The Dream Shaper

This July Jaeger-LeCoultre in Zürich showcases the ‘Dream Shaper’ Exhibition. You can find great timepieces in the Boutique, highlighting the changing shape and style of the feminine creations throughout time. 

Jaeger-LeCoultre inaugurated its third Swiss boutique in January 2014 on the Bahnhofstrasse, Zurich’s main downtown street, one of the world’s most prestigious shopping avenues. The boutique is in the listed building of Leuenhof, which was once the headquarters of Bank Leu and considered to be one of renowned local architects Otto and Werner Pfister’s most significant works from the early 1910’s. It offers a perfect setting for exclusive exhibitions and other brand events. 

The ‘Dream Shaper’ exhibition opened on 3 July and welcomes visitors after registration until 31 July. It explores the theme of femininity at La Grande Maison. The next stop of the travelling collection is Geneva in August and September.

We had a lovely tour and tried on some of the signature Jaeger-LeCoultre timepieces.

Calibre 101

The Maison is well known for its jewellery pieces, which are not only beautiful but also excel in the field of fine watchmaking. Eminent examples are the creations with the tiny Calibre 101 inside, which Jaeger-LeCoultre launched 1929. The calibre was based on the Duoplan movement (1924). 

The 101 is the world’s smallest manual calibre originally built from 74, now extended to 98 elements. It is only 14 mm long, 4.8 mm wide and 3.4 mm thick and weighs about one gram. These measurements allow the designers to focus on creativity and beauty without basically any limits. 

Queen Elizabeth II of England on Her Coronation Day in 1953 wore a 101 jewellery watch. Jaeger-LeCoultre celebrated Her Majesty the Queen’s diamond jubilee in 2012 with a 101 white gold, diamond-set jewellery timepiece, an homage to the piece she wore at the time of her Coronation.

Jaeger-LeCoultre’s tiny movement is famous to this day – the 101 can also be found in different designs. 

101 Reine 

The fit-for-a-queen timepiece has a symmetrical design with two rows of diamonds. 110 beautiful gemstones  frame the tiny silvered opaline dial, to adorn feminine wrists with a healthy dose of sparkle. 

101 Feuille

This model was originally launched in 1959. It is a secret watch – only when its owner desires, the watch unveils its silvered opaline dial, under the dome of the refined leaf. The master gemsetters and goldsmiths of Jaeger-LeCoultre Rare Handcrafts™ (Métiers Rares®) recreated the curved and sensual lines of a leaf in gold and 171 diamonds (10.13 carats). 

Reverso

Jaeger-LeCoultre dedicated a whole new exhibition to the Reverso – ‘The Reverso Stories’ opened  in the Vallée de Joux on 1 July. In the Zurich boutique my favourite Reverso model was the Reverso One Duetto Jewelry featuring a black opal dial, iridescent in blue, green and indigo (with a mother-of-pearl dial on the reverse). The three Reverso gadroons are decorated on both sides of the dial with rows of brilliant-cut diamonds.

Rendez-Vous

The Rendez-vous has been one of my favourite ladies’  watches since its inception in 2012. The Maison creates many interpretations from more simple pieces, suitable to invigorate your daily office life, to highly gem-set versions. 

Rendez-Vous Ivy Tourbillon

The Rendez-Vous line often combines the Rare Handcrafts™ with signature fine-watchmaking complications, like Tourbillon. 

Ivy is a recurring motif for Jaeger-LeCoultre, the first known traces of this pattern date back to 1890, on a pocket watch. The 39mm Rendez-Vous Ivy Tourbillon is crafted in rose gold and studded with 345 diamonds. The mother-of-pearl dial frames the tourbillon, from where the ivy leaves are growing out – all set with diamonds. A lovely design touch is that the 3, 9 and 12 hour markers are also part of the tiny ivy twigs. 

The Rendez-Vous Ivy Tourbillon is powered by the automatic Calibre Jaeger-LeCoultre 978.

Rendez-Vous Sonatina

In 2019 Jaeger-Lecoultre presented three exquisite variations of the 38.2 mm Rendez-Vous Sonatina celebrating ‘Peaceful Nature’, each offered in a limited edition of eight pieces. The model below is the Rendez-Vous Sonatina nude orchid with a pink gold case, a pink mother-of-pearl dial and a tiny composition of orchids and butterflies. 

In the oval-shaped ring of diamonds on the dial there is a flower-shaped aperture, exhibiting the Night & Day indicator. 

Set on the edge of the dial, a delicate gold star marks the time of a special rendezvous, moved into position by a second crown. When the time comes, the watch releases a single chime to remind the owner of her appointment. This complication is a feature of the Manufacture Calibre 735, a self-winding movement developed specially for the Sonatina. 

Rendez-Vous Ivy Secret watch

In the 1960s the Maison created a small secret watch, which inspired the Rendez-Vous Ivy Secret. The timepiece looks like a stunning full diamond-set white gold bracelet with a round centrepiece – like a diamond flower. The pictured version – which was launched on the occasion of the Venice International Film Festival in 2016 – has a total of 108 pink sapphires (0.95 carats) and 196 diamonds (11.1 carats). The side of the case is decorated with hand engraving. By opening the ‘bracelet’, the dial reveals itself: Arabic numerals in the four cardinal points, are erected on the mother-of-pearl surface. The delicate ivy leaves are engraved and hand-painted – showcasing some other artistic skills of the JLC master artisans.

Photo credits: Loupiosity.com
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