Jaeger-LeCoultre presents two limited editions of the Reverso personalized by Portuguese artist Julião Sarmento with a silkscreen print hand-signed by the master. For the sixth edition of Jaeger-LeCoultre/Art Portugais artistic and cultural project Jaeger-LeCoultre joined forces with Julião Sarmento to present the latest offering in this very noble Art Portugais line, one of Jaeger-LeCoultre's most long-lived thematic collections. The project was initiated in 2000 by Pedro Torres, the founder of Torres Distribuição, the representative of Jaeger-LeCoultre in Portugal, aiming at creating the graphic representation of time by the experienced hands of internationally renowned Portuguese artists. 

From customization to a "wearable" art 

Inspired by Art Deco, the legendary reversible case of the Reverso offers in its classical versions a space that allows for numerous personalization options, creating tangible and intimate relations between the owner and his or her watch that becomes a unique object. 

Since the creation of the iconic Reverso watch in 1931, Jaeger-LeCoultre has incorporated it in a number of incredible watchmaking complications, as well as developed an exhaustive range of artistic personalisations, from simple engravings to enamel compositions. 

The Reverso/Arte Portuguesa limited editions take a special place as some of the most beautiful versions ever produced for the Reverso. Imagined by Pedro Torres, the founder of the TORRES Distribuição company, the project has brought together several major Portuguese artists such as Júlio Pomar, Manuel Cargaleiro, Paula Rego, José de Guimarães and now Julião Sarmento. Their common aim: to customize the case-back of the Reverso with their very personal visions of time, turning it into a timeless work of art comprising a highly emotional intrinsic value. 

A feminine view of time by Julião Sarmento 

Julião Sarmento set his heart on the representation of a female body, as the personification of time. "My work is often tied in with the female body. It in fact revolves around feminine iconography and I even have a series of works that represent a sort of expectant woman, a woman who is waiting, an image that conjures up space and time," explains the artist in the latest issue of the Espiral do Tempo review. "It refers to the space in which the woman moves, the space she fills and the indeterminate time in which she is found. It is not fleeting time, it is perpetual time. In other words, the connection I am interested in is the conjunction of the brand image, my brand image and the concept of endless time." 

The Reverso/Arte Portuguesa Julião Sarmento is available in two limited editions of Grande Reverso 976 equipped with a mechanical manually-wound movement. The pink gold edition with a black dial and a small second hand in a round sub-dial is issued in 20 copies (€17,900), and a steel edition with a small second hand in a rectangular sub-dial is issued in 30 copies (€9,900). On the case-back, each watch carries an enamel representation of a female silhouette, so characteristic of Julião Sarmento's work. Each watch comes with a silkscreen print hand-signed by the artist. The gold version has a specific feature: the silkscreen print is in dark yellow whereas it is in black and white for the steel version. 

Manufacture Jaeger-LeCoultre 

A major player in watchmaking history since 1833, Jaeger-LeCoultre is the first Manufacture to have been established in the Vallee de Joux, Switzerland. It played a pioneering role by uniting the full range of technical and artistic professions under one roof and made an indelible imprint on the watchmaking development of the entire region. The Manufacture has an impressive range of world firsts, superlative creations and legendary models to its credit, including the Reverso, the Duoplan, the Master Control, the Memovox Polaris, the Gyrotourbillon and the Atmos. Guided by time-honored know-how and a constant quest for technical enhancements, the master-watchmakers, engineers and technicians craft each watch in harmony with the same passion. Each masterpiece, heir to 178 years of expertise, benefits from cutting-edge technologies while being crafted in harmony with the noblest traditions of the Vallée de Joux. Building on a vast heritage encompassing 1,231 calibres and 398 registered patents, Jaeger-LeCoultre remains the reference in high-end watchmaking.