Jaeger-LeCoultre: New Watches Feature Magnificent Mini ‘Lost’ Masterpieces

Paintings by Vincent Van Gogh, Gustave Courbet, and Gustav Klimt.

Jaeger-LeCoultre produces some of the most appealing watches. Now, its newest collection has reproduced paintings that were done by three great masters. The reverse dial side of the watches of the newest collection has the paintings by Vincent Van Gogh, Gustave Courbet, and Gustav Klimt.

The faces of each are guilloched in varied patterns, and then they are coloured to ensure they match the harmony and spirit of the paintings that are present on the hidden reverse side of the Jaeger-LeCoultre watches.

Interestingly, all the three watches Jaeger-LeCoultre have paintings that were lost at some point in time and then found again. The paintings featured on these Jaeger-LeCoultre watches were chosen because of their appealing provenance and also because of the fact that all three artists were active when the Reverso was introduced in 1931. It was a prominent moment in the Western artistic tradition. The 19^th-century Realism of Gustave Courbet and Vincent Van Gogh’s Post-Impressionism made a mark. So did the experimental and expressive spirit of Gustave Klimt and the Viennese Secession.

Talking about the newest watches, the CEO of Jaeger-LeCoultre, Catherine Rénier, said, “We wanted the story to be relevant to the collection and to the watchmaking crafts that were coming into use at the time, such as guillochage, but also with a nice angle. The complexity of the miniaturisation was a challenge. We approached the museums hosting the paintings today to discuss the finer points of the interpretations, and the colours, etc.”

For those who are unaware, Jaeger-LeCoultre had established its own in-house enamelling atelier in the 1990s. The first piece, The Courbet piece, View of Lake Léman (1876), captures Lake Geneva’s view near Vevey, Switzerland. It was the place where Courbet lived after being exiled from his native France in 1873. The Van Gogh painting, Sunset at Montmajour (1888), is a key example of the artist’s quest to portray nature in new ways. It captures the distinctive vegetation of Provence and the rich colours of the golden hour just before sunset. The Klimt painting, Portrait of a Lady (1917), is the only known “double” portrait that was created by the Viennese artist. It was painted over an earlier work of the same artist.

Each of the Jaeger-LeCoultre watches will have 10 pieces only. They also have the manual wound calibre 822/2, with a 42-hour power reserve. The cases of the new watches measure 45.6mm x 27.4mm, with a 9.73mm thickness. Details of the pricing and release in Australia have not been shared yet.