Jaeger-LeCoultre Art Deco Guide (Pt.2)

Following up on what began in Part 1 of this match-making project, we take a look at two more models in Jaeger-LeCoultre’s Reverso Collection and their Art Deco soul mates. The Reverso Collection’s colourings, its practical elegance and its gorgeous detailing all show off the Collections Art Deco influences. However, each model still retains its individual character – just as each Art Deco building shines on its own whilst still belonging to a wider movement.

With this in mind, the commonalities shared by some of our most beautiful Art Deco buildings and the stunning pieces of the Reverso Collection become almost obvious. All you need to spot them is a keen eye for their colourings, detailing, materials and design philosophy, and an attentive ear to hear the stories they are telling.

The Pathé Tuschinski Theatre and the Reverso One Duetto (Rose Gold)

One building with a whole lot of story to tell is the Pathé Tuschinski Theatre (originally Theatre Tuschinski) in Amsterdam. Opened in 1921 combined a few different, complementary styles: Amsterdam School, Art Noeveau, and of course, Art Deco. Nestled amongst the quaint canal houses of Amsterdam is the Theatre’s brilliantly decorated façade, which somehow manages its decadently decorated façade without appearing garish or out of place. Once inside the Pathé’s polished wooden doors, you may to pinch yourself. The foyer makes you feel as though you are inside Lewis Carroll’s dreamscape, as well as in a space where a cacophony of loud styles combine to actually, well, work!

True to its purpose, the building’s foyer whisks you away to another world – all preparation for your experience in its movie and performance theatres. Adorned with beautiful above stage murals, a brilliantly decorative dome and sumptuous lighting features, the warm glow and plush red velvet seats of the Pathé’s main theatre will truly whisk you away – and that’s before the show even begins.

It is this spirit that can be found in the Reverso One Duetto’s (Rose Gold) eye-catching bracelet and its reverse-face feature, which like theatre, effortlessly transitions you to another place and time.The trio of gadroons framing the watch’s dial act as a theatre’s curtains do – alerting the audience to the start of the performance and framing the action and attention. Of course, they are also emblematic of the Classic Small Duetto’s place in the Reverso Collection, just as a theatre’s curtains symbolise to the viewer that they are in the right place.

In terms of performance quality, the Classic Small Duetto is worthy of rave reviews.  A slightly rounded case that fits flexibly around the wrist houses the watch’s Calibre 844, manual-winding movement. With a 3 bar water resistance and hour-minute functions on both the front and back faces, this timeless piece will keep you ticking along for a reserve of 38 hours. The Reverso One Duetto is a model that has staged many performances of a lifetime. After all, it is quite a special feat of ingenuity and creativity to be both classic and perpetually intriguing – functional, yet artistic.

Shanghai Fairmont Peace Hotel and the Reverso One Duetto Moon (pink gold):

Looking upon its North Building, it is easy to see why the Fairmont Peace Hotel in Singapore is such a superb graduate of the Art Deco school. Not only was its Northern Tower one of the first skyscrapers to be built in the Asian region, but a rich history has also played out within its walls. Its previous guests vary from Sun Yat-sen to Noël Coward (who wrote his play Private Lives whilst staying at the Hotel); indeed, it was actually occupied by Japanese forces in World War II, and the infamous Gang of Four throughout the Chinese Cultural Revolution. All this alone makes the Fairmont Peace Hotel one interesting place. However, the duality of its charm comes when viewing its exterior, with impressive granite facing, a copper eastern-facing pyramidal roof, and beautiful Art Deco motifs to boot.

Like the two towers of the Fairmont Peace Hotel, the reverse face of the Reverso One Duetto moon in pink gold transforms a stand-out single into a dynamic duo. The back face’s vibrant purple-red colour is a sky filled with twinkling speckles of shine and framed by gilt hour markers. This sense of warm, romantic Shanghai night spent in utter luxury is also evoked through back face’s mother-of-pearl moon phase – completing the dial’s trio of hour-minute-moon phase functions.

The Reverso One Duetto model is an innovator, but one that treasures its past. Taking its inspiration from the first Reverso ladies’ watches in the 1930s, its blue-steeled dauphine hands, slightly rounded Arabic numerals, and delicate angles have more than stood the test of time. Like a certain striking building, its remains a stand-out in a bustling, competitive landscape – standing strong, but still surprising.