• Inviting the public to explore the story of fine watchmaking from the inside
• A new programme reveals the art and science of precision
• The Atelier d’Antoine initiative expands around the world

In line with Jaeger-LeCoultre’s 2024 theme – ‘The Precision Pioneer’ – The Atelier d’Antoine continues to enrich its programme of hands-on educational experiences. A new series of Discovery Workshops and Manufacture Visits takes participants on a journey of discovery that reveals the profound importance of precision in every aspect of fine watchmaking.

Sharing the Inside Story of Watchmaking with a Wider Audience

Named in honour of the Maison’s founder, the Atelier d’Antoine initiative is driven by Jaeger-LeCoultre’s commitment to sharing the art and science of watchmaking with wider audiences. Its themed programmes offer the general public – collectors, curious enthusiasts, and complete novices alike – an incredible opportunity to immerse themselves in the world of fine watchmaking.

The Discovery Workshops are a new way to discover the inside story of how fine Swiss watches are born and made. Hosted by an instructor and a technical expert from the Manufacture and limited to a maximum of eight participants, each workshop is dedicated to a specific theme and blends academic education and hands-on experience in a dynamic format that encourages constant interaction.

Participants have the option of deepening their knowledge by combining a Discovery Workshop with a guided Manufacture Visit focused on the same theme – a rare opportunity to explore the heart of a fully integrated watchmaking Manufacture.

A Deep Dive into the Fascinating World of Precision

In 2024, Jaeger-LeCoultre is pleased to announce a new programme to be offered by The Atelier d’Antoine.  Focusing on precision – a pillar of the Maison since it was founded in 1833 – this programme presents a great opportunity to discover why precision is crucially important at every stage of the watchmaking process.

As its name suggests, the ‘Precision Pioneer’ programme reveals the true meaning of precision in watchmaking, the challenges that mitigate against it, and the exceptional degree of skill required to achieve precision at the highest level. Rarely showcased in its own right, precision is fundamental to every stage of the watchmaking process from raw materials to finished timepieces. Participants in this Discovery Workshop will encounter many surprises:

• The powerful technology that transforms raw metal into micron-accurate shapes;
• The extraordinarily precise hand gestures involved in finishing components and assembling calibres;
• The rigorous testing processes to ensure the optimum performance of every watch;
• The discovery of the measuring tools – both historic and state-of-the-art – that the Manufacture’s engineers and watchmakers use every day;
• The opportunity to discover the mysteries of the tourbillon as never before.

The ‘Precision’ Manufacture Visit will take guests on a two-hour guided tour of the Jaeger-LeCoultre Manufacture, which includes several workshops that are rarely opened to visitors. Highlighting the exceptional value of being a fully integrated Manufacture, the visit will begin with an exploration of how the relentless pursuit of precision has changed the course of the Manufacture’s long history and, in some cases, of the watchmaking industry as a whole. It will lead guests through key points in the watchmaking journey from raw materials to finished timepieces – from industrial and technology-driven processes to the fine manual crafts of pre-assembly and the romance and magic of high complications – discovering areas of expertise that are normally hidden from public view.

Expanding the Atelier d’Antoine Initiative

The heart of the Atelier d’Antoine is a specially designed space within the original historic Manufacture building in the heart of Switzerland’s Vallée de Joux. In line with Jaeger-LeCoultre’s desire to welcome more people into the world of fine watchmaking, The Atelier d’Antoine is also expanding to other locations around the globe. Today, the flagship boutiques in Shanghai and New York incorporate an Atelier d’Antoine space dedicated to hosting the Discovery Workshops. Similarly, the new flagship boutiques in Dubai and Beijing – both due to open this year – will feature dedicated spaces. The new Precision Pioneer Discovery Workshop will be among the different themes presented at various times throughout the year. The Atelier d’Antoine also forms part of Jaeger-LeCoultre’s major travelling exhibitions, subject to the location.

Reservations for The Atelier d’Antoine can be made online at https://www.jaeger-lecoultre.com/atelier-antoine-discovery-workshops-precision-pioneer – where visitors can also discover more about The Atelier d’Antoine and the opportunities it offers. Bookings in New York can be made online or at the flagship boutique.

The new Atelier d’Antoine ‘Precision Pioneer’ programme will be an unforgettable experience for those wishing to learn more about what goes into creating a fine watch in the 21^st century.

Exploring the wonders that we can observe in our night sky, The Stellar Odyssey reveals the awe-inspiring phenomena that the watchmakers of Jaeger-LeCoultre express through their celestial complications, displaying mankind’s link to the cosmos directly on the wrist in a literal, philosophical and uniquely captivating way.

