This autumn Jaeger-LeCoultre dedicates a special event to its signature creation, the Reverso. The Reverso Stories Experience at Zurich main station offers a glimpse into the history, the craftsmanship and the lifestyle around this watch icon until 30 October.
The Zürich HB (Hauptbahnhof) is the largest railway station in Switzerland and one of the busiest in Europe. It opened in 1847 and nowadays it operates about 2,900 trains daily. The HB is also part of the cultural and social texture of the city – it is frequently used for art expos or other events and it offers a few popular meeting points for the locals.
The recently renovated main hall of the train station gives a generous space for Jaeger-LeCoultre to present its famous watch to a broader public and invite visitors to learn more about the brand in a casual yet sophisticated setting.
Even the colour scheme of the Reverso branding matches the surrounding – we started the morning at the Art Deco inspired, black-white-beige and gold toned Reverso 1931 Café, with a lovely espresso and breakfast.
At the heart of the place is the ‘Reverso Stories’ Experience – a fascinating retrospective of Reverso’s history and emblematic models. The model’s indisputable charm originates from the golden ratio and its ability to reinvent itself through design. The swivelling structure of the watch has given the opportunity for the manufacture to always keep it interesting and contemporary either with special decorations showcasing the Métiers Rares™ (enamelling, engraving, gemsetting and guilloché work) or complex functionalities on the two-faced timepiece.
The ‘star’ of the show is the most complicated timepiece ever presented in this emblematic line: the Reverso Hybris Mechanica Calibre 185, with four functioning faces. The ‘Quadriptyque’ comprises 11 complications, including a perpetual calendar, minute repeater, and indications of different lunar cycles.
In addition to the heritage pieces, novelties are also exhibited – like the Jaeger-LeCoultre Tribute in Duoface and Monoface versions or the Calendar model with moon phase and second time zone functions and delicate, diamond set Reverso One watches. It is a great opportunity to the visitors to get up close and personal with emblematic creations of the Grande Maison.
Made of Makers
The ‘Made of Makers’ programme of Jaeger-LeCoultre brings together a community of world-class artists to create profound creative expressions through artistic work. At this year’s Watches and Wonders we admired the creations of Pastry Chef Nina Métayer. Now in Zurich, the company set up the ‘Winter Garden’, where artworks created by American digital artist Brendi Wedinger is presented. Her work for Jaeger-LeCoultre is an homage to a variety of flowers found in the Vallée du Joux, the Maison’s cradle. She created three new virtual flowers, as a combination of three real flowers – one inspired by the Poppy, one inspired by the Late Spider Orchid, and one inspired by the Alpine Thistle.
The art installation, ‘Origin’ by renowned Korean digital media artist Dr Yiyun Kang is maybe the most eye-catching and most-photographed object at the venue. ‘Origin’ is a tribute to the ubiquity of the golden ratio in the nature and in the world around us and people seem to instantly react to it – both old and young are staring and filming the light installation.
Photo credits: Jaeger-LeCoultre. Loupiosity.com
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