SpotlightA Venetian Romance: Jaeger-LeCoultre At The 2019 Venice Film Festival

Stars dazzled at the 76th annual Venice International Film Festival (VIFF), making one head-turning statement after another. Couture was seen aplenty on the red carpet at one of the three big international film festivals of the year. And Jaeger-LeCoultre were definitely a part of the buzz, as official partners of the festival for the 15th time. In this capacity, Jaeger-LeCoultre presented customised Reverso watches to the winners of the top awards at the festival during the closing ceremony. Through the festival, friends of Jaeger-LeCoultre sported impressive novelties from the brand as they made appearances for screenings as well as other events.

The Venetian Red Carpet

Making a statement from the get-go during the opening ceremony was the CEO of Jaeger-LeCoultre, Catherine Rénier, who chose to wear the Dazzling Rendez-Vous Night & Day, in pink gold featuring a delicious dose of diamonds on the bezel.

Catherine Rénier, CEO of Jaeger-LeCoultre, at the opening ceremony of the Venice Film Festival, wearing the Dazzling Rendez-Vous Night & Day

This poetic Rendez-Vous Night & Day features fine jewellery gem-setting techniques, seen across the stones that pave the bezel

₹53,50,000

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A 2019 novelty, this edition of the poetic Rendez-Vous watch from Jaeger-LeCoultre is a stunner in taupe and gold, with a glistening mother-of-pearl dial that complements the sparkle of the diamonds encrusted on the bezel and lugs. On the bezel of the 36mm pink gold case are two circles of diamonds—large and small—each reflecting the skill and craftsmanship of the gem-setter. The outer circle incorporates an all-new prong setting of the stones.

A concentric circle of diamonds is seen on the dial, framing the night-and-day indicator at six o’clock. The automatic movement within, visible through the transparent caseback, offers a 38-hour power reserve.

A concentric circle of diamonds is seen on the dial, framing the night-and-day indicator at six o’clock, with gold-hued details that create harmony with the central hands and applied Arabic numeral hour markers. The automatic movement within, visible through the transparent caseback, offers a 38-hour power reserve. Water resistant to 50m, and fitted with a crocodile leather strap in taupe, the case also has diamonds on its lugs, making it a total of 168 stones, weighing 3.43 carats.

Accompanying Rénier was a friend of the maison, actor Nicholas Hoult, who looked dapper in a midnight blue tuxedo and paired it well with a new limited edition of the Jaeger-LeCoultre Polaris Date, in blue.

Nicholas Hoult looked dapper in a midnight blue tuxedo and paired it well with a new limited edition of the Jaeger-LeCoultre Polaris Date, in blue

This Polaris Date is a new rendition of the Polaris Date of 2018, which was inspired by Jaeger-LeCoultre's 1968 iconic diver's watch, the Memovox Polaris

May we recommend—The Polaris Date 2018: A predecessor of the blue Polaris Date that the X-Men: Dark Phoenix actor wore in Venice, this edition was the first in the Polaris collection launched by Jaeger-LeCoultre last year. Drawing inspiration from their iconic 1968 Memovox Polaris diver’s alarm wristwatch, the Polaris collection included a new interpretation of that watch, as well as this simple Date version, with design cues of the 60s’ icon. The finer details on the dial lend it nuanced resplendence. The applied numerals and trapezoid indexes are filled with Super-LumiNova, while the black dial features three finishes—sunray, grained and opaline—going from the centre to the diver’s inner bezel, that can be rotated using the secondary crown at two o’clock. The 42mm steel case is water resistant to 200m. The caseback is etched with a motif of a vintage diver’s helmet, and ‘1000 hours control’, which is a mark of Jaeger-LeCoultre’s rigorous testing over a period of 1,000 hours. This piece comes with a sturdy textured rubber strap in black.

The Polaris Date's black dial features three finishes—sunray, grained and opaline—going from the centre to the diver’s inner bezel, that can be rotated using the secondary crown at two o’clock

A Gala Time With Jaeger-LeCoultre

During the film festival, Jaeger-LeCoultre hosted a special gala evening in Venice to celebrate cinema and their association with the event. Stars graced the evening that was themed around the starry night sky. Guests were treated to a fine dining menu, which drew inspiration from the celestial theme, put together by Michelin-starred chef Christian Le Squer of Restaurant Le Cinq in Paris, while Jaeger-LeCoultre also unveiled a few exceptional timepieces. The four timepieces showcased included the two new interpretations of the Rendez-Vous Celestial—featuring a sky chart depicting constellations—in blue and turquoise. These watches exemplify the brand’s savoir faire in gem-setting as well as hand-painting—which brings to life a pattern echoing the Aurora Borealis. The other two watches displayed were the haute joaillerie Dazzling Rendez-Vous Moon, with a pink gold strap paved with diamonds, and the Master Grande Tradition Tourbillon Céleste, which includes a zodiac calendar, a sky chart and an orbital tourbillon.

