Manufacturer: Jaeger-LeCoultre Year: Circa 1995 Case No: 702’530 Model Name: Atmos Atlantis Material: Stainless steel and glass Calibre: Automatic, cal. 548, 13 jewels Dimensions: 27cm height x 25cm width x 15cm depth Signed: Case, dial and movement signed Accessories: Accompanied by Jaeger-LeCoultre outer packaging.
Catalogue Essay
- The perpetual motion Atmos clock was conceived in 1928 by Jean-Léon Reutter, whose temperature-sensitive design imperceptibly wound itself. Though unsuccessful initially, Reutter sold the concept to Jaeger-LeCoultre in 1935.
- Partnered with Edmond Jaeger, LeCoultre refined the Atmos, swapping mercury for gas to improve reliability. The Art Deco marvel became a Jaeger-LeCoultre icon.
- In 1988, Jaeger-LeCoultre commissioned a futuristic Atmos to celebrate the original's 60th anniversary. This inspired the Atmos Atlantis, produced between 1995 and 1999, of which only about 50 were produced with moonphases.
- The present well-preserved Atmos Atlantis features blued steel hands, rhodium plates, and a moonphase. Its self-winding movement is regulated by a large balance wheel. Encased in signature wedge-shaped glass, the clock is a testament to imagination - powered eternally by air.
Not all companies in the watchmaking field have been able to stand the test of time quite like Jaeger LeCoultre, also known as the "watchmaker's watchmaker." Founded in 1833 by Antoine LeCoultre and originally named LeCoutre, the firm provided watchmaking's top brands, such as Patek Philippe, Vacheron Constantin and Audemars Piguet, the high-grade, unfinished mechanical movements with which they completed their watches.
In the early 1900s, Cartier's watch supplier Edmond Jaeger sought out LeCoultre's help in creating the world's thinnest watches. The collaboration resulted in the creation of Cartier's earliest Tank and Santos watches, all housed with LeCoultre movements. The duo decided to merge in 1937, and the firm officially became the Jaeger-LeCoultre brand by which collectors know and adore it today. Some of the firm's most significant and important timepieces include the Reverso, the Memovox, the Atmos clock and, among modern watches, their Master Complications.