Wheels of time

Joining the ranks of Hublot and Breitling collaborations with luxury cars, Jaeger-LeCoultre's latest offering will give the exclusive group of Aston Martin owners a Bond film experience

Bentley has done it. So has Ferrari. And now Aston Martin has joined the line of luxury car manufacturers to tie up with a Swiss watch brand to imprint its centuries-old heritage onto an horological piece. The timepiece, crafted by Jaeger-LeCoultre is straight out of a Bond film — by simply pressing the sapphire crystal of watch, you can lock and unlock the doors of your gleaming Aston Martin from a distance. It can even turn on the headlights to help you locate your car in case you want to make a quick exit, à la 007 style. This is a limited production piece for a super-exclusive group of Aston Martin owners around the world.

If you are a luxury car enthusiast and want to see the brand’s zest for innovation and exclusivity reflected in your timepiece, then you are truly spoilt for choice. Bentley already has a collaboration with Breitling, as part of which they have launched the Breitling for Bentley collection, based on the car’s five-spoke wheel. Armed with a featherweight titanium case, this watch boasts a dual timezone adjustment system, pushpieces and a bezel with a knurled motif inspired by Bentley’s radiator grilles.

Ferrari too has tied up with Hublot, not just to create one-off exclusive pieces but as a watchmaking partner for years to come. One of the landmark pieces created as part of this collaboration was the Big Bang Ferrari tourbillon, which was launched to mark 20 years of the luxury car’s existence in China. “To maintain exclusivity, of course to sell fantastic products, dreams and to put together the quality and the know-how of Hublot with Ferrari materials Ferrari awareness and Ferrari spirit,” is what Luca Di Montezemolo, president, Ferrari, said during the announcement of the tie-up.

A sense of history and tradition of superior craftsmanship is what has brought Aston Martin and Jaeger-leCoultre together. “Both the brands share a synergy. While Aston Martin just completed 100 years of existence, Jaeger-LeCoultre, or JLC as it is known, too has turned 180,” says Dinesh Aswani, country manager, Jaeger-LeCoultre.  

In the past, JLC created AMVOX transponder watches that worked exclusively with Aston Martin DBS, DB9 and Rapide. But the new 2014 AMVOX2 Transponder watch is compatible with all the current models of Aston Martin.


Tick-tock to vroom
This seamless interaction between the watch and the car is brought about by the micro-transmitter built into the double case-back of JLC’s AMVOX2. The antenna of the system uses thermal vapour deposition to ensure optimal communication with the car and also low-energy consumption. Two discreet sensors marked “Open” and “Close” have also been installed under the watch glass using the same technique so that the lightest of touches can lock or unlock the car and also light up the headlights. The watch, which is priced at Rs 20.4 lakh, will be available in June-July.