• The ninety-year story of a design icon told in four chapters
• An olfactory experience and new signature scents by Nicolas Bonneville commissioned under Jaeger-LeCoultre’s Made of Makers programme
• Celebrating the latest launch of the limited-edition Reverso Tribute Chronograph

Jaeger-LeCoultre invites visitors to discover the world of Reverso through a richly immersive Pop-up held in the heart of New York City this December. ‘Reverso Stories’ takes visitors on a fascinating journey into the evolution of watchmaking craftsmanship and design, through nine decades of cultural and social change. The ‘Reverso Stories’ Pop-up will be staged in a specially designed outdoor space in the Public Square & Gardens at Hudson Yards, the vibrant hub of Manhattan’s West Side, from 6–15 December, 2024.

‘Reverso Stories’ – a fascinating retrospective, the latest Reverso launch and a refreshing pause

Celebrating the Art Deco origins of one of the world’s most recognisable watch designs, ‘Reverso Stories’ takes visitors on a compelling journey into its history and the craftsmanship, innovation and design behind it.

Told in four chapters – Story of an Icon, Story of Style & Design, Story of Innovation and Story of Craftsmanship – the Reverso’s stories are illustrated by emblematic models, from rarely seen archive timepieces to contemporary High Jewellery and miniature-painted pieces. The Pop-up also includes highlights from the current collection, along with the world’s first wristwatch with four functioning faces – the Reverso Hybris Mechanica Calibre 185 ‘Quadriptyque’. Alongside the exhibits, a live demonstration of the decorative art of perlage will give visitors insight into an element of the watchmaking process rarely seen by the public.

In addition, Jaeger-LeCoultre will be celebrating its latest launch of the limited-edition Reverso Tribute Chronograph, reinterpreted in pink gold (18 karats, 750/1000). The recto showcases a new dial decoration, amplifying the rectilinear Art Deco geometry of the Reverso case, while the reverse side is open-worked, revealing the complexity of the Calibre 860. With its great legacy of Art Deco style and architecture, New York is a particularly fitting setting to showcase this timepiece that pays homage to the Reverso’s Art Deco origins.

Visitors to the exhibition are invited to enrich their experience by pausing to enjoy a warm beverage in the nomadic 1931 Café, named for the year in which the celebrated Reverso was born.

Made of Makers: a collaboration in perfumery

The ‘Reverso Stories’ Pop-up in New York City features an artistic collaboration under Jaeger-LeCoultre’s Made of Makers programme, which was developed to push further the boundaries of classical art by collaborating with artists, designers, and craftsmen from disciplines outside watchmaking.

In New York, Jaeger-LeCoultre reveals it latest Made of Makers collaboration, which embraces the world of fine perfumery. The Scent Artist, Nicolas Bonneville, has translated the spirit of La Grande Maison into three exclusive new signature scents and, in a specially designed space within the exhibition, visitors are invited to discover these new creations and enjoy an interactive game of identifying key perfume ingredients.

Hands-on watchmaking workshops and perfumery masterclasses

Visitors are also invited to the Jaeger-LeCoultre flagship boutique at 701 Madison Avenue to discover watchmaking and perfumery in greater depth through hands-on educational workshops. The Discovery Workshops presented by the Atelier d’Antoine will be dedicated to the Reverso, taking participants deep into its world in a dynamic and interactive format. In addition, visitors to the boutique will have the opportunity to be initiated into the beauty and complexity that lie behind the creation of memorable scents.

‘Reverso Stories’ Pop-up opening hours and admission

‘Reverso Stories’ will be held from 6–15 December at the Public Square & Gardens, Hudson Yards at 11th Avenue and Hudson Boulevard East, New York City, NY 10001. Opening Monday to Friday from 10.00 am to 6.00 pm, Saturday from 10.00 am to 8.00 pm and on Sunday from 11.00 am to 7.00 pm, with free access to the public. Guided tours, lasting approximately 30 minutes, are available. Visitors may book online at bit.ly/ReversoStoriesPopupNY or register on arrival.

Jaeger-LeCoultre flagship boutique opening hours and admission

The Jaeger-LeCoultre flagship boutique is located at 701 Madison Avenue, New York and throughout the duration of the Pop-up, it will be open to guests from Monday to Saturday from 10.00 am to 6.00 pm and on Sundays from 12.00 pm to 5.00 pm. The Atelier d’Antoine Discovery Workshops hosted in the flagship boutique at 701 Madison Avenue should be booked in advance at bit.ly/ADANYC.

