Swiss time bandits Jaeger-LeCoultre have reinterpreted the chiming complications that have been a defining part of its long history with the arrival of two new Memovox alarm timepieces.
Despite being one of the most useful (and charming) of all complications, the alarm remains surprisingly rare in horology, no less in the digital age where everything but luxury watches seems to come with an alarm.
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It’s been 70 years since Jaeger-LeCoultre launched the first Memovox, a timepiece that became a reference in wristwatch alarms, and now the company has taken inspiration from the first of the series’ watches of the 1950s to create the Master Control Memovox.
Boasting a contemporary style, while retaining the spirit of utility and charm that defined the originals, the new timepiece continues the tradition of adding useful auxiliary functions, incorporating an entirely new alarm-setting mechanism, while bringing clean-lined contemporary style to the classic alarm-plus-date model.
That same spirit of utility can also be found in the new Master Control Memovox Timer, which incorporates an entirely new alarm-setting mechanism and a distinctly contemporary look.
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For this new generation of alarm watches, the watch brand has comprehensively revised the self-winding calibre 956. Previously, Memovox watches had a closed case-back, to which the gong was attached; however, the new Master Control case has a transparent sapphire back, allowing the wearer to enjoy watching the hammer in action. This demanded a complete redesign of the striking mechanism, with the gong now attached to the case side.
A new, open-worked pink gold rotor, decorated with Côtes de Genève to match the fine finishing on the movement plates, ensures an unobstructed view of the strike-works. Of course, the signature “school bell” alarm sound remains.
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