Jaeger-LeCoultre

The Duality of Art and the JLC Reverso: These two concepts started as an idea that turned into a unique match to celebrate the 80th anniversary of the iconic Jaeger LeCoultre Reverso and the grand opening of the Jaeger LeCoultre Boutique in Mexico City.  Under the direction of Mr. Jerome Lambert, CEO of Jaeger LeCoultre, a limited edition Reverso was created to commemorate these two events.  But what elements go into the mind of the designers and what considerations are made by the watchmakers?  It's always intriguing to learn more about the details and thoughts of creating a limited edition that are not revealed in press releases.

Although this Limited Edition is slated to officially launch on November 17th during the grand opening gala of the Jaeger Le-Coultre Mexico City Boutique , Team PuristSPro was invited to a special preview of the JLC Grande Reverso 976 Ceniceros Edition.  The two pieces on display were pre-production prototypes but still gave us a good indication of the final timepieces.
 
The familiar atmosphere of the JLC Beverly Hills boutique provided a relaxed setting for our interview with the artist's son,  Guillermo Ceniceros Jr. and hosted by Jim Koonts and Milan Asanovic to discuss this exciting new project:

JK:  It's a pleasure to have the PuristS here and we're very excited about revealing the prototype exclusively to the PuristSPro forum!  The Reverso just came in and I've had a chance to examine it, I think you will really appreciate what went into this amazing piece.

PPro:  Thank you Jim!  We’re excited to hear about these prototype special pieces that you are unveiling to the local L.A. PuristS tonight.  Guillermo, can you tell me about the inspiration for the project?

GC:  Well there are two ideas here.  One is that the idea of the actual project came about from the leadership  of Jerome Lambert and he envisioned something creative and unique for the 80th anniversary of the Reverso and opening of the Jaeger-LeCoultre Boutique in Mexico.  As that I’m from Mexico, I spoke to him and about my father, Maestro Guillermo Ceniceros Sr, and the work that he does.  So Jerome Lambert was interested in my father’s work and we send Mr. Lambert some pictures of his work.  Jerome said he was going to be in Mexico City and that he wanted to meet and see my father’s studio.  Thus he went with a group and got acquainted with my father.   While there, he was instantly attracted to this one piece and in his mind saw the possibilities of something special.  Right then and there he knew that this was a piece that we can integrated  on the back of a Reverso.   And that’s how it all started, Mr. Lambert saw it for the beautiful aesthetic contribution.


PPro:  So JLC wanted to incorporate your father’s art for this, why did your father want to collaborate with JLC?

GC:  The inspiration is the design of the Reverso itself.   He felt it for his vision and this was the most beautiful and perfect ‘canvas’ for his vision.  The fact that you can reverse it on the other side to see the art is special.


PPro:  There are quite a few limited edition watches out on the market, what makes this one so special or unique, appealing to a PuristS?

GC:  Yes, this a great question.  There are a number of things that are unique with the JLC Ceniceros Edition Reverso.  Firstly it is a collaboration with a well respected artist.  Secondly, it’s just not any piece of art, the artwork that was selected for this piece matches the concept of the Reverso.  The concept of the watch is ‘Duality’.  The concept of the art, which prevails in the work of Guillermo Ceniceros Sr., is also of ‘Duality’.  With the Reverso, you have the duality of time...precision on one side and stoppage on the other.  With my father’s work, it's the duality of human forms.  My father works a lot with geometry, especially the human geometrics.  The human body is very geometric but the human body is also human.  It has two sides, one side is almost a mathematical side and the other is who we are, it’s almost mysterious.   My father always represents this in his art, which is not anecdotal but more conceptual art so the concept here for my father is the DUALITY of humanity represented by the two faces, so the concept of both duality is a wonderful match and makes it so unique.  I feel the piece is elevated to an atemporal level, it works in harmony as a whole instead of separate components.
 

PPro:  Can you tell me about the inspiration for these particular pieces?

