When the Orient watch brand recently started referring to two of its more popular watches – the Bambino and Mako – by name, it wasn’t because of some decision within the company. ‘It was consumers who had named watches which until that point had just had reference numbers,’ says the brand’s senior business manager for Europe, Wiebke Bird. ‘And the names given work because they refer to what people like about the watches – that the Bambino, for example, perhaps speaks to that mid-1950s Italian lifestyle.’

This isn’t the first time the consumer has taken over, of course: fans have given Seiko watches, for instance, nicknames such as the Monster, the Samurai and the Tuna Can; Zenith watches, the Cover Girl and the Superman Blue. It’s a testament maybe to just how unwieldy watch reference names are from the consumer perspective.

But also to how the right name helps to define an icon over time: among the more acclaimed new models of 2024 have been new iterations of the well-established likes of Piaget’s Polo, Tag Heuer’s Carrera, Vacheron Constantin’s Fiftysix and Jaeger-LeCoultre’s Reverso. Would these have become classics without their names?

The best name given to a new-ish model? Perhaps Ming’s Bluefin, H Moser’s Streamliner, Norqain’s Wild One, Shinola’s Mackinac, Baltic’s Hermetique or Paulin’s Oh No. (It’s a testament to how dependent the industry is on established model lines that innovation falls mostly to independent or micro-brands.)

‘A product name helps personify a watch – it makes it more endearing, more alive [and aptly so for a product that is so personal],’ argues Romain Marietta, director of product development for Zenith. ‘The design [of a watch] is much more important but the name has an impact for sure, [such that] it’s hard to imagine a watch with a bad name selling.’

If you’re lucky – or come up with a genre-defining design – your watch’s name comes close to transcending even the brand: the Submariner, the Speedmaster, the Royal Oak. But naming a watch isn’t easy, which is why many prefer to codify a model – as with Ressence’s new Type 5L, Braun’s BN0279 or Bell & Ross’s BR-03, for example. Bell & Ross claims this gives its models a more technical, function-forward vibe akin to the naming logic often applied by many companies in the car business, notably Audi and Mercedes.

‘We wanted to get away from those very descriptive, emotive words [chosen for names] – the kind that have that very 1950s feel of telling you what the product does and how well it does it,’ says Lewis Heath, founder of AnOrdain, whose Model 1 has been followed by Models 2 and 3. ‘We didn’t want anything to colour perception of the watch, though we have been told the choice was very unimaginative.’

As Bird points out, another problem is the sheer volume of new models. ‘When you think of the thousands of watches launched every year, just finding a name that hasn’t been used before is hard. And giving a name when you’re managing an international business – when a name may have alternative meanings that don’t work in all markets – is also a challenge.’

Even so, while a quick survey of 20th-century watch releases brings up some great names – Omega’s Ploprof, Favre’s Moon Raider, Heuer’s Monaco, Ulysse Nardin’s Freak, by turns evoking the technical, the futuristic, the exotic, the provocative – very few watch companies use external branding agencies to help them find good options. Zenith, for example, uses an in-house committee of six people who chew over a selection and decide on a name often very close to launch date.

According to Marietta, in one sense, giving naming any more effort is hardly worth it, since legally owning and protecting a name worldwide is arduous and expensive, especially for a watch model that – who knows? – may fade from view or be replaced in a matter of just a few years. ‘A car model, in contrast, may be produced for decades,’ he says.

And sometimes the best names are just happy accidents anyway. When Jaeger-LeCoultre launched its Polaris in 1968 it was originally, snappily, called the E859. It was a US sales agent who decided to rename it himself. Those who might have said that taking a name from the nuclear missile system brought into service a few years prior was not the best idea would appear to have been proven wrong.

Watches are embracing a juxtaposition of materials and texture this season, just in time to make our festive wishlist. From Omega's distinctive Sedna gold to Tudor's gleaming titanium, discover a watch to take you through the party season and beyond in our edit. 

Our wishlist watches this season

The toughness of titanium makes for hard-wearing watches from Girard-Perregaux and Tudor, while microblasted ceramic brings a new slickness to Bell & Ross' familiar angular silhouette. 

