True work of art

By topgear, 10 January 2019
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Swiss watch artisans Jaeger-LeCoultre (JLC) unraveled its latest special collection that’s set to woo both true fans of horology and fine arts. Christened as the Reverso Tribute Enamel collection sees JLC drawing inspiration from the works of Alfons Mucha.

A renowned stalwart of the Art Nouveau period, Czech-born Mucha is best remembered for his distinctly stylized and decorative theatrical posters of famous French stage starlet Sarah Bernhardt. For this collection, JLC chose to take inspiration from the artist’s emblematic 1896 series of decorative panels called “The Seasons” to decorate three different models of the Reverso Tribute Enamel.

The front face of each watch has been worked in guilloché of remarkable quality that were finely crafted by JLC’s master engraver. This guilloché employs extremely complex artisanal skills and a special machine that dates back centuries. On this face, a sunburst guilloché appears in relief under the deep color of its transparent enameling.

Each color required hours of research to achieve its perfectly even hue, and to ensure it harmonizes with the colors of the painting reproduced on the reverse of the case. Additionally, when the watch is turned over, a veritable masterpiece reveals itself on the caseback as well.

Underneath, the Reverso Tribute Enamel Alfons Mucha harnesses a manually wound Caliber 822A/2 movement encased in a white and yellow gold casing. In short, each timepiece from this limited edition collection will not only impress any avid watchmaking fan, they’re ones for any fine arts connoisseur to savour in as well. Just eight pieces of each edition will be made available through selected JLC boutiques.