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[title]This advertising content was produced in collaboration between Time Out and La Compagnie, without involvement from the Time Out editorial staff.
Is there anything more quintessential NYC than Art Deco history, high fashion style, modern art, or a delicious cup of coffee? Jaeger-LeCoultre doesn’t think so, and that’s why the nearly 200-year-old legacy watchmaker is bringing them all together in the kick off to the North American leg of its Reverso Stories Exhibition, which is returning to Manhattan for the third time on November 2.
The retrospective is a celebration of Jaeger-LeCoultre’s classic timepiece, the Reverso, which was created in 1931 to withstand the rigors of intense polo matches while maintaining the brand’s definitive luxurious stylings. Despite housing more than 50 different calibers over its nine decades in existence, the Reverso remains one of the most instantly recognizable watches of all time.
Reverso Stories will run at Iron23 (29 W 23rd Street, NY 10010) from November 3 until November 22, culminating with the grand opening of Jaeger-LeCoultre’s new Madison Avenue flagship store. The immersive exhibit aims to reveal the craftsmanship, innovation and design behind the Reverso, in addition to exploring the “wider creative and cultural universe surrounding it.”
To that end, the exhibit is divided into four chapters. In the first, Story of an Icon, archival footage and milestone watches tell the story of the collection through history. In the next chapter, Story of Style and Design, the Reverso’s Art Deco timelessness is celebrated. In Story of Innovation, Jaeger-LeCoultre’s commitment to invention—including the early idea for a reversible case—is investigated. In the last chapter, Story of Craftsmanship, the engravers, gem-setters, enamellers and craftspeople who personalize Reversos are paid tribute.
Artist Yiyun Kang was specially commissioned by Jaeger-LeCoultre under its Made of Makers program (partnerships with artists aimed at encouraging interaction between watchmaking and other art mediums) to produce a multimedia piece for Reverso Stories called Origin. In Origin, Kang uses a large projection on a three-dimensional screen to explore the Golden Ratio, a concept widely regarded as the universal signifier of aesthetic harmony in nature and design that has been the guiding spirit of the Reverso since its inception.
You’ll find watch craftsmanship highlighted in two unique spaces within the exhibit. ‘In the Making’ features a series of short films that each focus on a single craft, including rarely seen stages of the watchmaking process. In the ‘Hokusai’ room, the master enamellers of the Métiers Rares atelier are lauded. That space also pays homage to Katsushika Hokusai, a 19th-century Japanese artist whose works have been reproduced as miniature enamels on the case-backs of a special Reverso watch series.
In the exhibit’s 1931 Cafe, award-winning pastry chef Nina Metayer—who was also commissioned for a Made of Makers collaboration—is serving coffee and decadent pastries inspired by the principles of the Golden Ratio using ingredients from the Vallée de Joux (a valley within the Jura mountain region that spans Switzerland and France).
Reverso Stories also provides an opportunity to learn more about the craft of watchmaking through the Atelier d'Antoine, a hands-on educational workshop available onsite for a fee by appointment.
The exhibit is open to the public and is free of charge. Operating hours are Tuesday to Thursday 11am until 7pm, Friday and Saturday 10am to 7pm, and Sunday 11am to 6pm. It’s closed on Monday. Book your tour and discovery workshop now.