Audemars Piguet, too, borrows from the strong codes of black ceramic to rethink the geometrical forms of the Royal Oak Selfwinding watch. 

For Jaeger-LeCoultre and Grand Seiko, it is the clean and classic form of steel that makes a sharp foil for the intricate technicality of the movement within.

A version of this story appears in the December 2023 Entertaining Issue of Wallpaper*, available in print, on the Wallpaper* app on Apple iOS, and to subscribers of Apple News +. Subscribe to Wallpaper* today!

watches-of-switzerland.co.uk

Jaeger-LeCoultre is celebrating the links between design and watchmaking with a sound and light extravaganza held at London’s 1931 Cinema, a specially created open-air venue at Battersea Power Station. British musician TØKIO M¥ERS has composed the soundtrack for the show, commissioned as part of Jaeger-LeCoultre’s Made of Makers programme. Here, Jaeger-LeCoultre CEO Catherine Renier tells us why the show represents the pinnacle of culture, watch design, and creativity.    

The Golden Ratio Musical Show by Jaeger LeCoultre and Tokio Myers 

Wallpaper*: Why did a partnership with TØKIO M¥ERS feel like a natural one for Jaeger Le-Coultre?

Catherine Renier: This partnership came about very naturally as we chose each other. For all our collaborations, we like to feel we share common ground in terms of values and how we perceive and create art. We realised quickly that we have a very similar understanding of emotion, respect for creativity and hard work. What we enjoyed with TØKIO M¥ERS was his approach to music, to reinventing classical music and bringing many genres into his own creations. We feel that his respect for history and his way of drawing inspiration from past and recent decades to create a new piece, a totally new symphony, is very similar to what we do: both respecting our past while bringing a sense of innovation. This is a way to convey our passion to the public, as well as open our doors to a wider audience beyond watchmaking and bring attention to art in a very dynamic and collaborative way.

W*: What links does the show celebrate between watchmaking and design?

CR: With The Golden Ratio Musical Show, we continue to expand the cultural conversation around design and watchmaking, exploring their elemental links through the lens of the Reverso watch, which is widely acknowledged as an icon of 20th-century design. The show’s specially designed setting, the 1931 Cinema, also offers our guests the chance to immerse themselves in the ambiance and style of the art deco period, when the Reverso was born. 

The centrepiece of the 1931 Cinema is The Golden Ratio Musical Show, an enthralling sound-and-light show projected onto an impressive screen of falling water. This show is accompanied by a commissioned soundtrack from M¥ERS, who has specially composed his piece with a tempo based on the golden ratio, which he translated from 1.618 to 161.8 beats per minute, and [which includes] sounds that are inspired by the chiming of our watches. 

The show tells the story of the golden ratio in four chapters, from the observation of nature to the quest to define a formula for beauty, to mankind’s creation of beautiful objects governed by the golden ratio and concluding with the Reverso, which expresses the spirit of harmony with such eloquence.

W*: What are you most proud of in the Made of Makers programme?

CR: It would be difficult to point out one specific moment, as I am proud of so many parts of the Made of Makers programme. In the past few years, we invited a series of renowned artists and craft enthusiasts to collaborate with us with the idea of bringing unique experiences of Jaeger-LeCoultre to the public around the world. It allows us to expand our horizons and express ourselves through new media that generate emotions, cultivate curiosity, and enlarge the dialogue that exists between horology and art. Between the artistic world and Jaeger-LeCoultre, there is an organic bond in the exploration of creativity and in the respect of crafts. We look for artistic collaborations that are based on authenticity and shared values of precision, innovation combined with unique know-how, and nature at its core. 

We make sure all the artists come to the manufacture, in our Vallée de Joux to meet our artisans. They always find a connection with their work, the tools they use and the passion they have. Through the Made of Makers programme, we had the opportunity to work with the artist Zimoun on a sound installation; Michael Murphy on a Reverso anamorphosis called Spacetime; lettering artist Alex Trochut; Guillaume Marmin with Passengers: Through Time; pastry chef Nina Métayer; mixologist Mathias Giroud; digital media artist Yiyun Kang; and British musician TØKIO M¥ERS.

