Jaeger-LeCoultre CEO Catherine Renier on sharing the spirit of the Grande Maison

Giving a sense of the hospitality and the uniqueness of the Vallée de Joux

The Nomadic 1931 Cafe concept by Jaeger-LeCoultre. (Photo: Jaeger-LeCoultre)

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“The thinking behind the cafe, in its full representation, was to give a sense of the hospitality and the uniqueness of the Vallée de Joux,” says Jaeger-LeCoultre CEO Catherine Renier, in a recent interview with The Peak. On its latest incarnation, she notes, “We subsequently worked with Alex Trochut on the 1931 Alphabet, and we thought it would be nice to celebrate this Alphabet on chocolates for Christmas, and give the decor of our cafe this Art Deco spirit.”

The ’30s and the period’s dominant Art Deco movement are important parts of the brand’s history, because it was in 1931 that its most iconic watch, the Reverso, was made. Trochut is one of the artists that the brand has recently collaborated with as part of its Made of Makers programme launched last October.

Other Makers, or artists, the company is working with include Swiss sound and visual artist Zimoun as well as American artist and sculptor Michael Murphy. Renier elaborates, “Zimoun created an art piece featuring pieces of metal that individually rotate, and when you close your eyes, what you seem to hear is water flowing. It shows the unique relationship between metal and sound, and [by extension, shows] how chiming watches are firstly, challenging to make, and secondly, meaningful because of their uniqueness and emotional value. Each artist has their own form of storytelling that is connected to some part of our expertise or history.”
Not everybody will discover watchmaking through [the facet of] technical expertise.

Two pillars of storytelling

Catherine Renier (Photo: Jaeger-LeCoultre)

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The brand’s latest marketing efforts, to a certain extent, are a result of lessons learnt during the pandemic. Says Renier, “One of our key takeaways from the pandemic was the importance of the timelessness of our products and the values that we convey through our industry and our products. When you buy a watch for, say, a celebration, you will always have a memory of this particular moment in life. We realised that this became even more important during the pandemic.

“Watches have come out stronger from the pandemic; we have come out stronger as well. We want to build a relationship with our clients through experiences, sharing who we are, telling them not just about our technical expertise — which we have always done — but also sharing more about our values and origins.”

There are plenty of stories to tell, considering that the Grande Maison, as the brand is known in watch circles, has nearly 200 years of history. In February, it will host an exhibition centred on its celestial inspirations in Dubai. It is a continuation of the theme A Stellar Odyssey, which began last year and focuses on the brand’s competencies in timepieces with highly complex astronomical complications.

Says Renier, “The maison is based on two things: our technical expertise and knowledge, and innovation, as represented by our manufacture; and our values, which are rooted in the Vallée de Joux and nature around us. Innovation is important because we are watchmakers and that’s what we do.

“But not everybody will discover watchmaking through [the facet of ] technical expertise. That’s when we give people a taste of our maison’s uniqueness, and introduce intangible values like hospitality and creativity. That’s how we can enrich our identity and tell people more about who we are.”