The Swiss luxury watchmaker, or “watchmaker of watchmakers” Jaeger-LeCoultre unveiled the Beijing leg of its travelling collection, titled “The Precision Pioneer” on 14 September. Located at The Green, WF Central in the Wangfujing area in Central Beijing, the exhibition will be open to the public for free until 3 October.
“The Precision Pioneer” looks back at the horologist’s rich history since its founding in the 1830s. The exhibition, which the brand calls a “fascinating watchmaking adventure of watchmaking”, is divided into four parts, “the Precision of Production”, “the Precision of Chronometry”, “the Precision of Regulating Organs” and “the Precision of Complications”.
For the opening of the exhibition, Jaeger-LeCoultre brought a slew of its celebrity friends and ambassadors including actor and singer Jackson Yee, singer and actress Gigi Leung and actress Zhang Ziyi. At the Precision Atelier, the Maison also recruited 2 Michelin-star chef Himanshu Saini to serve four dishes inspired by ingredients from the Swiss valleys and the spirit of precision to pay homage to the brand and the exhibition. On Weibo, the topic “The Precision Pioneer” (#精妙之艺#) has garnered 24.17 million views on Weibo, China’s Twitter equivalent.
The exhibition has so far travelled to Dubai, UAE, as well as New York and will be going to Los Angeles after the Beijing run. The Beijing exhibition coincides with the Jaeger-LeCoultre new Beijing store opening at the WF Central mall. Inspired by the brand’s La Grande Maison manufacturing location at the Vallée de Joux in Switzerland, the new shop combines organic materials and high-tech touch screens. It also includes personalisation services and an Art Deco Café with pastries created by Parisian master pastry chef Nina Métayer.
Swiss watches have been experiencing difficulties this year. In March, Switzerland’s exports to its largest market, the United States, dropped 6.5% year-on-year (YoY) but plummeted 42% and 44% in Mainland China and Hong Kong, its second and third largest markets, respectively. For a luxury watchmaker like Jaeger-LeCoultre, a travelling exhibition like the “Precision Pioneer” is a great way to raise awareness of the brand and emphasise its brand heritage and craftsmanship.
