Atmos
For ages, humankind has endeavoured to construct a perpetuum mobile, i.e. a mechanism whose operation would be secured without any external impulse – except for the initial one – and would function anywhere on the Earth. The laws of physics state that such a thing cannot exist. Yet in the 1920s, Swiss engineer Jean-Léon Reutter discovered a unique atmospheric system operating without a traditional source of energy: all it needs to function are slight variations of temperature and pressure. Reutter had his ground-breaking invention patented.
Jaeger-LeCoultre bought the patent and in the 1930s presented its Atmos clock, still on offer to this day. The mechanism includes a capsule with a mixture of gases that contract and expand with temperature changes. A temperature variation of ca 1ºC in the room where the clock stands is sufficient to wind the clock. Once wound the clock can run for two days without interruption and with perfect precision.
Jaeger-LeCoultre bought the patent and in the 1930s presented its Atmos clock, still on offer to this day. The mechanism includes a capsule with a mixture of gases that contract and expand with temperature changes. A temperature variation of ca 1ºC in the room where the clock stands is sufficient to wind the clock. Once wound the clock can run for two days without interruption and with perfect precision.
Something more...
When positioned and set correctly, the Atmos clock doesn’t need to be serviced. Once every twenty years, the gas capsule must be filled up, which is why the clock is sent to the Jaeger-LeCoultre Manufacture in Switzerland.The Atmos clock has been the official present of the Swiss Confederation for years: you will find it in the offices of important statesmen and even popes. It is best to place and keep the Atmos clock on a stable place to avoid the risk of shocks and vibrations.
Collection highlight
The visual mechanism of the Atmos clock is what makes it so popular: it has always been possible and easy to gaze inside this fascinating clock.Australian designer Marc Newson reinvented the Atmos clock in Baccarat crystal.
The extra-clear crystal Atmos 568 by Marc Newson allows you to watch the minutes and hours pass by, yet it also indicates both the month and the phase of the moon.