In The Making: Restoration | Jaeger-LeCoultre

Each piece coming back to the restoration workshop is part of the physical memory of our heritage. We must preserve their DNA, restore their original appearance and functionality without altering anything. We are only nine in the workshop, each with different backgrounds, but the best school for restoration is the passion for vintage watches. We must have a lot of curiosity, patience, do a lot of research to understand how the movements were imagined in the past. We are like doctors. We examine a timepiece, establishing a diagnosis of the care to be provided. For this triple calendar from 1942, I will focus on both its mechanism as well as its appearance and historical aesthetic. I check if it is paired, meaning if the serial number of the movement corresponds to the case. This is mandatory to establish the archive extract. To do this, we gently disassemble the case with respect. Often, I like to imagine all that this watch has been through. It's fascinating to know that it's coming back to where it was born after so many years. I start by taking the parts of the movement one by one and cleaning them. If they're too damaged, like this escape wheel, I'll take back old components that we have carefully preserved in our archives. And if we don't have any in stock, I'll make them myself. Since 1833, we've kept the original drawings and tools in order to reproduce the smallest component identically. The decoration is also entirely done by hand. On the bridges, I redo the cote de Genève. This consists of slightly removing the material in order to reduce the surface scratches and restore the original shine. The same goes for the screws. I take them back one by one and polish them before moving on to the final step. The fine adjustments of the movements on several positions and we repeat the operation once the piece is finished. I can now take the dial. Particular care is given to the indexes in order to revive their original shine. We control every gesture. The slightest excess pressure would cause irreversible damage. The hands also remain original. They reflect the beauty of its face that has stood the test of time. We give them a light shine. Or as on this other model of the 19th century, we sometimes blue them again. I remove the oxidation. The hands return to their original colour, a steel grey. Then I heat them over a flame. In contact with heat, the steel changes colour and becomes blue again. There is not really a fixed duration. It is experience that tells us how many seconds to hold, what temperature to reach in order to obtain a sapphire blue. The plexiglass gets a makeover. I start by removing the visible scratches. I can polish the entire plexiglass to make it completely transparent again. I revive the crown by hand. It will shine again and wind the time for the next 100 years at least. I can now assemble the watch again and check the adjustments. It is a point of pride because we preserve not only the authenticity of a timepiece, but also its history. And each client wants to preserve their own and perpetuate it forever.