Jaeger-LeCoultre Amvox5: Makes Supercars Look Common

Now in its tenth year and final year, the partnership between Aston Martin and Jaeger-LeCoultre has yielded three LeMans class wins, one series championship, and five memorable Amvox luxury timepieces.

The Jaeger-LeCoultre Amvox5 World Chronograph featured here represents a landmark model in this series. With fewer than 1,500 Amvox5 units of all varieties produced, it’s a rare watch; the ceramic-titanium variant shown here is one of only 300 in the world.

Originally released for the 2010 model year, the Amvox5 embraced the global reach of modern endurance racing. Given races that span 24 hours, events in disparate time zones, and a fan base spread across six continents, the Amvox5 is tailored to suit.

As a world time watch, the Amvox5 World Chronograph accommodates race fans who wish to follow events in distant time zones.

Given the time disparity –for example– between Toyota Racing’s pit stall at LeMans’ Circuit de la Sarthe and the firms’ Toyota City, Aichi headquarters, simultaneous time zones with AM/PM clarity just plain make sense. For that matter, the same capability is a godsend to distant fans, business travelers, and users who frequently contact distant cities.

Nothing sours a working relationship like a 3 am wake-up call; international business types should consider the Amvox5 World Chronograph as a professional insurance policy.

But the functionality of the Amvox5 World Chronograph delivers on the full promise of its name; Jaeger-LeCoultre’s in-house chronograph caliber is a gem. Racing is a game of numbers, and time is king. Even if a user only operates his chronograph to entertain friends and clock billable hours at the firm, it only serves to highlight why the “chorno” is considered the king of complications; versatility is a virtue.

Based on the JLC “Autotractorized” Cal. 750, the 752 in the Amvox5 World Chronograph is tough and refined in equal measure.

With a robust 65-hour power reserve, laser-welded hairspring for shock resistance, a vertical clutch for smooth engagement, and a column wheel to ensure crisp pusher feel, the 752’s pedigree places it in elite company. As rugged as the legendary Zenith Cal 400 El Primero and a true rival to Rolex’s industry-benchmark Cal. 4130 (Cosmograph Daytona), the 752 is the result of extensive in-house development by Jaeger-LeCoultre’s renowned R&D department.

Small nod-and-wink references recall the imagery of high performance autos; the crowns are wrought in the form of pre-war Aston gas caps; the 270-degree sweep of the dial numerals mirrors the arrangement of Bond-era 1960s AMs; a latticework skeleton centerpiece pays tribute to the long-running grill treatment of Aston road cars. What users won’t see is a prominent Aston logo or nameplate.

Paging Girard-Perregaux and Panerai; this is how you do an auto-themed watch. While the auto fans are well-served, each Amvox is a freestanding expression of good taste and deft luxury watch design. In blunt terms, there’s no overt co-branding to discourage collectors who could not care less about auto racing or Aston.

Few large watches have a magical quality that permits them to disappear on the wrist, but this Amvox5 has that elusive X-factor. Collectors who dismiss large watches for fear of ill fit or excessive weight owe it to themselves to consider an Amvox5.

The Amvox line has added a decade of success to the eighty-year run of Jaeger dashboard instruments in Aston Martin autos.

This 1-of-300 Amvox5 World Chronograph allows collectors to become part of an historic tradition. Offered with full factory equipment and indistinguishable from new, it’s one “low mileage” Aston Martin.