W*: What can visitors look forward to in the show?

CR: Following the première in Shanghai and then Los Angeles, we will have the pleasure of welcoming guests to The Golden Ratio Musical Show in London from 14 to 17 September 2023. The show will be the centrepiece of the 1931 Cinema, taking place at the Battersea Power Station, one of London’s most iconic art deco buildings. The inspiring sound-and-light show will celebrate the golden ratio with a specially commissioned soundtrack composed by M¥ERS. Guests will also be able to enjoy a series of activities over the four days, including a talk and performance by [the musician] on ‘Reinvention of Classics’, hosted by Reggie Yates on September 14. We really want to make the public feel like they are taken back into the 1930s and provide a fully immersive experience where they can educate themselves about the golden ratio.

The 1931 Cinema will be open free of charge to the public on 14 September, and from 15-17 September from 10am to 10pm, with The Golden Ratio Musical Show beginning at 7pm and running on a 20-minute cycle until 10pm.

jaeger-lecoultre.com

Colourful watches showcasing a rainbow of bright hues are among this year's most eye-catching new releases, with shades from sorbet to psychedelic illustrated in bright straps and unexpected materials. From the blue tones of IWC and Audemars Piguet, to the pretty in pink Hublot, wine-coloured Montblanc, via the bright Richar Mille , Tag Heuer and Patek Philippe and more understated Omega and Jaeger-LeCoultre – discover the exquisite new watches here.

The new colourful watches

Tag Heuer

A sporting history is alive and well in the Extreme Sport chronograph from Tag Heuer, which puts a stylish spin on everyday materials with an orange rubber strap.

tagheuer.com

Montblanc

Montblanc nod to a spirit of adventure with a a play on pattern of the dial, here drawn in a deep burgundy.

montblanc.com

Audemars Piguet

A deep blue is an elegant foil for the rose gold detailing on this exquisitely understated Code 11.59 watch.

audemarspiguet.com

Jaeger-LeCoultre

Cutting a strong geometrical silhouette, the Reverso Tribute, here in a deep racing green, proves simple can be striking.

jaeger-lecoultre.com

Hublot

A sweet baby pink belies the sharp technicality at the heart of the Big Bang, crafted in sapphire to allow us to fully appreciate the beauty of the movement.

hublot.com

IWC

IWC marks its relationship with Formula One in style, with bright blue markers and detailing emphasising a shared commitment to legibility.

iwc.com

Richard Mille

A distinctive tonneau-shaped case is given a vibrant new lease of life when drawn in dark yellow quartz, as an in this shapely RM 65-01 chronograph.

richardmille.com

Omega

Sporty, clean and simple - Omega references a classical watchmaking heritage with the Seamaster Planet Ocean, which comes with a green rubber strap for easy wearability.

omegawatches.com

Patek Philippe

A dark face is a sharp foil for a bold orange strap in this very modern rethink of the Aquanaut collection.

patek.com

A version of this article appears in the December 2024 issue of Wallpaper*, available in print on newsstands from 7 of November, on the Wallpaper* app on Apple iOS, and to subscribers of Apple News +. Subscribe to Wallpaper* today

A new Jaeger-LeCoultre exhibition in Paris is celebrating 90 years of the iconic Reverso watch. The immersive exhibition, ‘Reverso: Timeless Stories Since 1931’, which runs until December 2021, will bring to life the backdrop into which the Reverso was born, the art deco period, in a story that criss-crosses the globe.

The tale began in India, with polo players who were keen for a watch case which could be flipped over during a game, thus preventing damage. The exhibition delves into this history in detail in four chapters, with the first, ‘The Story of an Icon,’ presenting rarely seen archive materials alongside key Reverso models, from the very first 1931 piece to the newest Reverso Tribute watch. Visitors are invited to explore the manufacture through a film that celebrates the artistry of the watchmakers themselves, following every step of the intricate creation process.