GC:   The presence of Duality in the artwork is in finding the composition, positive and negative space, light and dark, noise and sound, etc… and for something to be told in an art concept you these elements present.  In this, what is the magic?  The magic is in the human form, the shapes that are placed.  In both pieces you have two faces, in one you have mystery because there are little characters lifting the face from one over another  one, which represents the duality.   The inspiration draws from his background as a muralist, painter, sculpture.  In this case, there’s not a more personal canvas than what’s found in a watch.  So, how his work can fit in the most personal ‘canvas’ for someone to wear and then have that be married into one concept, which fuse the relationship between the wearer of the watch and the art.  

PPro:  What type of techniques were used for the enamel and engraving?

GC:  One is a enamel the other is a deep free form engraving by the artisans of Grand Maison.  There’s a lot of depth and volume to the hand engraving, we were really pleasantly surprised at the about of detail that was revealed by the pieces.  The other is a fired and polished enamel  and the interplay of negative space between the faces and the stainless steel case was perfect.  When we take a look at the piece, it has a beautiful depth to it, it looks 3 dimensional and comes to life in a very powerful way.  JLC does all the finishing and i t was conceived extremely well.

With the with the enamel and engraving process,  the manufacture was extremely respectful of the artist and in producing something that really do justice to the original artwork.  They accomplished that with traditional methods and were able to come out with what we have here.  If you examine the pieces, the colors of the enamel is based on the original lithograph artwork.

MA: As with this project storyline the design evolution was all about the organic melding of the best elements from the Manufacture..... the 'canvas' of iconic Reverso with the engraving expertise & capabilities by the Maison, with that of Meastro Ceniceros which is his iconic designs of women & duality of faces.  The same was done by designing the appropriate dial to unify these elements by purposely selecting a non-matching vintage tinted luminova dial combined with iconic sword hands which is a retro design element from the times past and very dear to both storied history of Reverso as well the artist himself.  Little understated details throughout the selection of design were what mattered most, following the that true idiom of less is more.     


PPro:  How many hours of work were put into the Ceniceros Edition Reverso by the engravers?

GC:  From what I understand, each piece takes about a week to engrave.  It’s precise and detailed work that is very labor intensive.

PPro:  Please tell us about the man behind the art, your father Mr. Guillermo Ceniceros Sr.

GC:  My father has always been an artist!  This is what he always wanted to do and passionate about since he was a young boy.  He began painting at an early age and then went to school in Mexico to do just that.  He has remained faithful in that line of work his entire life,  he’s now 72.


PPro:  Does your father have a  background with watches?  Does he collect?  Which brands does he respect the most?

GC:   My father loves watches and always been around watches.  Many fans of his artwork are also enjoyed watches.  Sometimes they would exchange watches for paintings so he always had watches around.  He has a variety of brands and as a matter of fact, one of the pieces he prides himself with is a Jaeger Le-Coultre!  It’s a Master Ultra-Thin vintage piece and he loves it!  It’s simple yet elegant, he feels that there’s  a beauty in it’s simplicity and he respects that the MUT accomplishes this in an elegant way.  

PPro:  Let’s go over the watch aspect.  How did you decide on the functions for this piece?

GC:  We wanted for the art to convey something timeless, you can say for eternity.  So we wanted the watch to feel that way as well.  We worked with the project leaders and accomplished this goal with the final design.   A highlight on the two pieces that JLC fans will appreciate is the luminous aspect of the numerals on the dial, which is in a vintage color.  The hands that were selected are stunning sword hands also in a vintage color.  The piece works as a whole.  We didn’t want this to look like a contemporary piece because the art is really temporal and transcends time.  As it celebrates the 80 years of the Reverso with the opening of the Jaeger-LeCoultre Mexico botuique, it respects and honors both.


PPro:  The JLC Ceniceros Edition Reverso is offered in Stainless Steel and in Rose Gold.  Are there any particular reasons for this?

GC:  Yes the JLC Ceniceros Edition will be crafted in stainless steel and rose gold.  There will be 50 pieces created for the Boutiques  in stainless steel, and 10 pieces available for the rose gold.  These materials were chosen since they integrated well with the overall concept.  As you can see with the prototype pieces, the rose gold is a excellent material for engraving, it allows for a rich depth to really bring out the art, and the stainless steel is also a wonderful contrasting color to the striking work of the enamel.

