At first glance, watchmaking may appear to have very little in common with luxury heels. Nevertheless, at the latest Salon International de la Haute Horlogerie, which took place from 18 to 22 January, two astonishing partnerships were announced: Jaeger-LeCoultre with Christian Louboutin, and Roger Dubuis with the Maison Massaro.
To celebrate the 85th anniversary of its iconic Reverso, Jaeger-LeCoultre has joined forces with legendary footwear designer Christian Louboutin. The Swiss watchmaker and the master of the stiletto have pooled their savoir-faire and vision of excellence to author a daring new Reverso collection. The Reverso Classic Duetto, which comes in two sizes, retains the classic art deco features on the front, while on the reverse, framed by two rows of diamonds on the top and bottom of the dial, Christian Louboutin’s imagination is allowed to run wild. For this collection the footwear designer drew inspiration from his travels, while other models were informed more obviously by his shoe collections and their famous red soles. The various straps of the Reverso Classic Duetto play with iridescent leather, transparency and cutouts. This gorgeous timepiece provides a typical example: the metallic shimmer of its gala strap in iridescent leather brings to mind the changing colours of a beetle’s carapace.
The partnership between Jaeger-LeCoultre and Christian Louboutin is part of a wider initiative dubbed Atelier Reverso, which gives clients the possibility of starring in their own Reverso adventure by choosing the design of the case back. The Atelier Reverso, which is offered for the Duoface and Duetto models in the Reverso Classic collection, will be available from spring 2016 in Jaeger-LeCoultre boutiques.
The 2016 SIHH also saw the announcement of a collaboration between Roger Dubuis and French master shoemaker Maison Massaro. Massaro’s Velvet line, for women only, is inspired by the 1930s and ’40s and the golden age of Hollywood. The Rita, the first in a series of three timepieces, pays tribute to legendary actress Rita Hayworth. The key to this creation is obviously the haute couture strap in pleated leather, produced in the workshops of the Parisian designer. With an adjustable folding buckle in white gold set with brilliant-cut diamonds, the unique gold strap mirrors the colour of the tonneau-shaped dial centre, worked in yellow gold. The applied hour markers around the edge of the sunburst satin-brushed dial add a further dash of intensity. The bezel, lugs and delicate 36 mm white gold case are all set with brilliant-cut diamonds. Combining aesthetic beauty with mechanical watchmaking prowess, the model is driven by an automatic movement beating at 28,000 vph, with a 48-hour power reserve.
Each of the 88 limited-edition timepieces comes with a matching pair of pumps in the same leather. The names of the other two Hollywood icons who have inspired Velvet by Massaro designs will be revealed in due course.