Following the inauguration of The Stellar Odyssey at Watches and Wonders in 2022, Dubai has been chosen as the first stop on a tour of major world cities. The exhibition will be staged in a spectacular pavilion ‘floating’ on the waters of the Dubai Fountain, with Burj Khalifa as its backdrop.

“It is an important part of our mission at Jaeger-LeCoultre to share the secrets behind the art and craft of watchmaking with the wider world by bringing our Manufacture from the Vallée de Joux to the public around the globe,” says Catherine Rénier, CEO of Jaeger-LeCoultre. “The ancient cultures of the Middle East played a seminal role in the origins of time measurement, and we are therefore delighted that Dubai is where the world tour of The Stellar Odyssey makes its debut. It is a special opportunity to trace the unbroken line through several millennia to the exceptional legacy of innovation that has driven our Maison for 190 years and the work that we do today.”

Showcasing a careful curated selection of the Manufacture’s most remarkable historic timepieces as well as its most recent celestially-inspired timepieces – including the extraordinary Atmos clock and the Reverso Hybris Mechanica Calibre 185 – the exhibition features multi-media installations that will take visitors on a virtual journey to the cosmos. It translates the wonders of the celestial world into art installations and multi-sensory experiences, while the Atelier d’Antoine, named after the Maison’s founder, Antoine LeCoultre, shares watchmaking know-how through hands-on educational workshops based on the Stellar Odyssey theme.

Revealing the Mysteries of Astronomical Timekeeping in Eight Chapters

Within the main exhibition pavilion, The Stellar Odyssey explores the creative and cultural universe of astronomically-inspired watchmaking in eight chapters. Visitors begin by discovering the very origins of time, the impact of celestial phenomena on the way we measure it, and the origins of Jaeger-LeCoultre’s expertise in developing astronomical complications. Each of the five following chapters leads visitors through a different cosmic phenomenon, displaying rare historic watches as well as timepieces from the most recent collections to illustrate how the Manufacture has continually reinterpreted the movements of the stars and planets in the form of intricate complications that represent, measure and even predict celestial events directly on the wrist.

Enriching the Stellar Experience

In the heart of the main pavilion beneath a geodesic dome, an immersive digital show takes visitors on a virtual journey through space and time, transporting them through infinite space and 13.7 billion years of time to reveal the mysteries of the cosmos in five episodes – from the origins of our known universe to the present day.

“Through a variety of immersive experiences, The Stellar Odyssey presents different interpretations of the cosmos and its relation to timekeeping, inviting visitors to understand it more deeply,” says Catherine Rénier. “As well as transmitting the savoir-faire of watchmaking through the Atelier d’Antoine workshops, these experiences include two special collaborations under our Made of Makers programme.”

Established for the purpose of enriching the dialogue that has long existed between horology, artisanship and art, Made of Makers is a programme of collaborations with artists and artisans from various disciplines outside watchmaking. It focuses on world-class creators who share Jaeger-LeCoultre’s values of creativity, expertise and precision and whose work explores new forms of expression through different and often unexpected materials and media. For The Stellar Odyssey, Jaeger-LeCoultre has commissioned projects by French multi-media artist Guillaume Marmin and world-renowned mixologist Matthias Giroud.

For his installation, Passengers: Through Time, Guillaume Marmin employs light, sound and movement in complex relationships that redefine traditional ideas of sculpture, space and time. As visitors walk through the work, infinite reflections and dizzying perspectives take them on a stellar excursion in which they are the protagonists, inviting reflection on the fundamental question of what time really is. For the Stellar Atelier, Matthias Giroud has created a menu of highly original soft cocktails inspired by the cosmos, taking his inspiration from the colours, temperatures and forms of the stars and planets, and blending familiar ingredients with intriguing scents and flavours from the Vallée de Joux.

In the Atelier d’Antoine, visitors can complete their journey of astral discovery by joining a hands-on Discovery Workshop that focuses on the wonder of astronomical complications and the celestial origins of time-keeping – a rare opportunity to gain deep insight and practical experience of this magical world.

The Stellar Odyssey will be presented from Saturday 4^th to Thursday 23^rd February 2023 at the Dubai Fountain, Downtown Dubai, open daily from 2:00pm to 12.00 am. Tickets may be booked  online at https://online-booking.jaeger-lecoultre.com/domaine/theme12

Third edition of Discovery Workshops offered by Jaeger-LeCoultre, this year’s programme at the Atelier d’Antoine is devoted to the Stellar Odyssey theme. A Discovery Workshop created for Fine Watchmaking enthusiasts or beginners – and anyone else curious about the origin of time and how we continue to measure it.

