Production, decoration and
assembly at Jaeger-LeCoultre
PALLET LEVER
We the visited profile turning and cutting atelier, the pallet-lever assembly
workshop, the decoration and jeweling workshop. At the museum we had a
presentation of the collection and we were able to handle and examine some
of the complicated watches in the collection under loupe ourselves.
I was certainly struck by the handmade nature of the manufacture — from
the individuals who work machining individual very small parts of several
shapes sorts and descriptions through the hierarchy to the watchmakers that
assemble the tourbillions and very complicated watches.
It was most notable that the Jaeger-LeCoultre team never exerted pressure
of any kind for us to make a purchase. Even when I did ask a price, and also
when someone else asked the price, the representative didn’t even exactly
know the price gave and gave an approximate range, so there was no pres-
sure that the company’s considerable hospitality should be reciprocated by
64 | INTERNATIONAL WATCH | SUMMER 2018
a watch purchase. Neither was there necessarily a concern that an individual
would already be a Jaeger-LeCoultre owner, most were already (I purchased a
vintage 1965 piece prior so that I could enter the visit as an owner).
I would have liked more time to peruse the museum. There are many great
pieces there and a numerous historical artifacts to peruse. I tried to photograph
each panel to view at a later time, but I also wanted to take the time to just look
around and savor each item.
One of the classic rules of show business is “leave them wanting more” and the
team certainly did that in the sense of leaving us wanting more time in the museum
and wanting more time perusing the very deep collection of the Grande Maison
Jaeger-LeCoultre. Eventually this great day, the experience of a lifetime for this
amateur horologist came to a close with our scenic transfer to Geneva.
John C. Reid is a jazz musician, music professor, and arts administrator based in
Calgary, Alberta, and has been collecting watches since 2007.