Jaeger LeCoultre
“Day & Night” magazine sat down with Catherine Rénier – CEO of Jaeger-LeCoultre – to talk of its latest Gyrotourbillon, the Rendez-Vous, and Atmos, and what they mean to the brand.
Since you have taken over Jaeger-LeCoultre, what are your plans for the year, and for the next five years?
One of our priorities at Jaeger-LeCoultre has been to talk about our high watchmaking skills and heritage; with our manufacture, we have always had the ability to innovate and to bring to high watchmaking fantastic creations such as the Gyrotourbillon. This is a great moment for us to make our high watchmaking shine and make it stronger than ever. We also plan two key introductions this year: certain specific colours in Hybris and in our feminine segment, the Rendez-Vous – our historic pillars. These are our key priorities for the next year; we believe that Jaeger-LeCoultre has an assortment and a collection that is very comprehensive, and it meets the needs of our collection and the expression of our maison. We don’t see a gap that needs to be addressed. We do need to focus our spotlight efficiently on our existing collection in the near future.
Can you tell us how you were able to create the Jaeger-LeCoultre Master Grande Tradition Gyrotourbillon Westminster Perpétuel?
It took us five years of development; it is a fantastic piece and a very limited collection. These few days are very enjoyable – when we are finally able to reveal the watch, make it ring, and pay tribute to the effort put in by the team at the manufacture. We have some people who have worked on the timepiece, the mastermind behind the complication, and the person who did the hand guilloche. They have put in so much of effort, and the pride they have in sharing these with the public is fantastic. The timepiece is, in a way, a spokesperson for the brand.
What are your plans in terms of the visibility for the brand, given that your watchmaking skills are very high, and that your manufacture has the ability to literally make all kinds of watches?
We are trying to say exactly that; we want to talk about how our manufacture is unique. We want to share our 180 years of history. We want pieces like the Gyrotourbillon to be our spokespersons, and explain our metiers d’art, stress on our innovations, what the manufacture can do from a white page. A fully integrated manufacture like Jaeger-LeCoultre is one-of-a-kind. With around 1,000 people working there, we have everything in-house – from the restoration to the case-making, to the creation of fantastic pieces, the engraving, the gem-setting of the Rendez-Vous, everything is done by artisans in the manufacture. This is a message we want to carry and voice out stronger than ever.
How has the feedback been for your Polaris launch, the biggest for the brand, which you unveiled a year ago? In which market did it have the most success?
The Polaris is a great addition to our collection; today, if I can tell you that we have a complete offering, it is because of the Polaris that we launched last year. This filled in the missing link in our collection, of classic sports watches. It was inspired by our historic watches, so it pays tribute to Jaeger-LeCoultre’s history. It is very elegant, and it has been received extremely well. The Chronograph, in particular, is doing fantastically well. The Memovox and the metal bracelets have been quite successful. It is not easy to do a nice metal bracelet, so we are very pleased. It worked well with the target group we had aimed for – young men living in US. It was received well in Europe also, as well as Asia. We are very pleased; we will continue, animate, and introduce new references in the future. We have many ideas, and we feel this is very characteristic of a Jaeger-LeCoultre collection that enables us to speak to a certain elegant, sporty, more casual demographic.
So, this is going to be an on-going line?
Yes, this is definitely not a one-shot concept. It is working well.
With the great reception of the Gyrotourbillon, do you think that the brand needs to unveil at least one grand complication every year to showcase the marque’s capabilities?
I wish it was that easy; I would never commit to a grand complication such as the Gyrotourbillon every year. It is a very delicate science to introduce these types of pieces and develop them. They remain very rare and I think the Gyrotourbillon has still a lot to say in the next few years, and shine for at least more than 12 months. I do not anticipate that we will have such grand complications every year.
How much time does it take to create a Gyrotourbillon piece? And it is limited to how many pieces?
It takes six months to assemble the movement, and it is limited to 18 in each edition. I don’t know when the last piece will be done; it is going to be a long process.
Where do you see the Rendez-Vous collection in the future? What will be the design philosophy for the watch?
With the introduction of new pieces to the line, we are again filling a gap in the collection; all our setting is done in-house. We want the Rendez-Vous, which has a very strong identity and is very successful, to be a showcase of our Métiers d’Art. We have more pieces to come in the upcoming year, some beautiful limited editions. This is exactly the type of development we want to continue in the future – with nice complications, automatic movements, real elegance and with refinement in the finish, the colour, and the strap – all of which are so characteristic of Jaeger-LeCoultre.
Why is that though Jaeger-LeCoultre is known for the Reverso, most of its sales is not from the Reverso?
It is actually quite balanced; we are very strong in the sale of both men’s and women’s watches. We have the Master, the Rendez-Vous, and the Hybris, and high watchmaking. Everything is doing well; we are not dependent on one collection. It is true that the volume of sales is higher for round watches than the Reverso, but the Reverso is used by both men and women.
Why does Jaeger-LeCoultre spend so much time and effort in perpetuating the Atmos line?
I don’t think I would even think of stopping the Atmos; it is more about protecting the Atmos – that we continue to innovate, to make sure that we find new ways of expressing the Atmos. It is a fantastic platform to express our Métiers d’Art, and the stylish elegance of the maison. The mechanism of the clock does not change, and that is the beauty of the piece. For me, my role in the management is to protect the icons of the brand – to know that in 20 years, people know and still can buy an Atmos. It would be really sad if some of our signature watches disappear because we did not take care of it.
