Last year Jaeger-LeCoultre issued a “Reverso à Eclipse” as a homage to the 125thanniversary of Van Gogh, featuring his iconic “Sunflowers” painting on the dial. Now, a year later JLC is releasing another timepiece to honor the famous Dutch painter, as well as the 85th anniversary of the “Jaeger-LeCoultre Reverso” watch model itself.
Image courtesy of: Jaeger-LeCoultre
This is a joint venture by Jaeger-LeCoultre and The Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam, suggested by its Dutch boutique partner Gassan. Their goal was to conceive a watch combining tree elements: craftsmanship, art and heritage; as a homage to Dutch’s most famously renowned painter, Vincent Van Gogh. Only four of these pieces were made, and they will be sold exclusively at the Van Gogh Museum, in Amsterdam. Each individual timepiece will be accompanied by its own special platinum box
Image courtesy of: Jaeger-LeCoultre
The tonneau shaped case for this watch is made of platinum, with standard JLC finishing touches. There is a slim roller located near the 1 o’clock position, which serves to open and close the shutters that reveal the Van Gogh adorned dial face. What makes this reference model extra special is its ability to be reversed (turned around to reveal its caseback), or alternatively the dial can be opened and closed like an eclipse, which is where it got its name from. It’s this side-sliding mechanism to reveal the dial that named these pieces “eclipse” models
Image courtesy of: Jaeger-LeCoultre
The Swiss brand has a workshop specializing in miniature enamel painting for their watches. A true fine art tradition, which has the capacity to enrich any dial with notable aesthetics. And Jaeger-LeCoultre is one of the few manufactures that have truly mastered this technique, by cultivating and fostering these talents at their headquarters at the Grande Maison, in Vallée de Joux, Switzerland.
Image courtesy of: Jaeger-LeCoultre
The master enamelers at Jaeger-LeCoultre have replicated other artworks over the years, besides Van Gogh, like: Renoir, Klimt, Ingres and others. The painting featured on the dial for this model is the ”Self Portrait as a Painter” by Van Gogh. There have been other Van Gogh models like the “JLC Master Grand Tourbillon Enamel White Gold” (Ref#: 16634V2) or the “JLC Master Grande Tradition Répétition Minutes” (Ref#: 50924E1).
Image courtesy of: Jaeger-LeCoultre
Time is told via Arabic numerals, missing only the 6 and 12 numbers; unless you fully open the shutters to reveal Van Gogh’s self-portrait. When the painting is fully exposed the numerals cease to be seen, but time can still be told via the railroad style hour and minute index markers surrounding the dial.
