OVERVIEW
THE ‘WATERFALLS’ SERIES HAND PAINTED BY OUR MASTER ENAMELLERS
In 2023, Jaeger-LeCoultre introduces two new Reverso Tribute timepieces decorated with miniature-painted enamel reproductions of works by Hokusai : The Waterfall at Ono on the Kisokaido Road (Kisokaidō Ono no bakufu) and The Waterfall Where Yoshitsune Washed his Horse at Yoshino in Yamato Province (Washū Yoshino Yoshitsune uma arai no taki).
CRAFTSMANSHIP
PRECISION AND ARTISTRY IN MINIATURE
Showcasing the talents housed in the Métiers Rares™ (Rare Handcrafts) atelier within the Manufacture, the two new timepieces complement the exquisite tribute to the art form of woodblock printing on the case-back with miniature Grand Feu enamel painting, while the dial is anchored in the Western craft traditions of guillochage and enamel.
MINIATURE PAINTING GRAND FEU ENAMEL
The miniature paintings on the Reverso case-backs were executed using the Geneva technique, requiring 80 hours’ meticulous work. As well as the technical feat of reproducing Hokusai’s original colours (including the graduated bokashi effect) in an entirely different medium, the enameller faced the challenge of precisely reproducing every detail with pinpoint accuracy, on a scale approximately one-tenth of the original.
UP TO 16 HOURS FOR THE GUILLOCHÉ ENAMELLED DIAL
The background of both dials are decorated with hand-guillochage and enamel. For the Waterfall at Yoshino, the craftsman applied a lozenge pattern comprising no fewer than 800 lines, each of which required five passages of the lathe (4,000 passages in total), representing eight hours of work. Then, layers of translucent green enamel are applied, with each layer requiring separate firing and drying – representing eight additional hours of work, over the course of a week.
ART STORY
CELEBRATING A GREAT JAPANESE MASTER
Hokusai (c.1760–1849) was a highly prolific illustrator, printmaker and ukiyo-e artist. A Tour of the Waterfalls of the Provinces marked the first time that the theme of falling water was approached in ukiyo-e painting. The master artisans of Jaeger-LeCoultre’s Métiers Rares™ atelier have previously paid homage to these works with a Reverso Tribute model in 2021 depicting the Waterfall at Kirifuri, followed by the Amida Falls in 2022.
HERITAGE
THE STORY OF CRAFTSMANSHIP SINCE 1931
Jaeger-LeCoultre has adopted Asian motifs and adapted Eastern decorative crafts to embellish special timepieces since the early days of the Maison, embracing and perpetuating the cultural exchange that has existed between Asia and Europe for some 2,000 years.
In 1931, La Grande Maison launched a timepiece that was destined to become a classic of 20th-century design: the Reverso. While its blank metal flip side had begun as a purely functional solution to avoid damage to the dial, it was an ideal surface for personalisation.
COLLECTION
UNFOLD YOUR OWN STORY
Being the perfect canvas for artistic expression, personalisation has been at the core of Reverso since its creation. With 180 skills under one roof, the Atelier de Metiers Rares™ (Rare Handcrafts) of Jaeger-LeCoultre is the perfect place to bring personalisation to life. From engraving to enamelling, the back of the Reverso offers endless possibilities for a made to order creation among different combinations of dial motifs and colours.