L'Atelier d'Antoine is a rare chance to explore this universe through a hands-on approach that is both theoretical and practical, engaging many senses; you will see rare and ancient artefacts, touch with your heart the reflections of the greatest astronomers, listen to the passage of time and feel with your own hands the mysterious workings of watch mechanisms.

Each workshop is limited to a maximum of eight participants and supervised by a specialist teacher and an expert from the Manufacture Jaeger-LeCoultre.

Participants will have the opportunity to deepen their knowledge by complementing their Discovery Workshop with a guided tour of the Manufacture focusing on the same theme – an exceptional opportunity to see in detail a fully integrated watch Manufacture. Named in honour of Antoine LeCoultre, founder of Jaeger-LeCoultre, Atelier d'Antoine is in the heart of the Manufacture, in the Vallée de Joux, Switzerland.

Welcome to the Cosmos!

The cosmos, where it all began more than 13 billion years ago with a massive explosion that created the fundamental stars, such as the sun: the heart of our solar system.

Humans have always read the time in the sky, day, and night, and it is thanks to the observation of the stars that mankind has been able to create tools capable of measuring time and understanding cycles.

This three-hour Discovery Workshop is an invitation to a celestial journey and, at the end of it, participants will understand the movements of the heavenly bodies, their anomalies, and the challenges that watchmakers must face to make mechanical these notions drawn from the stars.

Participating in this Discovery Workshop will be an unforgettable experience for anyone wishing to learn more about the fascinating origins of time and the manufacture of an exceptional timepiece.

Jaeger-LeCoultre has created an online booking platform – https://online-booking.jaeger-lecoultre.com/– where visitors can discover more about Atelier d’Antoine and the opportunities it offers, and can book all experiences directly. 

Atelier d’Antoine offers watch enthusiasts – connoisseurs and novices alike – an unparalleled opportunity to immerse themselves in the world of fine watchmaking. The Discovery Workshops provide a rare chance to explore this world through a blend of academic education and hands-on experience, focused on a particular theme. With classes limited to a maximum of eight participants, each Workshop is led by an instructor and a technical expert from the Manufacture Jaeger-LeCoultre. Participants have the option of deepening their knowledge by combining a Discovery Workshop with a guided Manufacture Visit focused on the same theme – a rare opportunity to explore the heart of a fully integrated watchmaking Manufacture. Named after Antoine LeCoultre, the founder of Jaeger-LeCoultre, Atelier d’Antoine is based in the heart of the Manufacture, in Switzerland’s Vallée de Joux.

Exploring the inside story of the Reverso

The newly created Reverso Discovery Workshop will explore how the Art Deco style of the watch, as well as the technical ingenuity of its unique swivelling case, were born naturally from the social and cultural milieu of 1930, when the idea was first conceived. The workshop will trace the evolution of the Reverso through the decades, not only as a canvas for personalisation and artistic expression, but also as a home to high-watchmaking complications and further technical innovations. Participants will dive deep into the Reverso archives, viewing the original patent document, design sketches, and other rarely seen materials. The workshop concludes with a unique opportunity, as each participant takes on the challenge of assembling a Reverso case – a task normally entrusted exclusively to the artisans of the Manufacture Jaeger-LeCoultre. Guided by an expert from the Manufacture and bringing together no fewer than 50 components to create a finished case, it will be a fascinating test of participants’ dexterity and patience.

During the Reverso Manufacture Visit, participants will observe, at close quarters, the different stages involved in the fabrication of a Reverso and the specific technical and creative skills required to produce it. From the first moment of transforming raw metal into movement blanks and case parts, participants will follow the process through the decorative finishing of the technical components to the assembly of the entire movement, case and dial, and the final casing up of the watch. They will also discover several high complication movements that have been specially created for the Reverso, and visit the Atelier des Métiers Rares® (Artistic Crafts Workshop), where enamellers, engravers and gem-setters transform classical Reverso cases into miniature works of art.

The new Atelier d’Antoine programme will be an unforgettable experience for those wishing to learn more about what goes into creating a modern Reverso watch, as well as the fascinating story of how its singular design and unique characteristics have led to its recognition as a watchmaking icon.

Jaeger-LeCoultre has created an online booking platform – https://online-booking.jaeger-lecoultre.com/– where visitors can discover more about Atelier d’Antoine and the opportunities it offers, and can book all experiences directly. Online booking will be available for the Atelier d’Antoine Reverso programme from September.

