This November, Jaeger-LeCoultre invites visitors to discover the world of Reverso through a richly immersive exhibition set in the heart of New York City. ‘Reverso Stories’ was created in 2021 to mark the 90th anniversary of the Maison’s iconic timepiece, and in 2023 the exhibition’s world tour comes to Manhattan for its North American debut. With its remarkable legacy of Art Deco architecture and style, New York is a particularly fitting setting for the celebration of the Reverso’s Art Deco origins.
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 20th-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 19th-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