THE MANUFACTURE TO MADISON AVENUE

Jaeger-LeCoultre, proudly announces the grand transformation of its flagship boutique at 701 Madison Avenue. This occasion opens a fresh chapter in the Maison’s enduring relationship with New York City, inviting visitors to embark in the fascinating world of watchmaking and the remarkable story of Jaeger-LeCoultre’s heritage, expertise and creativity.

Located at the same address as the Maison’s previous boutique, the new flagship is much larger than its predecessor. The entrance is set between two large windows, commanding a strong presence on the street and exuding a sense of openness and welcome. Inside, the double-height space evokes the serenity and beauty of Jaeger-LeCoultre’s home in the Vallée de Joux, with an emphasis on natural colours and organic materials – limestone and oak, with accents of black brushed metal.

A Celebration of Craftsmanship

The open-plan main floor has been designed as a series of flowing spaces that offer different levels of interaction for visitors, enabling them to gain a deeper understanding of the Maison and the art of watchmaking. Directly facing the entrance, the Craftsmanship Table is an invitation to discover the beauty of the Métiers Rares, including enamelling, engraving and gem-setting – just a few of the 180 skills housed within Jaeger-LeCoultre’s integrated Manufacture. On the wall behind, a display case houses a selection of the rarest and most precious timepieces from the current collection.

A World of Personalisation and Heritage

To the right, arranged to form an oval, display counters showcase all of the highlights of the Maison’s current collections. Nearby, a fascinating, interactive calibre wall draws visitors to discover some of the most emblematic of the 1400+ calibres created by the Maison since its founding, underlining its authority as “the Watchmaker of Watchmakers”. Beyond the display counters, an interactive Strap Wall enables clients to personalize their timepieces by experimenting with the many options and discovering their own perfect pairing of watch case with strap material, color and stitching. The power of personalization is taken even further with a display of engraved and lacquered Reverso case-backs that reveal the deep pleasure of owning a timepiece that holds a personalized emblem and thus truly belongs to its owner.

The 1931 Café

In the area to the left of the entrance, visitors are invited to enrich their experience of the Maison by pausing to enjoy a refreshment in the 1931 Café. Named for the year in which the celebrated Reverso was born, the café features a wall of tiles in a bespoke pattern derived from lettering created by Alex Trochut under the Maison’s Made of Makers programme – a subtle homage to the Art Deco design of the Reverso.

Exploring the story of the Manufacture

Next to the 1931 Café, a Cabinet de Curiosités houses an intriguing display of objects that tell the story of the Manufacture and its three principal fields of watchmaking excellence through the themes of The Sound Maker, The Stellar Odyssey and The Precision Maker. Set in the centre of the cabinet is a screen where visitors can choose from a library of nine evocative and educational In The Making videos that take them behind the scenes at Jaeger-LeCoultre, revealing in depth the five steps of creating a watch in the Maison’s fully integrated Manufacture: Design, Production, Assembly, Finishing and Ornamentation.

An Educational Journey with Atelier d’Antoine

Deep in the heart of the boutique, several steps lead to a secluded and intimate VIP Lounge, where clients can discover exceptional timepieces in greater privacy. Nearby, a dramatic, sculptural staircase spirals up to a ‘glass box’ mezzanine overlooking the main floor. This is the home of the Atelier d’Antoine – an opportunity to explore the world of Swiss fine watchmaking in a new way. Here, themed Discovery Workshops are hosted by a watchmaking expert and offered to a maximum of six participants at a time; the workshops blend theoretical education and direct hands-on experience of watchmaking in a dynamic and interactive format.

Highlighting Jaeger-LeCoultre’s commitment to excellence, an in-house watchmaker is set at the boutique to undertake tasks such as changing or re-sizing bracelets, as well as effecting after sale services.

Much more than just a place to purchase exceptional timepieces, the new flagship on Madison Avenue welcomes visitors to pause and take time, immersing themselves in the fascinating world of watchmaking and the remarkable story of Jaeger-LeCoultre, taking a deep dive into the Maison’s heritage, its watchmaking expertise and its spirit of innovation and creativity.

Location, Opening Hours and Admission

The Jaeger-LeCoultre flagship boutique is located at 701 Madison Avenue, New York and will be open to guests Monday through Saturday from 10:00am to 6:pm.

Atelier d’Antoine Workshops may be booked online at: https://www.jaeger-lecoultre.com/atelier-antoine-in-store-experiences-new-york

Located at IRON 23, the exhibition will run from November 3 to November 22, 2023. The 'Reverso Stories' exhibition arrives just ahead of the grand opening of Jaeger-LeCoultre's new flagship boutique on Madison Avenue.

A fascinating retrospective that leads visitors through nine decades of timeless modernity, ‘Reverso Stories’ reveals the craftsmanship, innovation and design behind the celebrated timepiece and also explores the wider creative and cultural universe surrounding it.

