This is the Jaeger-LeCoultre Master Ultra Thin Réserve de Marche, a new skinnied addition to the Master Collection for 2012.

Things are tickety-boo for Jaeger-LeCoultre at the moment.  Just last week it was reported that 2011 has been their best year yet.   These are troubled economic times and getting it “right” has never been more important.  With a fine selection of celebratory Reversos just coming to an end, and a veritable growing series of increasingly technical timepieces added to their portfolio, Jaeger-LeCoultre seem to doing just that – getting it right.  If CEO Jérôme Lambert feels like one of the industry’s head honchos at the moment, he has every right to be – he is, and with on-going research and development and added investment in the production of in-house escapements this is a brand not only on the crest for now, but one which is putting in place building blocks for the future too.

The Master Ultra Thin Réserve de Marche may be a traditional and very classically styled piece, but at 39mm it is also very much on-trend for the current demand for smaller wrist sizes, and at just 9.85mm thick will barely peep from beneath your tailored cuff.

On the dial the faceted Dauphine hour and minute hands and knife-edged hour markers contrast with the silky smoothness of the other indications – the power reserve at 10 o’clock, the barely there cross-hairs small seconds at 6 and the superb pointer date (- surely the most eye-pleasing of all date indicators) on the right.  Each indication is recessed, each is perfectly proportioned.

Inside is the Jaeger-LeCoultre Calibre 938 with 43 hours of power reserve.  Two editions will be available, a stainless steel case with a silvered dial and a pink gold version with an eggshell white dial.

The Jaeger-LeCoultre Master Ultra Thin Réserve de Marche comes presented on a black alligator leather strap.

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This is the Jaeger-LeCoultre Grande Reverso 1931 Rouge with its superb red lacquered dial.  It is definitely less “rouge noir” and more “rouge sang”, nonetheless it is extremely tasteful and it’s deep hue is in complete harmony with the sharp definition of that iconic Art Deco case.

Jaeger-LeCoultre say that when the original red dial edition was released it became a symbol of the wearer’s “dandyism”.  How appropriate then, that the 2012 “Rouge” should be unveiled in Milan, not only a dandy city, but one which is a major melting pot of fashion, style and design.  Earlier this year we reviewed the Reverso Ultra Thin Tribute to 1931, available in either black or white dial versions, an elegant and classy wristwatch, but unfortunately the latest piece is so chic ……  it makes the others seem “so last season”.

Commendable is the lack of branding.  Jaeger-LeCoultre are not a brand known for messing with their historical editions, so on the dial only the name “Reverso” appears – the company had not yet been founded when the first piece was created. The steel case measures 46mm x 27.5mm with a thickness of just 7.27mm.  Inside is the manual wind Jaeger-LeCoultre Calibre 822.

The Jaeger-LeCoultre Grande Reverso 1931 Rouge will form part of the 2012 collection, to be presented to the industry at SIHH.

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At SIHH 2012, the world’s thinnest self-winding skeletonised watch, the Piaget Altiplano Skeleton Ultra-Thin will be unveiled.  This watch will rest just 5.34mm high on the wrist.  Inside this watch will be a calibre which is  just 2.40mm thick. This is a ground breaking watch.  But how can something so slender be so substantial?

Piaget have been the Masters of skinnying watch movements since the creation of their ground breaking 9P Calibre in 1956.  Just a few years later they managed to slip in a miniscule micro rotor and their 12P Calibre became the world’s thinnest self-winding movement.  To produce an ultra-thin open-worked movement, one which has had its bridges and plates cut away leaving only the essentials required to actually keep it ticking took Piaget three years of research and development.  This is embellishment at its most virtuous – skillful, fastidious work.

The Piaget Calibre 1200S which powers the piece is astoundingly slender, yet the artisans at Piaget have taken the bare-bones network which remains of the  movement and have decorated it with a variety of hand finishing techniques – sunray brushing, sandblasting, hand-bevelling on the bridges and plates and a superb black platinum micro-rotor onto which is engraved the brand’s Coat of Arms.

A bespoke 38mm Altiplano watchcase crafted in white gold has been created to house the Calibre 1200S  skeleton movement keeping the proportions of the piece in balance.

The Piaget Altiplano Skeleton Ultra-Thin watch comes presented on a black alligator leather strap.

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At the recent 2010 SIHH exhibition Zenith present an elegant and understated piece, the Zenith Elite 681 Ultra Thin, released alongside their new stunning El Primero Foudroyante 1/10th Chronograph.

So far 2010 seems to be a year of distinctly classical watches, with pieces such as Jaeger-Le Coultre’s Master Memovox models and IWC’s Portuguese Yacht Club Chronographs appearing as contemporary interpretations of the original models.

Zenith’s Ultra Thin Elite 681 features a pure retro plain dial with faceted hour-markers, elongated sword-shaped hands and a subtle small seconds at 9 o’clock.  The sapphire crystal is slightly domed and the trim watchcase is available in 18 carat rose gold or stainless steel.  Various dial finishes are offered including two limited edition diamond set versions but it would be difficult to surpass the simple silvered style pictured here. The Elite self-winding 681 Calibre is just  3.81mm thick and has a power reserve of 50 hours.

Zenith Elite 681 Ultra Thin

Early extra-thin mechanical watch movements were initially hand wound to avoid the added height needed for an oscillating weight and self-winding ultra thin calibres were pioneered by both Piaget and Vacheron Constantin in the 1950’s and 1960’s.  Both of these brands continue to excel in this niche and it is interesting to note that both have also released anniversary tributes to their original extra-thin calibres this year.

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