Time after time

Jaeger-LeCoultre leads the way in luxury Swiss watchmaking

The Swiss watchmaking manufacture Jaeger-LeCoultre is steeped in history. The winning combination of Jaeger and LeCoultre, one a Parisian watchmaker and the other a Swiss watch maison, has always been at the forefront of old-world craftsmanship with cutting edge styling. The serene Vallée de Joux in Switzerland has been a never-ending source of inspiration for the timeless designs.

From the get-go, Jaeger-LeCoultre employed 500 watchmakers, earning itself the nickname ‘la grande maison’. The moniker still holds true. The expansive headquarters accommodates 1,200 employees, who practice over 180 different skills. Perhaps the most painstaking among those is enameling.

Imagine having to create the most complicated painting you've ever seen on a canvas the size of a postage stamp. Then imagine repainting it in enamel, a durable, long-lasting mix of powdered glass and oil, when nearly every stroke is made with brushes as slender as needles, an elegant process that must be fired in a kiln and cooled before proceeding. No wonder Jaeger-LeCoultre's artisans claim that a single piece takes 80 hours or more to complete. Needless to say, this is no task for the ordinary. It requires years of study and practice, but should you want to learn, you can't. No schools teach this form of art. Watchmakers, however, are keeping the art form alive. In this case, Jaeger-LeCoultre is a world leader. It is one of the few companies that has its own in-house enamel studio, and it has been steadily adding artists.