Next, visitors consider the model aesthetically, with a deep-dive into design. ‘The Story of Style and Design’ looks at the rectangular shape and graphic lines that make the piece so quintessentially art deco. The original forms that the timepiece has taken since its conception are explored in ‘The Story of Innovation’, which explores how the watch has developed since René-Alfred Chauvot submitted the first design to the Paris patent office. Finally, ‘The Story of Craftsmanship’ celebrates the engravers, gem setters and enamellers who intertwine intricate watchmaking codes with high jewellery capabilities for exquisite pieces, miniature works of art in their own right.

‘Art deco has given Reverso a unique identity and timelessness,’ says Jaeger-LeCoultre CEO Catherine Renier. ‘The style and the design of Reverso is a pure signature of this period. It is iconic and recognisable still today because of its symmetry, the lines, the curves, the golden ratio of its case.’

As well as the exhibition, Jaeger-LeCoultre is revealing the specially commissioned Spacetime art installation by American artist Michael Murphy, which will be showcased in Europe for the first time and explores the physical dimensions of space and time in a heady journey delving into the inner workings of the Reverso.

Taste of art deco at 1931 Café

To complete the experience, guests can submerge themselves in the art deco period at the 1931 Café, a monochrome tribute to the chic era, where Parisian pastry chef Nina Métayer delivers the treats. ‘The idea of opening the café is to offer our guests the chance to immerse themselves fully in the style and ambience of the art deco period, when the Reverso was born,’ says Renier.

‘We are partnering with Nina Métayer on the signature menu. Nina has designed the pastries not only to echo the art deco aesthetic but also to take guests on a journey to our home in the Vallée de Joux. The collaboration came as a fantastic encounter between two universes – fine watchmaking and pastry making – that both celebrate craftsmanship and artisans. The 1931 Café is a place where style meets craftsmanship.’

INFORMATION

‘Reverso: Timeless Stories Since 1931’ exhibition and the 1931 Café will be open Tuesday to Saturday, 21 October – 24 December 2021, at 15 rue du Faubourg Saint-Honoré in the 8th arrondissement of Paris. The exhibition is free to the public, but booking is recommended at exposition-reverso.com

The 100th anniversary of the Bauhaus this year got us thinking about classic watch design. For, as the Jaeger-LeCoultre ‘Reverso’ shows, the creation of both remains firmly rooted in Walter Groupius’ dicate that form must follow function.

Launched at the turn of the 1930s, when the wristwatch was the ultimate in personal technology, the ‘Reverso’ was conceived as a way of protecting the dial during polo matches.

A gentle push and the engineered case rotates to conceal the face, revealing an enigmatic blank true to the timepiece’s industrual, art deco character. While functions have been added along the way, the Reverso’s form remains unchanged, as this year’s re-edition proves.

As originally featured in the May 2019 issue of Precious Index

Marc Newson talks about the design process behind his latest Jaeger-LeCoultre Atmos clock. Film courtesy of Jaeger-LeCoultre

Anyone who knows Marc Newson knows he loves watches. Indeed, he has been creating them since the mid-1990s, when his Swiss Ikepod brand refreshed traditional horological thinking with a whole new design sensibility. But even Newson couldn’t have imagined that he’d become the most recognised watch designer in the world when the Apple Watch launched last year.

Today, fresh out of his horological dalliance with Silicon Valley, Newson looks content in the altogether more picturesque Vallée de Joux, the heartland of Swiss watchmaking. He is here to take a final look at the results of his latest time-keeping collaboration with Swiss watch and clock manufacturer Jaeger-LeCoultre, which this month will reveal its third Newson-designed Atmos clock. It has been two years in the making.

Marc Newson designed his first Atmos for Jaeger-LeCoultre - the 561 in 2008, followed by the 566 in 2010. This new iteration, the 568, is a distinctly honed version of both, in part, Newson says because the plan is to extend the production volume, which will, in turn, lower the price. The previous models were strictly limited editions of no more than 25 and were priced upwards of around €80,000. The new 568 is not limited and will retail in the vicinity of €25,000.

