Jaeger-LeCoultre’s global ambassador, Lenny Kravitz, and actor Robert Downey Jr stole the spotlight on the red carpet at the prestigious Critics’ Choice Awards — an annual celebration of outstanding achievements in film and television. These A-listers epitomise success, with remarkable bodies of work in their respective careers.
Lenny Kravitz secured a nomination for Best Song with Road to Freedom, music crafted for George C Wolfe’s film Rustin. Simultaneously, Robert Downey Jr won the award for Best Supporting Actor for his role in the film last year’s box office hit Oppenheimer.
Complementing their triumphs in the entertainment industry were equally impressive accessories. Both Kravitz and Downey Jr graced the occasion adorned with Jaeger-LeCoultre timepieces: Kravitz wore the Reverso Tribute Duoface Tourbillon, while Downey Jr was seen wearing the Reverso Tribute Calendar in steel.
Stark style
Robert Downey Jr, famous for portraying Tony Stark and Iron Man in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), displayed his impeccable style with the Jaeger-LeCoultre Reverso Tribute Duoface Calendar.
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This timepiece adds a touch of modern elegance to the reinterpretation of two Jaeger-LeCoultre complications — the triple calendar and the Duoface. The latter features two time zones on different faces of the Reverso, all powered by a single movement calibre introduced in 1994.
This timepiece’s core is the manually wound calibre 853, a creation conceived, produced, and assembled in-house. The calibre 853 stands as a rare form movement, an exclusive mechanical construction meticulously designed for the unique contours of a non-round watch.
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Despite its compact size, the timepiece does not compromise on the details and refinement characteristic of traditional haute horlogerie. Note the chamfered edges, countersunk jewels, mirror-polished screws, and bridges adorned with Geneva Stripes showcase the meticulous craftsmanship associated with this exceptional timepiece.
Maintaining the spirit of the original 1931 model, the Reverso Tribute Duoface Calendar seamlessly blends timeless elegance with contemporary aesthetic styles from 21st-century watchmaking. Offered in stainless steel and warm-hued pink gold models, this watch showcases a heightened level of detail, refined execution and subtle textures.
Fly away with style
The edgy Lenny Kravitz rounded off his ensemble with the Reverso Tribute Duoface Tourbillon. This timepiece encapsulates the essence of early 1930s models with its streamlined aesthetic and distinctive features of the Reverso Tribute dial. Faceted hour indexes, accompanied by Dauphine hands and surrounded by a chemin de fer minute track, complete the design.
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Bringing together a flying tourbillon and the Duoface complication, this ultra-thin hand-wound movement comprises 254 components and measures only 3.9mm in thickness. Jaeger-LeCoultre’s watchmakers had to completely reimagine the tourbillon mechanism to minimise its height to achieve this feat.
They omitted the upper bridge to which the balance wheel is typically attached and substituted the outer tourbillon cage with a ball-bearing system, fixing the balance wheel to the centre of the tourbillon.
Traditionally, the hairspring would be linked to the outer tourbillon cage, but in the absence of such a cage, a solution was found by Jaeger-LeCoultre. The manufacturer devised (and patented) a distinctive S-shaped balance spring, with one end affixed to a fixed point at the centre of the tourbillon mechanism and the other fixed to the balance wheel. The S-shape prevents the spring coils from touching each other, ensuring perfect concentricity with the tourbillon — a crucial element for precision.
The reverse dial of the watch is enhanced by partial skeletonisation and exquisite decoration, including hand-angled bridges, all crafted in the manufacturer’s Métiers Rares workshop. Golden hands and indexes indicate the second time zone on a black sunray-brushed dial, while above it, the night and day indicator showcases a starry night sky. Gold bridges, reminiscent of the 1993 Reverso Tourbillon, boast rich texture with Clous de Paris guilloché, and blued screws provide a striking contrast with the gold. The guilloche on the bridges — a delicate and highly skilled operation performed on a century-old hand-operated lathe — represents six hours of meticulous work.
