When it comes to luxury mechanical clocks, the iconic Jaeger-LeCoultre Atmos immediately comes to mind. First developed in 1928 by Swiss engineer Jean-Léon Reutter, it was conceived to run almost indefinitely without winding, making it one of the closest things to a perpetual motion clock. Jaeger-LeCoultre acquired the rights in the 1930s and has been continuously refining the design ever since, keeping the Atmos in commercial production for nearly a century. Over the decades, it has taken on many different forms—from Art Deco cabinets to intricate marquetry pieces—yet its core idea has never changed. Today, it stands as one of the most enduring and emblematic creations in horology.
Enter the Atmos Infinite, Jaeger-LeCoultre’s contemporary expression of this legend, unveiled in 2022. It was designed to provide a clear 360-degree view of its inner mechanism, encased within a seamless cylindrical glass cabinet that creates the illusion of it being suspended in air.
For those unfamiliar with its technical marvel, the Atmos owes its perpetuity to a hermetically sealed capsule filled with a gas called ethyl chloride (also known as chloroethane), a sensitive gas that expands and contracts with even the most subtle changes in temperature and pressure. This movement drives a friction-free torsion pendulum, which in turn is linked to the mainspring of the Cal. 570. The result is a mechanism that inherently winds itself through a membrane that seems to “breathe” with the environment.
Beyond its ingenious operating principle, what I find even more fascinating is its overall efficiency: its energy consumption is so minimal that it would take approximately 60 million Atmos clocks to equal the energy consumed by a single 15-watt incandescent bulb. Adding to this, Jaeger-LeCoultre also notes that a change of just one degree Celsius is sufficient to keep the clock running for 48 hours. In practice, the Atmos requires no winding, no batteries, and no external intervention to keep it alive.
As one would expect from Jaeger-LeCoultre, the Cal. 570 inside the Atmos Infinite is immaculately finished, featuring intricately brushed surfaces, polished bevels, and finely executed Côtes de Genève. The dial design is deliberately simple: a black lacquered base composed of two concentric circles, fitted with sleek baton markers and paired with a set of mirror-polished hands that echo its rhodium-toned construction. Around its outer periphery, a slim metal ring indicates the minutes with small indented dots encircling it—a subtle little detail that mirrors the similar indentations found on the annular balance, which oscillates with a mesmerising rhythm just beneath the movement.
For anyone who enjoys getting lost in the details and intricacies of finely finished watch movements, the Atmos Infinite is a deeply satisfying object to observe. More than just another luxury clock, it is a timeless work of mechanical art that aptly reflects the savoir-faire of Jaeger LeCoultre. It sits perfectly at home alongside fine watches and has the power to elevate any room with its presence, breathing in rhythm with the space around it. If you are looking to fill a room with something beautiful and tasteful, this is a piece that commands attention without ever asking for it.