The online booking platform offers a choice of English and French language programmes, outlining the content of the Discovery Workshops, as well as dates, timings and other practical details in an intuitive and user-friendly format.

To honour Jaeger-LeCoultre’s 150 years of expertise in chiming watches, the first series of Discovery Workshops will be devoted to The Sound Maker theme. Hosted by an instructor and a technical expert, and limited to a maximum of 8 participants, the Discovery Workshops blend academic education and hands-on experience in a dynamic format that encourages interaction. In a fascinating three-hour class, participants will learn why watches go ‘tick-tock’, how time can be expressed through sound, what makes a minute repeater chime – and the difference between a repeater and a Grande Sonnerie.

The hub of Atelier d’Antoine – which is named after the Maison’s founder, Antoine LeCoultre – is a specially developed space within the original, historic Manufacture building in Le Sentier, Switzerland.

As part of the 2021 programme, themed Manufacture visits will also be offered on the booking platform. The Discovery Workshops offer the option of adding a themed Manufacture visit, and a separate programme of Visits is structured to focus on a particular area of Jaeger-LeCoultre’s expertise and heritage: The History of the Maison and the Stages of Watchmaking; Innovations and Inventions; and Creativity and Artistic Crafts.

For those who wish to learn more about what goes into making a fine mechanical watch, participating in an Atelier d’Antoine programme will be an unforgettable experience. Bookings can be made from 5 May 2021 at online-booking.jaeger-lecoultre.com.

Named after the Maison’s founder, Antoine LeCoultre, “Atelier d’Antoine” will stage a variety of educational programmes that combine academic instruction and practical activities, guided by experts from within the Manufacture.

The hub of “Atelier d’Antoine” is a newly developed space within the original, historic Manufacture building in Le Sentier, which has been specially designed for this purpose. In future, it is planned to open physical outposts of the Atelier in flagship boutiques in key international locations, as well as to offer the programme through digital channels.

“Atelier d’Antoine” will initially offer two different types of themed programme: Discovery Workshops and Manufacture Visits and, at a later date, will also offer Masterclasses – all programmes offering unforgettable experiences for those wishing to learn more about what goes into making a fine mechanical watch.

Discovery Workshops provide an opportunity to explore the world of Swiss fine watchmaking in a new way. Hosted by an instructor and a technical expert and limited to a maximum of 8 participants, the workshops blend academic education and hands-on experience in a dynamic format that encourages interaction.

Over the course of three hours, participants will dive deep into the heart of watch movements to understand how they work; they will discover the myriad technical and creative skills required to produce fine watches, the many different stages involved in their fabrication, and the artistic crafts employed in haute horlogerie. They will also learn about the past, present and future of watchmaking at Jaeger-LeCoultre and in the Vallée de Joux. They will also be invited to go hands-on, using larger-scale models to try to replicate the work of the Maison’s highly skilled watchmakers.

The Manufacture Visits are structured so that each focuses on a different area of Jaeger-LeCoultre’s expertise and heritage: The History of the Maison and the Stages of Watchmaking; Innovations and Inventions; and Creativity and Artistic Crafts. The guided visits will range in duration from two-and-a-half to four hours, according to the theme being explored.

Following the traditional format already established at Jaeger-LeCoultre, the Masterclasses will be highly focused, hands-on tutorials led by an expert watchmaker or craftsman, in which participants actively practice particular skills of traditional watchmaking or artistic crafts.

THE SOUND MAKER

Introduced by the Maison in June 2020, The Sound Maker theme pays homage to Jaeger-LeCoultre’s home in the Vallée de Joux and to its great legacy of chiming timepieces, expressing 150 years of accumulated chiming expertise in fresh new ways that link nature, art and horology.

Honouring The Sound Maker, the first series of Discovery Workshops and Manufacture Visits, will be devoted to the sounds of watchmaking.

The Manufacture Visits will focus on the secrets of sound-making and the Maison’s rich chiming heritage, as well as its latest chiming creations. In the Discovery Workshops, participants will learn why watches go ‘tick-tock’, how time can be expressed through sound, what makes a minute repeater chime – and the difference between a repeater and a Grande Sonnerie.

“Atelier d’Antoine” is open to everyone, from collectors who want to build on an existing passion to absolute newcomers with curiosity about watchmaking but no prior knowledge. To participate in any programme of “Atelier d’Antoine”, advance registration is required and may be done through Jaeger-LeCoultre boutiques or, from December 2020 online at online-booking.jaeger-lecoultre.com.