EVENT: The Jaeger-LeCoultre Melbourne collector’s dinner

Felix Scholz

There was a constant air of quiet intensity in a private dining room of Melbourne’s Stokehouse City on Tuesday night. Occasionally that correlated with the consumption of concoctions from a menu full of veloutes, sabayons and bombes. But far more frequently the hushed aura was down to the velvet lined trays containing an entirely other type of deliciousness circulating the room.

Jaeger-LeCoultre was in town, and they were showcasing their latest novelties launched at Salon de la Haute Horlogerie (SIHH) to an intimate gathering of the horological faithful. For JLC, 2015 was a year where they looked to the skies. Their collection was full of astronomical inspiration, from the Master Calendar with a meteorite dial, which needs to be held and worn to be believed, to the beautiful ladies Rendez-Vous Moon, one of the best ladies watches of the year, with a mother of pearl moon set in a dark blue lacquer sky.

If these two pieces were the shining stars of the night, there were numerous others that expressed the reserved elegance of JLC. The Master Ultra Thin Moon was a favourite of many on the night, as was the understated Master Ultra Thin Tourbillon (with or without diamonds).

The annual collector’s dinner held by JLC is something special. There’s no special agenda for the night (other than a very loose excuse to show off the latest watches), no product launch, no ambassador announcements or VIPs. And because of this it’s a wonderfully informal affair – drinks are drunk, food is eaten, watches are admired and discussed all in an atmosphere of relaxation and friendship.

Jaeger-LeCoultre understands the importance of their collector community; men and women who love the Reverso and can hold a conversation about reference numbers without blinking an eye or consulting a catalogue. This community is just as important to the brand as the big budget film festivals and the high profile endorsements. And it’s a great thing that JLC acknowledges, listens and invests time in this community.

On behalf of Time+Tide and Melbourne’s collector community, thank you Jaeger-LeCoultre for a wonderful evening.

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Images by Oliver Yuen.