It felt like the Atmos was being left behind when I came along’, says Newson, of the initial collaboration. ’I love the idea of designing objects that stand the test of time, things that you can hand on, pass through the family. I don’t think about Atmos clocks as clocks - they are wonderful, sculptural objects that happen to be timepieces. You’ll never find an Atmos clock in landfill because they are inherently valuable objects; the opposite of disposability.’

The Atmos has been in continual production since 1933. The engineer Jean-Léon Reutter designed the technology in 1928. He wanted to invent a timekeeper that would keep perfect time for centuries, without the need for any outside intervention. He devised a gas-driven mechanism activated by small, sequential changes in temperature, and the Atmos clock got its brilliantly futuristic name. Jaeger-LeCoultre, by then one of a handful of grand maisons of Swiss watchmaking, acquired, perfected and developed Reutter’s idea. Atmos clocks are powered by a small, hermetically sealed gas chamber - originally filled with mercury - which dilates when the temperature rises and contracts when it drops. At Jaeger-LeCoultre’s specialist Atmos department in Le Sentier, it is often referred to as ’the mechanical lung’ that ’breathes’ in and out, winding the mechanism in line with atmospheric shifts. The clocks are so energy efficient that a mere one-degree Celsius shift will power the clock for 48 hours.

The futurism of Reutter’s vision is compelling to a designer of Newson’s technical breadth. ’The Atmos clock keeps time beyond any outside influence that, in itself, is completely modern,’ he says. Then, there is Atmos’ Steampunk aesthetic. ’The clocks are so sculptural that I knew they could be interpreted in a contemporary way. The glass casing was generally a means of keeping the movement covered, but glass has obvious structural qualities, so it’s not like we are putting a movement in a fish tank - it’s a holistic process because we work from the outside in.’

Because of the Atmos 568’s expanded production potential, Newson had to take a different approach. The case was created with French crystal specialists Baccarat from a monobloc of crystal. The process to perfect the form has taken two years because Newson did not want a symmetrical outline. Rather, he wanted a low curve at the bottom, which better plays with the light and gives a sense of the mechanics floating. That anomaly caused havoc because, as Newson points out, ’Glass relies on consistency. As soon as you introduce an irregularity, it goes all over the place.’

The crystal also has to be polished inside and out which, on this scale, is a highly specialised technique. ’The level of precision needed was greater because the form has to be easily repeatable,’ says Newson. ’The shape is more rigid than the previous ones and that’s because it’s a particular formation of crystal glass. I’ve worked with glass in many applications across my projects. Making that shape is almost impossible - only Baccarat could do this.’

Newson was also keen to ’inject a level of newness’ to the movement, which he did with decorative details. The bolts that attach the movement and chamber to the glass are designed by him and, being a skilled watch designer, Newson used smooth and brushed finishes to heighten shadow play and add depth. The crystal, too, has been designed to play with light, giving the clock an intriguingly new character from different points of view. The dial, moonphase and hands are created in-house, and the numerals are tampography printed. The hands are counterbalanced so that they do not consume any energy when turning.

Newson is clearly in happy territory here, in the Swiss valleys, working with horological engineers, taming complex materials to create beautiful things. ’It’s always wonderful to get a chance to revisit things, which doesn’t happen much with me’, he says. ’I suppose this time round I’ve approached the design from a more philosophical point of view. The more that tech keeps infiltrating our lives, the more magical objects like the Atmos clock generate more interest - like looking at an open fire. They’re mesmeric.’

As originally featured in the November 2016 issue of Wallpaper* (W*212)

INFORMATION

For more information, visit the Jaeger-LeCoultre website

The object: Designed by Englishman Noel Pemberton Billing in 1937, the Compass was his response to a bet that he could devise a full-function camera, which took up no more space than a cigarette packet. Billing was also a poet, writer and engineer with a hundred or so inventions to his credit. Coincidentally, 1937 was the year that Jaeger and LeCoultre made the name double-barrelled, forming one of the best-known Swiss watch brands in the world.

The provenance: Billing, who also worked on sound recorders, airplanes and other high tech of the era, sought the skills of the world’s best mechanical miniaturists: a watch ‘manufacture’. LeCoultre & Cie had devised hundreds of calibres, including the world’s smallest and thinnest movements, as well as the Atmos clock. In 1934, Pemberton Billing visited the company, ‘where his project met with great enthusiasm’.

