39
Jaeger-LeCoultre
Ref. Q5543302
Atmos Marqueterie “Gustav Klimt”
An impressive, extremely rare, and exquisite limited edition wood marquetry, yellow sapphire and diamond-set Atmos clock with wood marquetry reproducing details from “The Kiss”, mother-of-pearl regulator-style dial, 24-hour, month indication and moon phases, numbered 6 of a limited edition of 10 pieces
完整圖錄內容
• First example of “The Kiss” to be offered in public
• Limited edition, No. 6 of 10
• Fully serviced in 2025
- Jaeger-LeCoutre’s Atmos clock is a revolutionary timepiece embodying the idea of perpetual motion and today stands as a horological masterpiece with its radical winding mechanism. Developed by the French Swiss engineer Jean Léon Reutter in 1928, a sealed capsule containing Ethylene Chloride expands and contracts with temperature changes winding the clock’s mainspring - even a 1°C change will keep the clock running for 48 hours.
- To commemorate the 80th anniversary of its iconic Atmos clock in 2008, Jaeger-LeCoultre unveiled a limited-edition masterpiece: an Atmos housed within a crystal glass case and a cabinet adorned with exquisite wood marquetry. Inspired by Gustav Klimt’s luminous 1907 portrait of Adele Bloch-Bauer, the piece faithfully reproduced the painting using over 1,200 individual wood veneers—a breathtaking fusion of horology and fine art. This marked the beginning of a lasting tribute, as the brand has since returned to Klimt’s oeuvre, reimagining other celebrated Klimt works. Gustav Klimt’s Vienna Secession and Art Nouveau style with gold, geometric ornament, mosaics, and organic forms worked perfectly for the intricate patterning of marquetry.
-In 2012, Jaeger-LeCoultre released the present exceptional Atmos clock with marquetry outer case featuring Gustav Klimt’s “The Kiss”. This timing coincided with the artist’s 150th anniversary. Executed in 1907, “The Kiss” is an oil on canvas painting with added gold leaf, silver, and platinum. It depicts a couple’s embracing and stylized with their bodies entwined in elaborate robes. The couple is thought to be Gustav Klimt with his companion Emilie Flöge, however other scholars speculate the female is Austrian composer Alma Mahler. Originally exhibited in 1908 at the Kunstchau in Vienna, today it is part of the permanent collection of the Belvedere Museum.
- The clock mechanism is housed in a glass case and revealed when a hidden button is pressed and the marquetry case opens. The mother of pearl dial adopts a regulator display: hours at 12, the sweeping minutes at center, months and moon phases at 6. Ornamentation is of jewelled sophistication: a cushion cut yellow sapphire at the 60 minutes mark, petrified wood indexes enrich the scale on the mother-of-pearl inlay, and a diamond set golden moon graces the lunar aperture. Blue varnished hands provide a refined finishing touch.
-The present Atmos clock, number 6 of 10, is the first in the series to appear at auction. The clock was fully serviced by the Jaeger-LeCoultre factory in 2025.
Jaeger-LeCoultre
Swiss | 1833Not 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.