MA: The Grande Reverso 976 Guillermo Ceniceros Special Edition is created for the Jaeger-LeCoultre Mexico City Boutique, and will be the first Mexico City boutique edition of it's kind. Since this special edition holds a place in the hearts of our friends in the United States we have arranged a very exclusive preview opportunity for the PuristS. To help us honor Guillermo and his father, the Maestro, we have arranged that orders available and delivered for us thru the Beverly Hills Boutique.  

PPro:  Any final words or thoughts that you can share with us?

MA: This unique Grand Reverso Special Edition also includes the art that inspired its creation. With each watch the Guillermo Ceniceros “Setenta Anos” book, which chronicles the work of this living legend,  a Special Edition brochure about this wonderful project, and lastly a signed and numbered lithograph displaying the concept art that was used for the engraving of each piece.

GC:  Certainly!   We feel that this is a unique opportunity  to celebrate the global anniversary of Reverso, celebrate  Mexico, and to celebrate the arts.  And I think the watch enthusiast, not just in Mexico but around the world,  are going to be excited to see art forum in it’s full concepetual potential  in it’s holistic way.  The art marries the concept of the watch and becomes into a whole and unique synergy. 


PPro:  Thank you gentleman for the prototype preview and much success to the new boutique in Mexico City!

This message has been edited by ED209 on 2011-10-26 00:53:58 This message has been edited by ED209 on 2011-10-26 01:06:34 This message has been edited by amanico on 2011-10-26 01:17:28 This message has been edited by ED209 on 2011-10-26 02:20:57 This message has been edited by ED209 on 2011-10-26 10:49:19 This message has been edited by DRMW on 2011-10-30 11:51:40 This message has been edited by amanico on 2011-11-01 04:23:26

Jaeger-LeCoultre Reverso 976 Ceniceros Edition in Stainless Steel:

This message has been edited by ED209 on 2011-10-28 14:46:36

I find myself gravitating towards this piece very much, especially the SS version!

So, let me clarify this, but this is available ONLY in the boutiques in Mexico and the US, and not in the asian boutiques?

Cheers!

Stephen

Hi BluNotte,

Both pieces are really nice and to me it looks totally different in each metal. 
These are available via the JLC Boutiques only, however in the United States the JLC Beverly Hills Boutique is the only place to purchase one.  Thanks for reading the post!

Regards,
ED-209

And it is i who must thank you for writing up such a beautiful and delightful post!

It's not everyday that we get art on the wrist watches!

Cheers

Stephen

Jaeger-LeCoultre 976 Ceniceros Edition Reverso in Rose Gold:


(note: Video is optimized for 3D, however 2D can be toggled on for non 3D displays)

 

This message has been edited by ED209 on 2011-10-28 14:46:03

Jaeger-LeCoultre Grande Reverso 976 Ceniceros Edition

(from L to R)  Maestro Guillermo Ceniceros, Mr. Alberto Ciurana, JLC CEO Mr Jerome Lambert, Ms Esther G. Ceniceros, Mr. Alfredo Nolasco.

Watches have the ability to connect with their wearer's, their owners, on a personal level.  This physical and visual connection between man and timepiece elevates watches in their highest form to objects of art.

Jaeger-LeCoultre represents a storied past of producing watches that bear the highest form of expression both mechanically and aesthetically.  Historically the Reverso model has elevated this expression to an art form.  The true beauty of the Reverso lies in its unique and personal ties to the artistic community for the past 80 years.

Maestro Guillermo Ceniceros as an artist is interested in themes that evoke geometric composition on both large and small scales.  From the Maestro's majestic mural paintings to his fine hand tooled engravings that speak to his duality as an artist. 

The private space that a watch represents to its wearer presented as a unique and personal canvas for the Maestro.

Jerome Lambert recognized that partnering with Maestro Ceniceros could provide Jaeger-LeCoultre with an aesthetic opportunity to collaborate with a living legend.    Maestro Ceniceros saw this as an opportunity to bring Mexican artistry to the forefront of haute horology, in turn creating a larger appreciation for both.

A watch is a human representation of time.  It demands dual precision in both form and in concept.  The symbolism of duality has been a long-standing theme that permeates the work of Maestro Ceniceros.  The artists’ use of duality is seen in the positive and negative spaces in his iconic human faces, to the geometry of the human body, to air and land, light and darkness.

