With the Cannes film festival open since yesterday, the timing is perfect to penetrate the world of High Jewellery by Jaeger-LeCoultre. As the watchmaking house says, “Cinema is intimately bound up with Jaeger-LeCoultre’s world, akin to the craft of watchmaking in that same creative impulse that runs through its ingenuity and technical virtuosity.“
Slowly, painstakingly, just as the master jeweller carefully selects each precious stone before skilfully setting it into the dial of a watch, actors and directors meticulously plan every detail of their films to breathe life into a gem that draws the spectator into its world. A talent for precision, exceptional know-how, selecting the very best tools – these elements are as much a part of the filmmaker’s and actor’s art as the jeweller’s. Being an artist means crafting emotions. Every day Jaeger- LeCoultre’s Rare Handcrafts « Métiers Rares » master jewellers enhance the Maison’s timepieces with a timeless brilliance that pays homage to the beauty of women.
Rendez-Vous Celestial
From the very first glance, the Rendez-Vous Celestial stands out with its enamel dial, its hand-painted disc of the sky made of lapis lazuli, its bezel set with different shades of sapphires, and its shimmering diamonds. Jaeger-LeCoultre brought together all the inventiveness and creative virtuosity of its Rare Handcrafts « Métiers RaresTM » for this High Jewellery piece. The circle of baguette-cut sapphires around the bezel alone is a work of art. The play of light reflected off it like a mirror gives an impression that, while decorative, remains extremely well-balanced.
Reverso One Duetto Jewelry
Eminently feminine with its luminous gem-setting and graceful dial, the Reverso One Duetto Jewelry draws inspiration from the earliest ladies’ Reverso models of the 1930s. Its fine, elongated features – magnified by the brilliance of the diamonds – are emblematic of Art Deco.
The Manufacture’s artisan jewellers set the three iconic Reverso gadroons on either side of the dial with rows of brilliant-cut diamonds to bring a unique dazzle to this timepiece. On the front face, the stones set off the gentle shimmer of the Balinese mother-of-pearl dial, with its Arabic numerals that seem drawn by hand. The lines that define each corner of this face subtly emphasise the geometry of the timepiece and its Art Deco spirit.
On the reverse, black opal throws out mysterious glints reflecting myriad shades of blue – from midnight blue, through tinges of green, to indigo. This stone is given dramatic depth by a diamond setting, evocative of celestial rays. A satin strap of midnight blue brings out the ravishing beauty of this face.
And to further channel the period feel, the crown has been crafted with very Art Deco geometric facets that create a play of reflections from the rays of the sun.