In 2002, a certain Jérôme Lambert became the new CEO of Jaeger-LeCoultre. Ten years later he launched Rendez-Vous, his final collection before leaving La Grande Maison. A further ten years on and Lambert returns to reprise his position as CEO. And who should be waiting to greet him but the Rendez-Vous, in a sparkling new rendition.
This latest variation originates with the Rendez-Vous Tourbillon, which joined the regular collection in 2012. It was followed by a Jewellery version – the basis for this new iteration in turquoise, with 2.52 carats of diamonds on the bezel, case and dial.
Serenity and sparkle
This particular shade of blue-green debuted in 2023. Dubbed “Serenity Blue” and imagined by Jaeger-LeCoultre for the Rendez-Vous, it reveals itself over a palette of tones, moving from a soft silvery-grey through glowing ice blue to a rich turquoise shade – an effect intensified by the sunray finish.
The watch’s design flows around three concentric circles. An outer circle for the hour numerals is closed by a row of diamonds symbolising a minute track, itself intersected by a smaller circle, at 6 o’clock, that encloses the tourbillon. An arrow tip on one of the three arms of the upper bridge counts the seconds as the tourbillon rotates.
Three circles, three indications, hours, minutes, seconds: beneath its sparkling exterior, the Rendez-Vous Jewellery Tourbillon is a stickler for precision: the circle around the tourbillon is set with 60 diamonds (we counted them!) for the 60 seconds. As simple as this construction may seem, the effect would not be the same without the studied proportions and the balance between the three progressively larger circles that flow one into the other.
Diamond discretion
Equal thought has been given to the gem-setting. This is a lot of diamonds (215) but by avoiding accumulations of stones, the watch remains elegant and discreet. So as to accentuate the concentricity of the design, these diamonds delineate four circles around the case, the bezel, the minute track and the opening for the tourbillon. Rather than overload the watch with stones, Jaeger-LeCoultre has left the hour numerals unadorned, letting its Serenity Blue shine. Indeed, with a diameter of just 39mm, the watch must be given space, room to breathe, and most importantly allow effortless legibility. This also explains why the diamonds on the case are set around the lower edge, next to the wrist, rather than flush with the bezel, letting each row of precious stones breathe between two expanses of rose gold.
The Rendez-Vous Jewellery Tourbillon enters the collection as a non-limited piece, with a sapphire case back and an interchangeable light blue alligator strap fastened by a rose gold folding clasp.
