Jaeger-LeCoultre pays tribute to Aston Martin Racing with exclusive chronograph

We love us a nice Aston Martin here at Autoblog. But if the British purveyor of the grandest of grand touring cars has a counterpart in the watchmaking industry, it's surely Jaeger-LeCoultre. Good thing the two of them just signed a three-year renewal of their partnership, then.

The collaboration between these two esteemed marques has resulted in some of the most lust-worthy wrist-machines known to man, not the least of which is the AMVOX2 Chronograph. Its innovative design actually incorporates a transponder to open and close the doors on an Aston sports car. Plus it's just one of the slickest looking timepieces we've seen yet.

While JLC has to date only produced wristwatches to compliment Aston's road cars, the Swiss watchmaker has just come out with the AMVOX2 Chronograph Racing, in tribute to Aston's considerable motorsport prowess on the streets of Le Mans. The 280-piece, 41-jewel 751E manufacture movement – only 5.65 millimeters thick – is housed in a PVD-coated titanium case and held to the wrist by a perforated and top-stitched calfskin strap.

It is, to our eye, one of the most beautiful machines – of any kind – to carry the Aston Martin name, but while the series has bred numerous editions, only 24 examples of this particular one will be made available exclusively at JLC's boutique on Place Vendôme in Paris. So we'll just have to content ourselves with the press release after the jump and images in the gallery below.

[Source: Jaeger-LeCoultre]
PRESS RELEASE:

Jaeger-LeCoultre AMVOX2 Chronograph Racing Paris

An exclusive limited edition of 24 pieces available at Jaeger-LeCoultre boutique in Paris

The 2009 edition of Le Mans 24 Hours thrilled both motor sports enthusiasts and fine watchmaking devotees. Fifty years on from Aston Martin's victory in the 1959 Le Mans 24 Hours, the Aston Martin Racing team has exceeded all expectations by finishing an excellent fourth overall in this year's race, having been quickest of the petrol runners from start to finish.

As part of the three-year partnership signed between the two exceptional brands this spring, Jaeger-LeCoultre celebrated Le Mans with two limited editions of the AMVOX2 Chronograph Racing model, which is still the only chronograph operating without push pieces thanks to its revolutionary patented vertical-trigger system.

Following the success of the 2 AMVOX2 Chronograph Racing presented at Le Mans 2009, Jaeger-LeCoultre just launched a new limited edition of 24 pieces of its iconic chronograph, only available at Jaeger-LeCoultre boutique in Pairs, Place Vendôme .

This exclusive edition features a black PVD-coated grade 5 titanium case with black and white dial, and black luminescent numerals. The dial decoration revealing the movement reproduces the characteristic gridwork motif of car radiator grills and is framed by a black flange. The movement bridges and plates are coated with ruthenium, while the chronograph levers in
orange eloxed aluminium appear through an opening between 4 and 8 o'clock.

Jaeger-LeCoultre boutique in Paris will receive the first pieces of this exclusive limited edition of 24 last week of November.

Boutique Jaeger-LeCoultre
7, Place Vendôme
75001 Paris
Tel : +331 53 45 70 00 boutique.paris@jaeger-lecoultre.com www.jaeger-lecoultre.com

Manufacture Jaeger-LeCoultre

Born of an invention, the Grande Maison has always been driven by the spirit of discovery; the need to create new, ever more accurate and more complex technical marvels. Year after year, knowledge and skills have been enriched, renewed and multiplied to serve the unique purpose of mastering the countless operations involved in manufacturing watch movements and cases – the fundamental prerequisite for rising to the most daunting technical challenges.

A major player in watchmaking history, Jaeger-LeCoultre has now celebrated its 175th anniversary. The Manufacture has an impressive range of world firsts, superlative creations and legendary models to its credit, including the Reverso, the Duoplan, the Master Control, the Memovox Polaris, the Gyrotourbillon I and the Atmos. In 2009, around 1000 people proficient in over 40 watchmaking professions and more than 20 cutting-edge technologies continue to pay tribute to the pioneering ardour of the company founders by creating new masterpieces proudly perpetuating the grand horological tradition.

In 2010, as a further extension to the capacious premises now surrounding Antoine LeCoultre's original atelier, Jaeger-LeCoultre will be inaugurating a new building providing 9,000m2 of additional workshop space.

AMVOX2 Chronograph Racing : Technical information

Movement:
• Self-winding mechanical movement, Calibre Jaeger-LeCoultre 751E, crafted, assembled and decorated by hand
• 28,800 vibrations per hour
• 65-hour power reserve
• 280 parts
• 41 jewels
• 5.65 mm thick

Functions:
• hours, minutes
• date
• chronograph: hour and minute dials, centre seconds

Dial:
• Black and white dial with openings revealing the mechanism. Applied metal hour-markers. Black numerals with luminescent treatment.

Hands:
• Local hour and minutes: Calypso style in rhodium-plated brass, luminescent openworked hands
• Seconds: red-lacquered brass

Vertical-triggering system :
• vertical triggering system for the chronograph functions
• selection device to block one or the other of the chronograph functions

Case:
• ø 44 mm in titanium with pvd coating
• sapphire crystal, hardness N°9
• water-resistant to 50 metres
Strap and buckle:
• calfskin strap
• 20 mm folding clasp in steel with pvd coating