It’s a good day for both arbiters of good design and the horologically inclined when a new Marc Newson clock arrives. The legendary designer has been working with Jaeger-LeCoultre since 2008, specifically on the Atmos line, and has released a number of collaboration models over the years. All are technical and ethereal by design, and unmistakeably different. And the latest model to come from this partnership, the Atmos 568, is no different.
The Atmos 568 is a table clock that tells the time, the day of the month and displays the current moon phase. It’s housed in a large Baccarat crystal case with the movement seemingly hovering at its centre (the whole thing is 24cm high and 20cm wide, and weighs almost 10 kilogrammes). The movement is made up of 211 components, and while it is nearly identical to that inside the previous Atmos 561, it’s been given a new name: Caliber 568.
It is the exterior stylings that set the Atmos 568 apart from its predecessors. The entire case is made up of a single Baccarat crystal that varies in thickness. At some locations – such as the sides – the crystal tapers to just 13mm. The base, on the other hand, is extremely thick, anchoring it to the table with three feet. The crystal provides magnification too, making the mechanism within appear larger than it actually is.
The dial is made up of a series of rings. Seemingly floating in front of the movement is a clear glass ring, featuring bright blue Arabic numerals at the hours – and a collection of blue dashes and dots to mark the minutes. A blue and white moon phase indicator sits in front of the six o’clock position and is accurate to one day every 3,861 years.
Like all Atmos clocks, this version is powered by a self-contained torsion pendulum that gets its energy from variations in temperature and atmospheric pressure (hence the name, ‘atmos’). Within the movement likes a hermetically-sealed capsule that contains ethyl chloride (in both gas and liquid states). This expands and contracts according to the environment, and even the difference of a single degree is enough to act as a power source for two days. In order to efficiently run on such ethereal force, the Caliber 568 is machined to keep any friction to a minimum.
The Jaeger-LeCoultre Atmos 568 by Marc Newson is priced around US$28,000, and unlike previous versions, it’s not limited edition.