Jaeger-LeCoultre Reimagine Their Iconic Object D’Art Atmos Clock
Jaeger-LeCoultre once again bends the rules of time, and perhaps even physics, with a striking new interpretation of its Atmos Calibre 568, reimagined in collaboration with industrial design luminary Marc Newson.
A decade on from their first outing, this latest chapter refines and elevates the concept, introducing a fresh monochromatic aesthetic alongside a suite of poetic complications that bring the cosmos into sharper focus. The new Atmos 568 is less a clock and more a kinetic sculpture, a quietly mesmerising object that rewards prolonged attention.
The Clock That ‘Breathes’
Atmos has always occupied a rarefied space in horology. Originally conceived in 1928 by Swiss engineer Jean-Léon Reutter, and later perfected by the watchmakers of LeCoultre, it remains one of watchmaking’s most poetic achievements. No winding. No batteries. No visible source of power.
Instead, it draws life from the subtlest fluctuations in ambient temperature. A hermetically sealed capsule, filled with gas, expands and contracts with minute thermal changes, “breathing” like a living organism. This motion winds the mainspring, delivering just enough energy to sustain the balance wheel’s languid, once per minute oscillation. A single degree of temperature variation can power the clock for up to two days. It is, quite simply, time sustained by air.
Celestial Mechanics, Reimagined
With Calibre 568, Jaeger-LeCoultre extends Atmos beyond its already philosophical roots. This latest execution introduces sunrise and sunset indications, an Equation of Time display, and a moon phase complication of extraordinary precision, deviating by just one day every 4,087 years.
These are not mere technical flourishes. They are expressions of time in its most natural form, solar, lunar, eternal. Each piece is calibrated for a specific latitude (30°, 40°, or 50°), grounding this otherwise ethereal object in a very real geography.
Marc Newson’s Minimalist Intervention
Marc Newson approaches the Atmos with a rare sensitivity. Rather than imposing design for design’s sake, he pares the object back to its essence, clarity, proportion, and light. The movement appears to float, suspended within a flawless crystal cube crafted by Baccarat, its transparency revealing every nuance of the mechanism within.
The form itself is deceptively simple, a softened cube, its rounded edges recalling a slowly melting block of ice. Yet behind this purity lies formidable technical complexity. The cabinet is mouth blown from a single piece of crystal, with thickness reduced to as little as 13 mm in places, requiring years of development to achieve both strength and visual lightness.
The dial follows suit, restrained, legible, quietly sophisticated. White Arabic numerals hover over a smoked sapphire disc, while the additional complications are integrated with a subtlety that belies their mechanical intricacy.
A Floating Masterpiece
From the rear, four discreet mounting points, an evolution from the traditional three, anchor the movement, enhancing both symmetry and the illusion of suspension. The effect is hypnotic, a mechanism seemingly untethered, existing in a space of its own.
Rare by Design
Production remains as exclusive as the concept itself. Just 50 pieces per year will be created, each tailored to its designated latitude and capable of maintaining astonishing accuracy over millennia, requiring only minor seasonal adjustments where daylight saving applies.
Time, Redefined
With this latest Atmos Calibre 568, Jaeger-LeCoultre and Marc Newson deliver more than a timekeeping instrument. They offer a meditation on time itself, fluid, cyclical, and infinite.
It is a clock that doesn’t tick so much as exist. A machine that lives and breathes. And, in true Atmos fashion, a reminder that the most profound innovations are often the quietest.
Technical Specifications:
ATMOS DESIGNER CALIBRE 568 BY MARC NEWSON
Dimensions: 147 x 230 x 265 mm
Movement: Jaeger-LeCoultre Calibre 568
Frequency: Two oscillations in 60 seconds
Functions: Hour, minute, month, sunrise/sunset, Equation Of Time, highly precise moon phase (one-day discrepancy every 4,087 years)
Cabinet: Mouth-blown and hand-crafted Baccarat crystal
Dial: Glass
Reference: Q516511J, Q516512J, Q516513J
Price: RRP £38,400.00
Limited edition of 50 pieces
For more information please visit Jaeger-LeCoultre