Brooklyn-based lettering artist Alex Trochut unveiled the new 1931 Alphabet specially created for Jaeger-LeCoultre. Celebrated for the way that he harnesses the visual potential of language to redefine typography, Alex turned to Art Deco as his stylistic springboard for the new lettering. “It’s a real pleasure to collaborate with Jaeger-LeCoultre on this project and reveal the new 1931 alphabet in the setting of the Reverso 1931 Café”, said Alex.

During the evening, a DJ set was provided by 5-time Grammy winning, Oscar winning, director, author and musician Ahmir "Questlove" Thompson, the drummer and band leader for The Roots who serve as the house band for The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon.

Also among the guests was New York-based artist Michael Murphy, pioneer of the perceptual art movement. In 2021, marking the 90th anniversary of the Reverso, he created the installation Space Time, which transports its viewers through the three physical dimensions of space and the fourth dimension of time. Both artists are collaborating with Jaeger-LeCoultre under the aegis of its Made of Makers programme – an ongoing series of collaborations with artists, designers and craftsmen from disciplines outside watchmaking, which explores and extends the dialogue that exists between horology and art.

The Reverso 1931 Café offers a collection of pastries specially designed by the Paris-based chef Nina Métayer – also an alumnus of Made of Makers – to echo the Art Deco aesthetic of the interior design, and featuring flavours from Switzerland’s Vallée de Joux, the home of Jaeger-LeCoultre.

The Reverso 1931 Café will be open at 729 Madison Avenue until Tuesday 22 November, then will become nomadic throughout the city, making appearances in Soho and Bryant Park between November 25^th and December 2^nd.

Through ‘Made of Makers’ – a series of collaborations with artists, designers and craftsmen from disciplines outside watchmaking – Jaeger-LeCoultre is exploring and extending the dialogue that exists between horology and art. Honouring the core principles that define the Manufacture, La Grande Maison is choosing partnerships with leading creators who share its fundamental values of creativity, expertise and precision. The collaborations focus on world-class practitioners whose work explores new forms of expression through different and often unexpected materials and media.

A native of Barcelona and based in New York for the past decade, Alex Trochut has become celebrated for his experimental approach to typography. Like the artisans who construct watch movements and those who decorate the dials and cases, Alex creates emotionally resonant work that combines deep complexity with apparent simplicity. He harnesses the visual potential of language, pushing letters and words to new limits so that seeing and reading become the same action; text and image become a single, unified expression.

For Jaeger-LeCoultre, Alex has created a meaningful representation of La Grande Maison’s values through a new and boldly contemporary alphabet style, the 1931 Alphabet. As a stylistic springboard, he turned to Art Deco – a style that remains very evident to this day in the visual landscape of his adopted home, New York, and one of great importance to Jaeger-LeCoultre as the origin of the Reverso. More than simply a style, Art Deco expressed the extraordinary spirit of modernity that swept the world in the 1920s and ’30s – progressive, optimistic and forward thinking, with a fascination for technology, and tremendous creative energy – values that will always remain relevant for the Manufacture.

 “We are delighted to work with Alex Trochut,” says Catherine Rénier, Chief Executive Officer of Jaeger-LeCoultre. “His creative work is avant-garde and like our Maison, he uses his heritage as a foundation, harnessing that legacy in order to express the present and future in new creative ways.”

The new 1931 Alphabet that Alex has created for Jaeger-LeCoultre is a strongly modern addition to the Maison’s visual identity. In a sharp and contemporary take on Art Deco, each letter has a boldly sculptural quality and strong sense of visual depth, while also conveying a sense of dynamism and movement. It is equally expressive in both two-dimensional form and as three-dimensional objects.

Alex sees a natural affinity between his work and that of Jaeger-LeCoultre’s watchmakers and artistic craftsmen: “I think craft and technical skills are at the heart of both typography and watchmaking,” he says. “Letters are a mix of emotional and rational decisions, with a big internal logic that ties all the decisions into one alphabet or lettering form, like a puzzle. While I consider watchmaking to be another level of complexity, both disciplines embody a devotion to the little things, which need to work in harmony inside a system.

Immediately engaging on both a visual and emotional level, Alex’s work has redefined traditional ideas of what typography can be. “Letter design is the non-verbal communication of the written medium,” he says. He attributes his special connection with typography to his grandfather Joan Trochut, who invented a revolutionary modular typographic and ornament system in the 1940s and is recognised as a major contributor to the history of typography.

Destined to become an additional signature of La Grande Maison, the 1931 Alphabet will be offered as a new style of personalisation for engraving on a Reverso case-back and will be seen in a wide variety of other initiatives in the future.

In keeping with the innovative design concept that made its debut in the new Shanghai flagship in January, the new boutique translates the spirit of La Grande Maison into a welcoming environment that brings the Manufacture closer to its visitors. The façade has been inspired by Jaeger-LeCoultre’s celebrated Reverso, featuring sweeping lines that evoke the Art Deco design and swivelling movement of its case, while the interior emphasises organic materials and natural colours, fusing tradition and modernity to evoke the serenity and beauty of Jaeger-LeCoultre’s home in the Vallée de Joux. The space has designed to lead visitors on a journey of exploration into the fascinating story of watchmaking, as well as the Maison’s own story.

On entering the boutique, visitors encounter a display area presenting Jaeger-LeCoultre’s current collections, including the Atmos clock. Enthusiasts can explore the intricacies of watch mechanisms – and in the process discover more of La Grande Maison’s extraordinary heritage as the creator of more than 1,270 calibres – with an interactive calibre wall that takes them on a virtual three-dimensional dive into several of the Manufacture’s most emblematic calibres.

Visitors then are drawn into an area dedicated to Reverso, where a display of limited editions and high-complication models is complemented by an inspiring presentation of the collection’s heritage, and the almost infinite possibilities for personalising the case back. The personalisation story continues in the next area, where an interactive Strap Wall invites clients to handle the many options and discover their own perfect pairing of watch case with strap material, color and stitching.

Before reaching the intimate VIP lounge, visitors will encounter an area that celebrates the 181 different skills assembled under one roof at the Manufacture Jaeger-LeCoultre. A watchmaker offers visitors the opportunity to discover the extraordinary technical skills embodied in every watch movement, while an exquisite display of the Métiers Rares® celebrates La Grande Maison’s artistic creativity and mastery of the decorative crafts.

The new Jaeger-LeCoultre boutique is located at 430 North Rodeo Drive in Beverly Hills, California and will be open to guests Monday through Saturday from 10:00am to 6:00pm and on Sunday from 12:00pm to 5:00pm.