Shooting stars are not a common sight but usually welcome. In some parts of the world, it is customary to make a wish when you’re lucky enough to see one.

In the Rendez-Vous Dazzling Star, Jaeger-LeCoultre has not just introduced a pretty women’s watch that pays homage to the shooting star; it has, in the face of watchmaking maxim, also created a complication of randomness to mirror the incidence of this night sky delight on the wearer’s wrist.

To capture the beauty and mystique of the night sky, the dial of the Rendez-Vous Dazzling Star is made entirely of blue aventurine. The center of the dial defined by a ring of diamonds is composed of three layers: the uppermost layer is an oval disk that conceals the shooting star when it is not on display; this is followed by a circular disk with a cut-out of the shooting star; and beneath this is a fixed disk of golden metal with a glowing gradient finish. When the shooting star is not visible, the second disk is positioned where its cut-out is concealed below the first disk. For the shooting star to appear, it spins so that the cut-out ascends above the oval, filling in the outline of the shooting star with the golden hue of the disk below.

In keeping with the randomness with which shooting stars appear, that in the Rendez-Vous Dazzling Star is accordingly not displayed with regularity, but as activated by the movement of the wrist. It appears on the dial randomly, between four to six times per hour. But unlike in nature, here the wearer has the added option of summoning the shooting star at will, by turning the winding crown several times.

This attractive and suitably whimsical capability is made possible by a new mechanism conceived and developed by Jaeger-LeCoultre, the in-house automatic caliber 734 incorporating the new shooting star mechanism. Watchmakers haven’t just created a clever complication; by engineering randomness, they have created a complication untethered by the maxim of order and regularity that governs the very craft of watchmaking itself.

The Rendez-Vous Dazzling Star is offered in 36mm pink gold case, with two rings of diamond settings on its bezel and more on the upper surfaces of the lugs, and an inverted diamond set into the crown. The watch is available with a blue alligator strap or pink gold bracelet specially designed for the Rendez-Vous Dazzling Star, fully-set with 436 diamonds (for 4.88 carats).

The same shooting star complication is found with a different dial style in the Rendez-Vous Star. Instead of aventurine, the dial, created by Jaeger-LeCoultre’s Métiers Rares atelier, is composed of three layers of transparent sapphire glass. The uppermost layer features a sprinkling of transferred stars and is hand-painted with clouds and moon to conceal the shooting star when it is not on display. Under this is a rotating circular disk of titanium with a cut-out of the shooting star. The shooting star appears on the dial when this disk position its cut-out on the upper part of the dial, filled-out by the silvery or golden hue of the fixed disk beneath.

A three-quarter circle of diamonds is set into the sapphire glass dial by integrating fine gold threads directly into the glass to anchor the diamonds. Yet more diamonds are set on the bezel, lugs and crown. Available in white gold case with silvery blue or pink gold case with golden brown dial, the Rendez-Vous Star is paired with an alligator leather strap that matches the dial colour.

Tech Specs

Rendez-Vous Dazzling Star

Movement: Self-winding Jaeger-LeCoultre caliber 734; power reserve of 70 hours
Functions: Hours, minutes, “shooting star” display
Case: 36mm x 9.8mm; pink gold case; sapphire crystal caseback, 181 diamonds for 3.48 carats (Ref. Q3642470) or 617 diamonds for 8.36 carats (Ref. Q3642371); water resistance of 50 meters
Strap: Leather strap or diamond-set pink gold bracelet

Rendez-Vous Star

Movement: Self-winding Jaeger-LeCoultre caliber 734; power reserve of 70 hours
Functions: Hours, minutes, “shooting star” display
Case: 36mm x 11.16mm; white gold or pink gold case, 189 diamonds for 1.48 carats; water resistance of 50 meters
Strap: Alligator leather strap with folding buckle