 

The duality of time is a concept that Jaeger-LeCoultre has mastered.   Thru the Reverso they attribute the precision of time to one face and the stoppage of time to the other face.  The duality of the human form is a concept that Maestro Ceniceros has mastered. Maestro Ceniceros has made the Reverso personal through his exquisite art of engraving.

This message has been edited by ED209 on 2011-10-26 01:21:04

Hi Ed,

Hi Mike,

Retail prices for the JLC Grande Reverso 976 Ceniceros Special Edition:
Stainless steel: $8,950.00 USD
Rose Gold: $18,750.00 USD

Best to call the JLC Beverly Hills Boutique and get your name on the list.

Good luck and hope to see one on your wrist.

Regards,
ED-209

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"The Jaeger-LeCoultre Reverso is recognized by watchmaking connoisseurs as an Art Deco icon that stands out from other horological creations with a case that slides at the base and rotates completely on itself. It was perhaps this uniqueness and originality that drove Jaeger-LeCoultre to create a unique Special Edition linked to conceptual art that pays homage to the renowned Mexican painter, muralist, and engraver Guillermo Ceniceros. This magnificent association takes shape in the impressive Grande Reverso 976 Guillermo Ceniceros Special Edition.

Guillermo Ceniceros was born in 1939 in El Salto, a town in the Mexican state of Durango. He got a Bachelor of Arts degree at the University of Nuevo Leon and was part of a team assembled by the famous Mexican muralist David Alfaro Siqueiros to create seven of his celebrated murals. In 1969, he received a special award from Mexico’s Ministry of Education and was later nominated for the World Art Contest. His works have received international accolades and are featured in public and private collections all around the world. Ceniceros is a figurative artist whose work focuses on the study of form, space, and the subject’s overall harmony, with particular emphasis on female subjects. He creates his own materials and working implements.

Like the Reverso’s design, Ceniceros’ work has evolved while remaining faithful to its own personality, flowing through a wide range of theme variations. Itself a precious vessel, the Reverso holds a veritable treasure of passion and watchmaking prowess, essential values it shares with the work of this outstanding Mexican artist, perpetuated in murals such as “Auguries and Premonitions,” a 90-square-foot masterpiece that decorates the building of the Mexican Foreign Trade Bank, or the recently unveiled “Constituent Congress,” in Mexico’s legislative building.

Underneath its classic, timeless features, the Grande Reverso 976 conceals a 21st century horological mechanism. Its large variable inertia balance is housed at the bottom of this masterpiece’s case, capable of producing 28,800 vibrations per hour, giving the Reverso remarkable accuracy. A special mechanism allows forward or backward adjustment of the hours in one-hour increments without affecting the minute and second precision. The Grande Reverso boasts an unprecedented 30 x 48.5 mm case and its most notable feature is its splendidly simple black dial with finished indices in vintage orange tint, embellished with traditional Art Deco numerals and dual finishing. The center rectangle is guilloched and has a Clous de Paris engraving, and the outside features a satin finish. This delicate ornamental interplay is repeated in the small seconds hand located at the 6 o’clock position.

In celebration of the 80th anniversary of the Reverso, Jaeger-LeCoultre decided to invite renowned artists and engravers to create exceptional works of art that will be featured on the case back. For Mexico, the Manufacture chose to commemorate the artistic career of Guillermo Cisneros. The work of art engraved in the back of the case of this special edition expresses two different elements: man’s duality from a modernistic perspective in the stainless steel edition; and man in motion in the rose gold edition."

Two Limited Series

The first model of the GRAN REVERSO 976 Guillermo Ceniceros Edition will feature a stainless steel case with lacquer engraving and will be limited to 50 pieces. The second edition will be produced in rose gold, featuring a fully engraved case, and will be limited to 10 pieces.

Description:

 

Grande Reverso 976 – Guillermo Ceniceros Limited Edition

CALIBER: JAEGER-LECOULTRE: 976

MOVEMENT: Hand winding


Number of pieces: 151 


Vibrations per hour: 28,800

Power reserve: 48 hours

Jewels: 19

Barrel: 1 


Height: 4.15 mm

FUNCTIONS: Hour - Minute 
Seconds

CASE:   Stainless steel
Limited to 50 pieces, REF: Q373847M 

DIAL:         Vertical black guilloché and Clous de Paris engraving

HANDS AND NUMERALS: Sword, vintage orange tint numerals and hands

STRAP/BRACELET: Alligator leather

 

 

www.jaeger-lecoultre.com

This message has been edited by ED209 on 2011-10-26 01:38:00

Ed and Ming, thank you both for the post and pictures...

