Created by the Swiss fine watchmaking Maison as part of its mission to expand the cultural conversation around design and watchmaking, the immersive sound-and-light show tells the story of the Golden Ratio, the unique mathematical formula that defines aesthetic harmony. Open free of charge to the public, it is an invitation to discover the elemental links between the beauty found in nature and in the most pleasing of man-made objects – from art and architecture to fine watches, and in particular the timeless Art Deco design of the Reverso, which was created in 1931.

A spectacular digital show projected onto a giant screen of falling water overlooking the River Thames, The Golden Ratio Musical Show is amplified by a spellbinding soundtrack composed by the ground-breaking British musician TØKIO M¥ERS and commissioned by Jaeger-LeCoultre through its Made of Makers programme of artistic collaborations.

On the evening of 14 September, Jaeger-LeCoultre hosted a private gala dinner, during which TØKIO M¥ERS gave a live performance of his soundtrack during The Golden Ratio Musical Show, accompanied by the renowned Bourne Orchestra – a collaboration between musicians from the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra and the London Chamber Orchestra. He followed this with a concert of other selected works, complete with the special effects that make his live performances so compelling.

Among the guests were the award-winning actor Nicholas Hoult, Ambassador for Jaeger-LeCoultre, actors Mimi Keene, Finn Cole, Sonoya Mizuno, Freya Allan and Gregg Sulkin. The British filmmaker and television presenter Reggie Yates was Master of Ceremonies for the evening.

The 1931 Cinema, located at Battersea Power Station on the south bank of the River Thames, and The Golden Ratio Musical Show offered the public the opportunity to experience design, craft and watchmaking in an entirely new cultural context.

WITH AN ORIGINAL SYMPHONY COMPOSED BY TØKIO M¥ERS

From 14^th – 17^th September 2023, Jaeger-LeCoultre will have the pleasure of welcoming guests to The Golden Ratio Musical Show in London. Presented at the 1931 Cinema, a specially created venue at the newly restored Battersea Power Station, the inspiring sound-and-light show celebrates the Golden Ratio – the unique mathematical formula that defines the aesthetic harmony that we humans are instinctively drawn to. The ground-breaking British musician, TØKIO M¥ERS, has composed a new soundtrack especially for the show, commissioned by Jaeger-LeCoultre through its Made of Makers programme.

Presenting Design in a New Cultural Context

With The Golden Ratio Musical Show and 1931 Cinema, Jaeger-LeCoultre continues to expand the cultural conversation around design and watchmaking, exploring their elemental links through the lens of the Reverso watch, which is widely acknowledged as an icon of 20^th century design. Taking its name from the year that the Reverso was born, the 1931 Cinema offers guests a deep immersion in the style and ambience of that period. Enhancing the experience, refreshments will be provided by the 1931 Café. The outdoor cinema concept also pays homage to the world’s first drive-in movie theatre, which opened in 1933 and spawned a new form of entertainment that was to become embedded in popular culture.

The Art Deco-inspired design of the 1931 Cinema will be enhanced by its location at Battersea Power Station, one of London’s most spectacular Art Deco buildings and a new retail, leisure and cultural destination for the capital. Originally conceived as a purely functional and box-like structure, its beautiful exterior is the work of British architect Sir Giles Gilbert Scott, who was commissioned to redesign it, adding Art Deco glamour and the four iconic chimneys, which are synonymous of the London skyline. Construction of the Power Station began in 1929 with the first half, Station A completed in 1933, and the second half, Station B in 1955. At its peak Battersea Power Station produced a fifth of London’s electricity. 

An Enthralling Sound-and-Light Show

The centrepiece of the 1931 Cinema is The Golden Ratio Musical Show, a spectacular sound-and-light show projected onto a giant screen of falling water. The 10-minute show tells the story of the Golden Ratio in four chapters: tracing the path from the observation of nature and the hidden harmonies that connect its most beautiful forms, to the scientific examination of the mystical properties of beauty and the quest to define their geometry, which led to the discovery of the mathematical formula 1.618, also known as Phi (φ). It continues by exploring how this ‘golden number’ or ‘divine proportion’ has marked European cultural history, architecture and art ever since it was identified, and concludes by presenting the Reverso, created at the height of the Art Deco movement, which expresses the spirit of the Golden Ratio with utmost eloquence.

A Specially Commissioned Soundtrack by TØKIO M¥ERS

For The Golden Ratio Musical Show, Jaeger-LeCoultre commissioned a soundtrack from the British musician and composer TØKIO M¥ERS, who is gaining worldwide recognition as one of the most original artists to emerge in recent years. A graduate of the Royal College of Music, celebrated for his experimental fusions of classical music with cinematic, hip-hop, dance, ‘90s soul and other influences, TØKIO M¥ERS is also a gifted pianist and percussionist, and a performer of immense range and dynamic power. Through compositions that transcend time and genres, he creates dialogues between the past and present, redefining what classical music can be.

