There are few maisons that have had such a profound impact on the watchmaking industry, not only for the past 20 years, but for close to two centuries now, as Jaeger-LeCoultre. The history of the esteemed Manufacture features numerous signature watch designs and landmark technical achievements. It’s these aspects that attracted Catherine Renier to take the helm of the maison in 2018, following a career within the Richemont Group that has spanned three continents, starting with Cartier in North America in 1999. She made the move to Paris in 2003, to take up the role of Deputy International Marketing Director with Van Cleef & Arpels. With that experience in hand, she was posted to Hong Kong as the maison’s Commercial Director in 2008, and over the course of the next decade, would ultimately be appointed President of the entire Asia Pacific region, based in Hong Kong.
Her 2018 appointment as CEO of Jaeger-LeCoultre marked a significant step for the maison, as she is the company’s first ever female CEO. Whilst the announcement may have surprised some, Renier had already visited the Manufacture a few years prior to her appointment and it had made such an impression on her that she had little hesitation in moving to the Vallée de Joux when the opportunity arose. She immediately impressed observers by her depth of knowledge and familiarity with the brand, thereby ensuring a seamless transition. She cites the Reverso, which was originally introduced in 1931 but remains a truly timeless design icon, as one of the most important timepieces that impacted her and continues to influence how she shapes the maison’s future. From a more technical standpoint, the Gyrotourbillon introduced in 2004 comes to mind. Naturally, above and beyond the watches themselves, Renier is very focused on expanding Jaeger-LeCoultre’s global retail network and ensuring that all its clients are welcomed with a consistent experience in any of the maison’s boutiques.
*On the occasion of GMT Magazine and WorldTempus' 20th anniversary, we have embarked on the ambitious project of summarising the last 20 years in watchmaking in The Millennium Watch Book, a big, beautifully laid out coffee table book. This article is an extract. The Millennium Watch Book is available on www.the-watch-book.com, in French and English, with a 10% discount if you use the following code: WT2021.