Visitors will discover the Reverso story through four key themes: Story of an Icon, Style and Design, Innovation, and Craftsmanship. The experience is enhanced by an immersive digital art installation by Korean artist Yiyun Kang; a space devoted to the video series ‘In the Making’, which reveals the secrets of the 180 crafts practiced in the Manufacture; a room dedicated to Japanese artist Hokusai, whose works have been reproduced on Reverso timepieces; the 1931 Café serving an Art Deco-inspired menu; and hands-on watchmaking Discovery Workshops within the Atelier d’Antoine.

In addition to historic timepieces, the exhibits will include the 2023 Reverso models launched at Watches and Wonders, and two exceptional new Reverso Tribute Enamel models that will be launched during the New York season of ‘Reverso Stories’.

Exploring Nine Decades of Timeless Modernity through Four Stories

Since 1833, Jaeger-LeCoultre has expressed its inventive spirit through the creation of many world firsts – including the legendary, patented swivelling case of the Reverso watch. This timeless expression of Art Deco style was born in 1931 on the polo fields of India, with the idea of a case that could be flipped over to protect the watch while playing ‘the sport of kings’. With its revolutionary design and immaculate craftsmanship, the Reverso was immediately embraced by trendsetters from all walks of life, quickly transcending its original purpose and, over the decades, becoming widely recognised as an icon of 20^th-century design.

The story of Reverso is told in four chapters. The Story of an Icon, retells the tale of the Reverso’s origins through rarely seen archive materials and milestone Reverso watches from the Jaeger-LeCoultre collection. The Story of Style & Design looks at the Reverso watch as a quintessential example of Art Deco design that remains timelessly modern today, expressing the spirit of the Golden Ratio. The Story of Innovation highlights the insatiable spirit of invention that characterises the Jaeger-LeCoultre Manufacture, from the first brilliant idea for a reversible case, to the development of ground-breaking complications designed specifically for its rectangular shape. The Story of Craftsmanship pays tribute to the engravers, gem-setters, enamellers and guillochage masters of the Manufacture’s Métiers Rares™ atelier, revealing how they have unleashed the full potential of the Reverso as a canvas for artistic expression and personalised messages.

Art Meets Watchmaking

Set at the heart of the exhibition, Yiyun Kang’s multimedia installation, Origin, was specially commissioned by Jaeger-LeCoultre under its Made of Makers program; a series of artistic partnerships that expands the dialogue between watchmaking and other art forms. Recognized for her immersive audio-visual and projection-mapping installations that recast space with moving image and sound, Yiyun Kang is one of the most active and acclaimed Korean digital media artists in today’s international art scene. Projected onto a very large three-dimensional screen, Origin explores the Golden Ratio – a fundamental concept regarded as the universal signifier of aesthetic harmony in both nature and man-made design – which has been the guiding spirit of the Reverso since 1931.  

A Celebration of Craftsmanship

Showcasing the 180 crafts housed under one roof at the Manufacture Jaeger-LeCoultre, two spaces are dedicated to particular aspects of the craft and art of watchmaking.  One room, ‘In the Making’ is devoted to a series of short films that take viewers behind the scenes, each focusing on a single craft, including rarely seen stages of the watchmaking process, with voiceovers that explain the artisans’ processes in their own words. The ‘Hokusai’ room celebrates the master enamellers of the Manufacture’s Métiers Rares™ atelier and pays homage to the 19^th-century Japanese artist Katsushika Hokusai, whose works have been reproduced as enamelled miniatures on the case-backs of a series of Reverso watches.

An Educational Journey

'Reverso Stories' offers visitors a deeper exploration of watchmaking through the Atelier d'Antoine, a hands-on educational workshop that focuses on the Reverso. This Discovery Workshop is available to all visitors by appointment.

Indulge in Pastries Inspired by the Golden Ratio

Completing visitors’ immersion into the spirit of Art Deco, the 1931 Café is an invitation to guests to pause and enjoy a choice of crafted pastries designed by award-winning French pastry chef Nina Metayer, a collaboration under the ‘Made of Makers’ program, inspired by the principles of the Golden Ratio and ingredients from the Vallée de Joux.

The ‘Reverso Stories’ Exhibition will take place from November 3 to November 22, 2023 at IRON 23, located at 29 W 23rd Street, NY 10010. Entry is open to the public and free of charge.

Opening hours and admission:

Tuesday to Thursday 11am until 7pm

Friday and Saturday 10am to 7pm

Sunday 11am to 6pm

Closed on Monday

Guests will be able to walk in or book guided visits online at: Jaeger-LeCoultre - Theme - THE REVERSO STORIES EXHIBITION 

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.