Having taken inspiration from time spent at the Jaeger-LeCoultre Manufacture in the Swiss Jura mountains, TØKIO M¥ERS says that he wrote the piece “with the explicit intention of amplifying the emotional impact of the digital projection”. He describes the new work as “a short symphony in four chapters, or movements, that takes the listener on a powerful journey”. Reinforcing the Golden Ratio theme, he translated the number 1.618 into a tempo of 161.8 beats per minute. “I incorporated the Golden Ratio as the driving tempo throughout the piece. I’ve never written in this tempo before and it’s a wonderful tempo to write in,” he says.

London Dates on a World Tour

Following its debut during Shanghai International Film Festival in early June, The Golden Ratio Musical Show and 1931 Cinema began a world tour in Los Angeles. The London season runs from 14^th – 17^th September at Battersea Power Station and it will be open to the public, free of charge, offering the opportunity to experience design and watchmaking in an entirely new cultural context.

On the night of the 14^th September, at an invitation-only gala, TØKIO M¥ERS will give a live performance of his soundtrack. He will be accompanied by The Bourne Orchestra, a collaboration between musicians from the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra and the London Chamber Orchestra. This will be followed by a concert of his other work, accompanied by the signature lighting that make his solo performances so dynamic.

The 1931 Cinema will be open free of charge to the public from the 14^th September to the 17^th September, with The Golden Ratio Musical Show running all day on a 20-minute cycle.

Following its London season, the 1931 Cinema and The Golden Ratio Musical Show will travel to Dubai.

The Golden Ratio Musical Show

Battersea Power Station, London, SW8 5BN

Opening day on 14^th September from 11am to 6pm

From 15^th – 16^th September from 11am to 10pm

17^th September from 11am to 9pm

Open to public. Free of charge. 

Register on https://online-booking.jaeger-lecoultre.com/atelier/58

Preserving Cinematic Heritage

This year marks the 12^th year of the Film Restoration programme, Jaeger-LeCoultre’s ongoing collaboration with Shanghai International Film Festival to protect China’s cinematic heritage for future generations. The collaboration reflects La Grande Maison’s own commitment to the preservation of heritage: in a dedicated restoration workshop established within its Manufacture, specialist watchmakers breathe new life into historic timepieces that might otherwise be lost forever. Under the Film Restoration programme 16 films have so far been preserved, spanning many different genres and including some of the most seminal works in Chinese cinema of the past 80 years. Among the most recently restored are Outside the Window (1973) directed by Sung Tsun-shou, A Soul Haunted by Painting (1994) by Han Shuqin, Flowers of Shanghai (1998) by Hou Hsiao-hsien and Hu Sang’s 1956 masterpiece, New Year Sacrifice.

The latest film to be restored, Early Spring in February (1963) is the best-known work by the great Third Generation director, Xie Tieli.

Celebrating the Filmmaker’s Art

Having a deep affinity with the world of film through a shared passion for both artistic and technical savoir-faire, Jaeger-LeCoultre has long been a supporter of the cinematic arts in China. For La Grande Maison, the protection, preservation and transmission of craft – in its many forms – is a fundamental value, and it is proud to maintain its commitment to the exceptional creativity represented by the art and craft of filmmaking in China. The prestigious and highly coveted Glory to the Filmmaker Award made its debut at Shanghai International Film Festival in 2018 to honour Chinese filmmakers who have made outstanding contributions in their field. The recipient of the 2023 award – considered to be a Lifetime Achievement recognition – will be a leading figure in Chinese cinema.

Honouring the Golden Ratio with a new Musical Show

Jaeger-LeCoultre’s private event to be held during the film festival pays homage to the Golden Ratio – the number that defines aesthetic harmony and has been the guiding spirit of the Reverso since it was created in 1931. Inspired by the world’s first drive-in movie theatre, which opened in the early 1930s, the specially designed ‘Art Deco Cinema’ also pays homage to the period acknowledged as the first golden age of Chinese cinema, centred in Shanghai.

The highlight of the evening will be the world premiere of The Reverso Musical Show, a spectacular sound-and-light show projected onto a giant screen of falling water. Telling the story of the Golden Ratio in four chapters, from the observation of nature, to the quest to define a formula for beauty, to mankind’s creation of beautiful objects governed by the golden ratio and concluding with the Reverso, which expresses the spirit of harmony with such eloquence. The ground-breaking British musician TØKIO M¥ERS composed a new soundtrack especially for the show, commissioned by Jaeger-LeCoultre through its Made of Makers programme, and will give a live performance of it during the premiere.

