This article by 219 captures the excitement surrounding actor Clive Owen's visit to the Jaeger-LeCoultre booth at SIHH. As a brand ambassador, Owen's genuine passion for JLC watches, particularly the AMVOX range, is highlighted, offering an authentic connection between the celebrity and the horological brand.
The buzz from the hall was evident and the rumour was that Clive Owen had entered the building. A crowd was beginning to assemble in front of the MJLC booth and there was anticipation that the internationally renowned and acclaimed movie star was visiting the MJLC stand.
Clive Owen has been an brand ambassador for MJLC for the past 2 years and the arrangement had an organic beginning that then grew into a more formal role. Clive Owen’s career has been nothing less than meteoric. But what has distinguished Clive Owen’s career over others is the variety and difference in the roles. From a Croupier involved in a crime, to a jail bird involved with gardening (Greenfinger), a King (Arthur) fighting an invading army, an unfeeling doctor (Closer), a hitman saving a baby (Shoot ‘em Up!), and a duplicitous industrial spy stealing a formula for hair growth (Duplicity), Clive Owen has always brought a charisma and believability to the characters he plays.
Bitten by the acting bug from appearing in a school play, Clive Owen has gone onto award winning performances for both screen and stage. For the time he was visiting MJLC at SIHH Clive was hardly in character, but more himself as he was shown around the stand and was allowed to look at the watches and talk to the world’s press. A small group of the press at SIHH had been selected to ask questions of Clive Owen in a private gathering in the press room at the MJLC booth. It was definitely a cordial meeting and Clive Owen visibly enjoyed talking to the world’s press.
There were the obvious questions: where had his interest in MJLC come from? Could he see parallels with acting and watchmaking? And then there were the more obtuse questions concerning what else he liked/disliked; or which character he had played would most suit the wearing of a Jaeger LeCoultre watch? Clive Owen said that he had been a fan of Jaeger LeCoultre watches before he was approached to be a brand ambassador. His interest in Jaeger watches had started with the AMVOX range (strange that no one then asked if he also owns an Aston Martin) and he was buying the watches because he liked them. Over time, there was a move to learn more about the brand and then the offer to represent the brand then came along, and Clive Owen felt that was a role (no pun intended) he could undertake. There was a definite organic growth to the whole arrangement. The day he was at SIHH Clive Owen was wearing the newly launched Duometre Spherotourbillon.
Asked about the watch he was wearing, Clive Owen stated that he found the mechanism fascinating and in particular, hearing from one of the senior MJLC watchmakers about the watch. Clive Owen had the chance to view the movement at first hand under the shared microscope. Later, when answering questions about why he so admired Jaeger LeCoultre watches, Clive Owen referred back to the mechanism and talking to the watchmaker. Watches by Jaeger LeCoultre are more than just a watch, he noted, it is the craft and the skill of the watchmakers who manufacture the watches at Le Sentier. What impressed him even more was that when he asked the watchmaker how long he had worked for Jaeger, the watchmaker had said 40 years. The dedication to the craft and the depth of knowledge were written in the beauty and complexity of the Jaeger movements.
On the comparables between acting and watchmaking, Clive Owen did not go for the obvious in terms of timing (!) but pointed out that there is a craft to acting, as well as watchmaking, and that it’s the details that count; the minutiae of the details that can be seen in an expression or a gesture. For watchmaking, the details are present in the finishing, in the attention to that detail.
As well as posing for the usual publicity shots, Clive Owen was still to be found after the press conference chatting away to those gathered about the watches and listening to the stories. The ‘down to earth bloke’ persona that comes across in interviews and on the screen really is a representation of who Clive Owen is. However, at SIHH that day, Clive Owen was duplicit: both a fan and friend of the brand, as well as being brand ambassador. Some roles are really too natural to even need acting.
Andrew H
