologies, Jaeger-LeCoultre has decided to unite these new professions within a single “think-tank” unit that plays a complementary role to the existing development, laboratory and prototype-making setup. Its distinctive feature lies in its mission to work on topics not directly linked to new watch development projects. It is responsible for examining the new challenges of contemporary
watchmaking, particularly in terms of precision and reliability.

The Master Compressor Extreme LAB constitutes the ultimate symbolic expression of the philosophy and dynamism driving the Jaeger-LeCoultre brand.

Conclusion

The Master Compressor Extreme LAB sweeps aside all standard conventions. Years of research and effort have been devoted to finding the technical solutions destined to solve an issue as old as watchmaking itself – simultaneously envisioned from a conceptual and technical angle, and from that of hand craftsmanship. It took a brand endowed with such a strong heritage as Jaeger-LeCoultre to create the Master Compressor Extreme LAB, boasting exceptional breakthrough features that foreshadow the watches of the future.


The Side View, more details on the unique clickable strap positions at a later date.

Six patents pending

Technical characteristics

307 parts
Mechanical automatic movement, Jaeger-LeCoultre Calibre 988C
28,800 vibrations per hour, 4 hertz
A barrel
Tourbillon with magnesium carriage
Two time zones
AM/PM indication with local time
Central pointer-type calendar displays that jumps over the tourbillon carriage
Movement diameter 30.0 mm
Movement thickness 7.05 mm
Case diameter 45.0 mm
Case thickness 14.80 mm
Operational between -40° and +60°C
No oil, no grease
Iridium platinum oscillating weight with carbon base
Black diamond pallet-stones
Easium jewels
48-hour power reserve
Water-resistant to 100 metres
Crafted in carbon and titanium
Exclusive, limited annual production
Reference: Q179T470

[Duncan]

Wow, thanks for sharing this with us Jaw!

Just when you wonder what else MJLC can do, they come out with this truly revolutionary timepiece.

First , JLC delivers the dual-axis Gyrotourbillon and now the first lubricant-free watch, and it is a tourbillon too!

I think I have to reread the article to try and understand all of the innovations that are incorporated into this exciting timepiece.

Thanks again and we can't wait to hear what's next!

Duncan

[damien]

Wow, this could be the breakout year for MJLC. It's also a real eye catching design; the best looking Compressor in my book (with a tourbillon to boot). Too bad it's out of my league, otherwise I'll sign up for one sight unseen (while we're fantasizing, put me down for a Duometre Chrono as well).

I can just see a non-tourbillon MCEL being the de rigeur timepiece for any extreme sportsperson - from an Everest climber to a motorcyclist in the Paris Dakkar rally. Panerai and Rolex has got some real mean competition now, and not just some pretty boy.

Thanks again Jaw for the detailed report.

[Duncan]

Hi Damien,

Doesn't it seem like we have been saying "this could be a breakout year for MJLC" every year since 2004?

Maybe they have truly arrived...

Duncan

[Stefano]

Originally Posted by Duncan

Maybe they have truly arrived...

Duncan

I would say that it's a fact! Makes me wonder....what's next?

The days of JLC being the support for the big 3 are over...JLC is pushing its way to the top!

Bravo JLC!

[jimsbk]

What an achievement and a very beautifully crafted and designed sporty tourbillon watch. MJLC ceases to surprise and I am sitting down to read just in case Jaw springs another surprise for my aging heart! Congratulations MJLC and Mr. Lambert. Cheers Jim

[damien]

Hi Duncan, it's certainly something that bears repeating. I guess it's up to those unknown elements (who knows, a new design, a different pricing strategy, a change of government in Thailand) to bring MJLC to the tipping point.

It's not a coincidence that when I read Jaw's excellent report about the formation of the LAB, it reminded me of an article I read earlier this morning about GSK adopting Renault's 'one-roof' approach to bringing its experts together and trimming 2 years from its new vaccine timeline. Hats off to Jerome Lambert and his fantastic team. It's such a joy to not just see new cases and dials.

[Lol-x]

"I want one, and I want one now!" (as the spoilt girl said in Willy Wonker & the Chocolate Factory)

Seriously, this is a horological step forward and the hi-tech design with titanium just compliments the technology of the movement.

I don't fully understand the ability of the watch to be lubricant free, but it was only recently that I pontificated about a watch without lubricants like the Atmos.

You know JLC is just AWESOME with their innovation. And just to top it off it is a tourbillon unbelievable, incredible....no JLC

I wonder what is the recommended service interval for this watch?

[Dirk]

Astounding. Fantastic. Awesome.

... and that is just how it looks http://www.horomundi.com/forum/images/smilies/smile.gif


Seriously, though, the movement and case design elements that make the claim for a lubricant free watch I will have to try to understand once further details are published.

I agree, however, that this is the best looking new sports watch I have seen for a while - and I should add I like none of the Master Compressor series.

Duncan, fancy buying a couple and giving away another tourbillon? Well, you have made us dream before ...

Dirk

[Duncan]

Hi Dirk,

Now you have spoiled my surprise!

Oh well, back to the drawing board...

Duncan

[Jaw]

Full details on the lubrication when possible.. sorry, full schedule today.

Jaw

[HerrK]

.

[etchu]

this watch is beyond my imagination!

[Badwisdom]

Please tell me how much !! I want this watch so bad !!!

[watchculture]

Telflon has one of the lowest coefficient of friction μ 0.04 (with or without lubrication) these parts may be zero coefficient of friction??
Looks like MJLC's artistic designers(great aesthetics) and their material science engineers (using super alloys) have been working over time

Kudos to their design team and thanks for the update Jaw.

[psmahtani]

This might just be one of those things that would go down in the history of horology...

[Alberto]

WOW, this sounds very, very cool! I cannot wait to see it in the flesh...

[Milan]

For the Nth time JLC I am in awe!

Can't find the proper words to express myself so I will wait while cherishing the thought of actually having a chance to handle it next Friday. :cool:

[SteveW]

I have never been quite moved by JLC pieces until this one. The sheer innovation in this breathtaking piece is exceptional. To me, this ranks right up there with dream watches alongside my own personal favorite, Richard Mille. Quite simply amazing! --Steve

[Jacky]

Now...thats a really cool watch! I think the world of horology is really going the way of avant garde All classic brands except for Patek and VC had come out with some very spectacular modern designs...cool cool...

Thanks Jaw for the reports. Your tireless efforts are always appreciated



Regards