WITH AN ORIGINAL SYMPHONY COMPOSED BY TØKIO M¥ERS

From June 22–25 in Los Angeles, Jaeger-LeCoultre will have the pleasure of welcoming guests to The Golden Ratio Musical Show. Presented in an inspiring open-air venue, the spectacular sound and light show celebrates the Golden Ratio – the unique mathematical formula that defines the aesthetic harmony that we, as humans, are instinctively drawn to. The ground-breaking British musician TØKIO M¥ERS has composed a new soundtrack especially for the show, commissioned by Jaeger-LeCoultre through its Made of Makers programme.

Presenting Design in a New Cultural Context

With The Golden Ratio Musical Show, Jaeger-LeCoultre continues to expand the cultural conversation around design and watchmaking, exploring their elemental links through the lens of the Reverso watch, which is widely acknowledged as an icon of 20^th-century design. The 1931 Cinema, the show’s specially designed setting, offers guests a deep immersion in the style and ambience of the Art Deco period, when the Reverso was created. Enhancing the experience, refreshments will be provided by the nomadic 1931 Café. Constructed in an open-air setting at Westfield Century City on Santa Monica Boulevard, the outdoor concept also pays homage to the world’s first drive-in movie theatre, which opened in 1933 and spawned a new form of entertainment that was to become deeply embedded in American popular culture.

An Enthralling Sound-and-Light Show

The centrepiece of the 1931 Cinema is The Golden Ratio Musical Show, a spectacular sound-and-light show projected onto a giant screen of falling water. The 10-minute production tells the story of the Golden Ratio in four chapters, tracing the path from the observation of nature and the hidden harmonies that connect its most beautiful forms, to the scientific examination of the mystical properties of beauty and the quest to define their geometry, which led to the discovery of the mathematical formula 1.618, also known as Phi (φ). It continues by exploring how this ‘golden number’ or ‘divine proportion’ has marked cultural history, architecture and art and concludes by presenting the Reverso, created at the height of the Art Deco movement, which expresses the spirit of the Golden Ratio with utmost eloquence.

A Specially Commissioned Soundtrack by TØKIO M¥ERS

For The Golden Ratio Musical Show, Jaeger-LeCoultre commissioned a soundtrack from the ground-breaking British musician and composer TØKIO M¥ERS, who is gaining worldwide recognition as one of the most original artists to emerge in recent years. A graduate of the Royal College of Music, celebrated for his experimental fusions of classical music with cinematic, hip-hop, dance, ‘90s soul and other influences, TØKIO M¥ERS is also a gifted pianist and percussionist, and a performer of immense range and dynamic power. Through compositions that transcend time and genres, he creates dialogues between the past and present, redefining what classical music can be.

Having taken inspiration from time spent at the Jaeger-LeCoultre Manufacture in the Swiss Jura Mountains, TØKIO M¥ERS says that he wrote the new piece “with the explicit intention of amplifying the emotional impact of the digital projection”. He describes the work as “a short symphony in four chapters, or movements, that takes the listener on a powerful journey”. Amplifying the Golden Ratio theme, he translated the number 1.618 into a tempo of 161.8 beats per minute. “I incorporated the Golden Ratio as the driving tempo throughout the piece. I’ve never written in this tempo before and it’s a wonderful tempo to write in,” he says.

First Stop on a World Tour

The Golden Ratio Musical Show begins a world tour in Los Angeles, following its debut in Shanghai. The event opens on June 22 with an invitation-only gala, during which TØKIO M¥ERS will give a live performance of his soundtrack. He will be accompanied by the acclaimed L.E.Orchband, a Los Angeles-based collective of world-class musicians from leading orchestras on both sides of the Atlantic. Following this, TØKIO M¥ERS will perform a concert of his other work, complete with the signature lighting that makes his solo performances so dynamic.

During its Los Angeles season, the 1931 Cinema will be open free of charge to the public from June 22-25, offering the opportunity to experience design and watchmaking in an entirely new cultural context. The space will be open throughout the day from 10 am–10pm, with The Golden Ratio Musical Show beginning at 7pm and running on a 20-minute cycle until 10pm.

Following its Los Angeles season, the 1931 Cinema and The Golden Ratio Musical Show will travel to London and Dubai during 2023.

Following the digital launch of its 2020 collection at the end of April through watchesandwonders.com, the Shanghai salon will be the first opportunity for invited media, retailers and clients to physically view Jaeger-LeCoultre’s latest timepieces at a live event.

The Maison introduced The Sound Maker™ theme this June. Celebrating the art of sound in watchmaking, The Sound Maker™ explores the uniquely rich heritage – past, present and future – of chiming watches at Jaeger-LeCoultre and pays homage to the sounds of nature in the Vallée de Joux, its home since 1833.

As well as seeing and handling the newest chiming watches, guests will have the opportunity to discover a selection of landmark timepieces from Jaeger-LeCoultre’s Heritage Collection.