Since the dawn of time humankind has been fascinated by the mysteries of space. We have looked up to the stars to make sense of our lives including time itself. This is not a phenomenon that is lost on one of the world’s most pre-eminent watchmaker Jaeger-LeCoultre.
This year, Jaeger-LeCoultre has decided to embark on what it calls a “Stellar Odyssey”. According to the brand, its watchmakers draw deep inspiration from celestial events. The Maison from Vallée de Joux – a place which has exceptionally clear night skies which thus present an ideal place to contemplate the many mysteries of the universe – founded by Antoine LeCoultre in 1833.
Now, the Manufacture has decided to honour this legacy in new and exciting ways – in plain speak it has and plans to further introduce a range of new celestial watches in 2022.
“This year, the Stellar Odyssey will continue the Manufacture’s journey around the world, sharing not only our creations that are inspired by the celestial theme, but also translating the wonders of the celestial world into art installations and immersive experiences. The Atelier d’Antoine will bring a new aspect to the transmission of watchmaking know-how with the introduction of a new educational workshop based on the Stellar Odyssey theme.” Catherine Rénier, Jaeger-LeCoultre CEO
As part of this campaign, the brand will host several events around the world, in order to disentangle the mysteries of space and time through timepieces that are unique. The first event in the Stellar Odyssey series was held at Watches & Wonders in Geneva and is now on a world tour in order to demonstrate, not exclusively to the connoisseurs, but even the general public about the fascinating corelation between space and horology and how these cosmic events translate into mini mechanical wonders on our wrists.
The events will also participation from world-renowned mixologist Matthias Giroud, who has especially crafted a menu that is celestially-inspired soft that Jaeger-LeCoultre will offer to its guests during the events.
The idea behind the events is to enable hands-on Discovery Workshops at the Atelier d’Antoine, which will firmly focus on the wonder of astronomical complications and the celestial origins of time-keeping – a rare opportunity to gain deep insight into this magical world.
The brand has always found the cosmos as a source of inspiration for its timepieces and now the magnificence of the fascination of sidereal time have resulted in the creation of two new artistic interpretations of the Calibre 945. For instance, the Earth’s rotation on its axis has been interpreted in the new Jaeger-LeCoultre Universal Time calibre: the Master Grande Tradition Calibre 948.
In fact, all these new celestial timepieces are mini masterpieces of technical and artistic savoir-faire in their own way. However, they do not deviate too far from the unique identity and spirit of Jaeger-LeCoultre.
The Stellar Odyssey project was announced by the Manufacture’s Chief Executive Officer, Catherine Rénier along with Nobel Prizewinning astronomer Didier Queloz reinforcing the brand’s commitment to the subject. Didier Queloz is an advisor and a partner Jaeger-LeCoultre for the Stellar Odyssey, thereby lending it “exceptional authority to the topic of celestial phenomena and timekeeping.”
“This year, the Stellar Odyssey will continue the Manufacture’s journey around the world, sharing not only our creations that are inspired by the celestial theme, but also translating the wonders of the celestial world into art installations and immersive experiences,” concludes Catherine Rénier, Jaeger-LeCoultre CEO.
Captions:
1) Jaeger-LeCoultre CEO.and Nobel Prizewinning astronomer Didier Queloz.at the keynote speech.
2) The Stellar Odyssey project draws upon the phenomena of the cosmos and melds it with timekeeping.
Credits: Supplied.
