Unpredictable, ephemeral and mysterious, shooting stars are surely the most romantic and intriguing of all the celestial phenomena. Their light streaks across the night sky, appearing and disappearing in the blink of an eye. Even knowing that they are not stars but meteors – flashes of light created when rocky debris burns brightly on hitting Earth’s atmosphere – does nothing to diminish their magic. Visible only at certain times of year and under the right conditions, these rare phenomena have fascinated mankind since the dawn of time – and now have inspired the watchmakers of Jaeger-LeCoultre.
In 2022, the Rendez-Vous Star recreates this enchanting celestial phenomenon on the wrist, thanks to an entirely new mechanism conceived and developed within the Manufacture. Activated by the movement of the wrist, the shooting star appears on the dial at random moments – usually four to six times per hour – its unpredictability making it even more special. To enjoy the enchanting display more often, the star may also be summoned on demand by turning the crown several times.
A Joyful Ode to the Night Sky
The Rendez-Vous Star is offered in two enchanting variations: a white gold case with a dial in subtle tones of silvery blue and a pink gold case with a dial in soft golden browns.
Inspired by the magic of shooting stars, the artisans of Jaeger-LeCoultre’s Métiers Rares® (Rare Handcrafts™) atelier have harnessed their skills in new ways to depict the beauty and mystery of the night sky. Made of transparent sapphire glass, the uppermost of the dial’s three layers has been sprinkled with transferred stars and miniature hand-painted (on both sides of the sapphire glass) with clouds and a crescent moon, which conceal the shooting star when it is inactive.
Beneath this is a rotating circular disc of titanium with a cut-out of the shooting star – in an intense night blue for the white gold version and in a dark taupe colour for the pink gold version. When activated, the disc spins, sending the star on its curving path across the upper dial. As it passes, the cut-out reveals the deepest layer of the dial – a fixed disc of silvery or golden metal with a glowing gradient finish that accentuates the sense of movement.
Inspired and created in the Vallée de Joux
To create a mechanism that expresses an unpredictable phenomenon is a fascinating challenge for watchmaking as it appears to defy the laws of horology – a world where everything is expressed through precisely calibrated, mathematical rhythms. Drawing on almost 190 years of expertise accumulated within the Manufacture, the engineers and watchmakers of Jaeger-LeCoultre have developed the new in-house automatic calibre 734, incorporating the new shooting star mechanism. In doing so, they have succeeded in an unprecedented feat of capturing a random cosmic phenomenon in a watchmaking complication. Uniting this technical acumen with La Grande Maison’s artistic skills, the Rendez-Vous Star gives poetic and whimsical expression to the enchantment of the night sky.
