FHH | THE QUIRKY BACKSTORY OF THE JAEGER-LECOULTRE ATMOS

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05 August 2025

THE QUIRKY BACKSTORY OF THE JAEGER-LECOULTRE ATMOS

education

by @watches_and_culture

A clock with no batteries, no winding, and no need for electricity? That’s the Atmos.

Since the 1930s, it’s been quietly ticking thanks to the expansion and contraction of a gas-filled capsule reacting to subtle temperature changes.

One degree is enough to power it for two full days and you barely notice it’s moving.

But beyond the magic of its mechanism, the Atmos became a shapeshifter of design.

From its early days as a streamlined Art Deco cube, all sharp edges and polished brass, it quickly earned its place as a modernist icon.

As decades passed, Jaeger-LeCoultre turned this quiet marvel into a canvas for creative expression. Lapis-lazuli dials, crystal cabinets, ultra-minimalist skeleton displays, each version pushing the boundary between horology and decorative arts.

Collaborations followed: with Baccarat, with Marc Newson, and even with Hermès, resulting in surreal orbs that looked like they belonged on a sci-fi film set more than in a living room.

And in the middle of this odyssey, one vintage slogan said it all: ATMO LEBT VON DER LUFT — the Atmos lives off air. That line, printed in cosmic typography over a golden clock and starry backdrop, captured the dream perfectly.