The design details: Like a mechanical watch, the Compass required three years of development and contained 290 components. It caused a sensation among photographers because this true miniature came ‘fully loaded’, its features including an exposure meter, range finder, telescopic lens shade, inbuilt filters, extinction meter, EV indicator, angle viewfinder, a device for panoramic and stereoscopic views, and an ultra-light mini-tripod.

The signs of the times: Less than half the size of the leading ‘compact’, Leica’s III, the Compass was unlike any film camera before in that it was so truly tiny. It handled 24×36mm exposures on plates, in a body machined from a solid block of aluminium, measuring only 30×53×70mm with the lens closed. The kit added a pocket clip, cable-release and a leather case.

The now factor: According to Jaeger-LeCoultre, only 4000 were made of both the Mk I and KII Compasses. With WWII stopping production, the Compass has always been a rarity. Convenience, too, played its part, because snappers preferred roll film to small plates. Complexity aside, a mint example with all accessories will set you back £4,000-£6,000. Here’s hoping they issue a replica … even digital.

SalonQP, the annual fine-watch fair held at the Saatchi Gallery, brought the world's top watch brands, makers and collectors to London last week. But along with the first-rate crowd, one of the year's biggest draws was the distinctly stylish 'Gems of Time' exhibition, exploring the design and innovation of the jewelled watch.
 
Even nicer, it was curated by our watches and jewellery director Caragh McKay and designed by Wallpaper* editor-at-large Leila Latchin. McKay invited Latchin to design the set as she knew 'Leila would create a space that understands the classic nature of the great jewellery houses while imbuing them with a suitably modern glamour that is all too often missing from fine jewellery and watch exhibitions, which tend to be staged in traditional art institutions.'
 
The soft, pastel palette was dictated by the golden-peach 'Semiramis' fabric from Sahco, which lined the display cases and was also used to create couture-like billowed curtains. Latchin wanted to design 'an intimate space that draws you in, with elegant windows and curtained alcoves emerging as you move through, each revealing their own treasures hidden within'. Indeed, looking into each vitrine was like peeking into a personal jewellery box befitting Latchin's vision of creating 'poetic still-life compositions by setting the timepieces among vintage pheasant feathers and ribbons'.
 
The aptly named 'Diamonds are a Girl's Best Friend' wall sconces by Matali Casset for Made by Meta were crafted using paktong, a zinc, nickel and copper alloy traditionally imported from China and used for domestic fittings in the 18th century. Latchin's addition of four 'Ilios' disc and sphere wall lamps by Atelier Areti, the London design studio run by sisters Gwendolyn and Guillane Kerschbaumer, added a modern Deco-style touch.

Pale-pink walls lined with emerald-shaped windows revealed a mesmerising collection of current and archive pieces, including a rare collection of Bulgari Serpenti watches. Another unique addition were the drawings of fashion illustrator Nuno da Costa, whose swan-necked, jewel-bedecked girls were projected onto a dividing wall. 'I have always wanted to collaborate on an exhibition with Nuno,' McKay reveals. 'His drawings bring a vitality and youthfulness to fine jewellery. He has a deep understanding of its timeless appeal – its art status, if you like – and so is well placed to put that in a fashion context.'
 
Cartier's set of three contemporary 'Panthère' watches celebrated 100 years of the house's iconic design in white gold, onyx and pavé diamonds. Piaget reflected on its tradition of hammered gold, hard-stone dials and turquoise, exhibiting cuff watches from 1970 alongside pieces from this year's 'Extremely Piaget Paris Biennale' collection, while De Beers displayed a brand-new 'Aria' collection of cocktail watches.

Jaeger-LeCoultre's 'Joaillerie 101 Manchette' cuff played a trick on the eyes: nestled among a puzzle of pavé and white-gold squares, the tiny Calibre 101 ticked away, the miniature movement as impressive now as it was when it was created nearly 100 years ago, in 1929.