Swiss watchmaker Jaeger-LeCoultre is continuing to center art with the promotion of a new partnership.
The brand welcomes French visual artist Guillaume Marmin into the fold, introducing the talent via a new campaign video. Inspired by celestial movements — in alignment with the brand at large — the creative’s resulting craft is the subject of an international traveling exhibition, set to take place this year.
“Luxury collaborations have become a very powerful and a seemingly essential part of brand marketing in recent years for a few key reasons,” said Daymon Bruck, chief creative officer at The O Group, New York.
“Not only do collaborations with other brands, artists or creative partners generate interesting and fresh content that can be leveraged across all platforms but they allow audiences an opportunity to develop a deeper connection and appreciation for a brand’s values and ethos,” Mr. Bruck said. “This new collaboration for Jaeger-LeCoultre’s ‘Made of Makers’ program is a great example of how a brand can reinforce its core values — craftsmanship, creativity, innovation, etc. — by showcasing them through an art installation which presents a new creative work regarding the nature of time.
“Even though the obvious connection to time is at the center of this collaboration, the added element of the artist’s conceptual interpretation of time though an experience-driven installation keeps the collaboration from being predictable.”
Mr. Bruck is not affiliated with Jaeger-LeCoultre, but agreed to comment as an industry expert.
“Art Inspired by the Cosmos”
Through the act of commissioning and subsequent advancement of artistry, Jaeger-LeCoultre aims to first provoke thought, before striking conversation with those luxury consumers that follow the brand.
The current project at hand is part of the brand’s Made of Makers program, made up of a series of collaborations with artists and artisans who exist outside of the boundaries of watchmaking.
Therein, artists bring along a unique set of skills to the maison — Ms. Marmin’s latest work proves no exception.
Jaeger-LeCoultre’s artist and collaborator presents “Passenger: Through Time”
An electrifying asset captures the artist’s creative process, as he designs “Passenger: Through Time” from scratch.
“With this project, I wanted to shine a light on the connection between observing the sky and measuring time,” Mr. Marmin says, in French.
“Using a kinetic device consisting of sets of reflections, I imagined an installation capable of reproducing the ties that bind time and space.”
The bulk of Jaeger-LeCoultre’s strategic collaboration consists of the traveling exhibition, which moves forward with a global tour this year.
The initial activation, which falls under the brand’s Stellar Odyssey campaign umbrella, passed through Nanjing in 2022, offering event attendees a preview of the type of interactive interface that would eventually come to other regions.
With the artist’s official debut comes an update, as the brand reveals that the remote presentation will mirror real-time planetary positions and constellations, in a manner similar to shifting stars signaling the passage of time.
“The challenge is to make the relationship between observing the night sky and the measurement of time perceptible,” Mr. Marmin said, in a statement.
“From exchanges with astronomers and Jaeger-LeCoultre watchmakers, I have imagined an art installation that transcribes the links that unite time and space.”
Traversing Time Zones
Inclusive of additional interactive elements previewed via the brand’s previous stop (see story), Jaeger-LeCoultre’s comprehensive educational setup takes visitors on a global trip through time.
Mr. Marmin’s activation, and its horological connection in particular, helps thread the needle between art, space and the watchmaker’s rich history.
The incredibly clear skies of Jaeger-LeCoultre’s home base in the Swiss Vallée de Joux were known to catch the eye of founder Antoine LeCoultre many times over, fostering a consistent focus on the constellations above, one that is deeply embedded in the house’s products today.
Astrological concepts define some of the brand’s most popular timepieces such as the Polaris Perpetual Calendar (see story) and a Rendez-Vous Dazzling Shooting Star selection (see story).
The former model starts at a price of $33,000, while the latter ranges, retailing between $7,850 and $97,500.