The Rendez-Vous Celestial, features a sky chart depicting constellations, in blue and in turquoise

These watches exemplify the brand’s savoir faire in gem-setting as well as hand-painting—which brings to life a pattern echoing the Aurora Borealis

The other two watches displayed at the Jaeger-LeCoultre gala in Venice included the haute joaillerie Dazzling Rendez-Vous Moon, with a pink gold strap paved with diamonds

The fourth watch showcased was the Master Grande Tradition Tourbillon Céleste, which includes a zodiac calendar, a sky chart and an orbital tourbillon

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Nicholas Hoult made another dashing impression at this gala event, this time in a classic black tuxedo. Mirroring the sophisticated look of the tuxedo was a signature Jaeger-LeCoultre Reverso watch, which Hoult chose to wear with the silvered grey front dial facing up.

Nicholas Hoult made another dashing impression at this gala event, this time in a classic black tuxedo, paired with a signature Jaeger-LeCoultre Reverso watch in gold

Set in a pink gold case measuring 47mm by 28.3mm, the front dial of this Reverso features features small seconds, while the dial on the reverse comes with a 24-hour display

₹23,40,000

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Set in a pink gold case measuring 47mm by 28.3mm, this is the Reverso Classic Large Duoface Small Seconds. The grey dial, with guilloche finishing and black transferred numerals, features the small seconds at six o’clock. The dial on the reverse, with a velvety Clous de Paris guilloche texture, serves as a second time zone indicator and comes with a 24-hour display as well. All this is powered by a manual-winding calibre. The design details and finishes, including the gadroons on the gold, are typical Reverso fare, which makes this such a timeless classic.

At the gala evening, Amanda Seyfried, friend of Jaeger-LeCoultre, looked ethereal wearing an asymmetrical soft pink evening dress

Seyfried chose to pair the blushing hue with the with the Jaeger-LeCoultre 101 Feuille in white gold

The belle of the ball at the gala evening though was actress Amanda Seyfried, another friend of Jaeger-LeCoultre. Seyfried looked ethereal wearing an asymmetrical soft pink evening dress, with minimal embellishment, which included the Jaeger-LeCoultre 101 Feuille in white gold. A high-jewellery bracelet watch, this exclusive piece features a feuille– or leaf-shaped cover that elegantly conceals the dial and turns the diamond-studded stunner into an exquisite statement piece of jewellery.

Other special guests of the brand present at the gala evening were Chinese actress Ni Ni—wearing a Rendez-Vous Moon Serenity watch—and Italian actress Alessandra Mastronardi, who wore a diamond-paved Reverso One Jewellery timepiece.

(Left to right) Nicholas Hoult, Amanda Seyfried, Alessandra Mastronardi, and Ni Ni—friends of the brand—at the Jaeger-LeCoultre gala evening in Venice

The Golden Lion

As official partners of the festival, Jaeger-LeCoultre presented customised watches to the winners of the top awards on September 7. These awards included the Leone d’Oro (Golden Lion) for best film to DC Comics’ Joker (USA) by director Todd Phillips. The Coppa Volpi Awards for best actress and best actor of the year were presented to Ariane Ascaride for Gloria Mundi (France), and to Luca Marinelli for Martin Eden (Italy), respectively. And the lifetime achievement honour—Leone d’Oro alla carrier—was bestowed upon actress Julie Andrews (The Sound of Music, Mary Poppins).

Jaeger-LeCoultre presented customised Reverso watches to winners of the Leone d’Oro (Golden Lion), including the best film winner, 'Joker'. Seen here is director Todd Phillips holding the Golden Lion trophy and 'Joker' star Joaquin Phoenix to his left.

Additionally, earlier during the festival, Jaeger-LeCoultre presented the 2019 ‘Glory to the Filmmaker’ honour to Greek-French filmmaker Costa Gavras. The director’s latest film Adults in the Room—a part of the festival’s ‘out of competition’ category—was screened after he was presented the award. Conceived by the brand in 2007, the ‘Glory to the Filmmaker’ award honours an ‘individual who has had a substantial impact on the evolution of contemporary cinema’. Earlier winners of this award have included Sylvester Stallone, Mani Ratnam, Al Pacino, Spike Lee and James Franco. Gavras was also presented with a special edition Reverso watch.

The Reverso presented to the winners of the Golden Lion and Glory to the Filmmaker awards was a Reverso Small Seconds, with the signature Jaeger-LeCoultre front

Instead of the second dial, the reverse had inscriptions of the distinctions awarded and the Golden Lion Emblem. Seen here is the Glory to the Filmmaker watch and trophy.

The customised watches presented to the award winners were based on the Reverso Classic Large Duoface Small Seconds in steel. The front dial in these award timepieces is exactly the same as that of the simple Duoface, in silvered grey with guilloche finishing. However, instead of a secondary dial on the reverse, one could see the film festival’s red lion emblem and ‘Glory to the Filmmaker’ or ‘Leone d’Oro’ inscribed. The simple Duoface though, comes with a velvety black guilloche-finished dial on the reverse, with a second time zone and a 24-hour indicator, not quite unlike the Reverso that Nicholas Hoult is seen wearing above.

With their initiatives at the 76th Venice International Film Festival, Jaeger-LeCoultre has reinforced its commitment to the arts. Deeply connected to the world of film, the brand continues to honour its long-standing partnership with the oldest film festival in the world and continues to support the appreciation and advancement of cinema.