My hearfelt congratulations to the Ceniceros family and also hats off to those that brought this project into fruition. Can't say it any better than Nicolas and Asi who already did, but this collaboration is truly a huge success.

Dare I say, the concept of duality - both art and the watch/Reverso - has been immortalized by the Ceniceros family and those behind the JLC brand.

I salute you all.

 

Hi Gabriel,
Thanks for the compliments, glad to hear you enjoyed the interview and DRMW did a really nice job with the pics. 

Which one do you like better, the SS or the RG version? 

Regards,
ED-209

Have not seen them in the flesh, but if these pictures are true to my eyes, then I must say the rose gold version caught my eye initially because of how warm the dial looked as encased by the rose gold case. The etchings on its caseback exudes a sense of mystery and I was totally entranced with the artwork. However, in professing my love for the rose gold version, I must say the stainless steel one had grown on me over time as the artwork on the caseback is equally intriguing as the artwork on its rose gold brethren. Therefore, I am sorry but there is no one answer to your choice I love them both...

Get both!

Regards,
ED-209

It was fascinating to hear the story straight from Guillermo Cenecieros Jr. on how this came to be and for sharing the details of his father's work.  Congrats to Maestro Ceniceros and the JLC boutique in Mexico City!

-MW

Gotta agree with you.....great to have heard the story straight from my amigo, Guillermo. And that Milan, such a class act !!

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I love love love the theme of Duality and I like how JLC's Reverso and Maestro Guillermo Ceniceros Sr's effective use of that theme in his work!

Congratulations to the Ceniceros Family for this fantastic collaboration!

Looks like I missed out on a very special evening!  Thank you for the coverage Woo brothers!

Hi ocwatching,
Glad you enjoyed the coverage.  Which do you like better, the SS or the RG version?

Regards,
ED-209
This message has been edited by ED209 on 2011-10-26 19:10:27

stop doing the enabling!!!

I do have to say, the art on the back of the SS spoke to me more..

I blame it on the other guy who looks like me LOL

Regards,
ED-209

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... thanks for such great report to make the watch standing out by very well written texts and well-captured photos.

hope to see this beautiful watch soon.

stefan

Hi Stefan,
Thanks for checking out the post and thanks for the compliments. 

Regards,
ED-209

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Glad to hear you enjoyed the post.

Regards,
ED-209

I will try to stay objective, which is difficult for me, as Guille and Milan are old friends.

Honestly, the Reverso 976 was a nice watch, the " 976 Ceniceros " is a very nice watch.

I was not really impressed by the sapphire case back of the 976, when it was revealed, and was hoping that one day it came with a solid case back.

Here, the solid case back is the frame for a superb work of Art.

Guille said it nicely: The common point between the Reverso and his father's work is Duality, which I can indeed see on this 2 pieces of Art.

Duality between Horology and Art.

One side for Horology: a beautiful black dial, with some faux patina adding some warm contrast.

One side dedidcated to Art, and a beautiful red enamel OR engraved creation.

You already got it, I'm smitten by the SS case / Red enamel case back.

Therefore seeing JLC letting some artists play with the Reverso is an idea I love a lot.

One small, very small reserve: I would have even better appreciated to see this work of Art on a Grande Reverso Ultra Thin case.

But, as it is, in the " 976 ", I already love it.

A friends watch?

Congratulations to all the people involved in the project, this is an excellent one.

And felicidades to El Senor Ceniceros!

Best,

Nicolas.

Hi Nicholas,

I absolutely agree with you that this was a great collaboration and nicely done.  I like both versions but if I had to choose I'd go for the RG version because I like the artwork.

Regards,
ED-209

I think the concept of a collaboration between a distinguished artist and JLC is successful when there is a true meaning and passion that connects the actual artwork with the idea of the timepiece. This being the case here, I salute and congratulate the result.

Cheers,

 

Asi