TicTacTalks ForumPosted by YvesOdier
October 6, 2007 - 10:34AM cet
IP : 86.203.34.35
Email : yves.odier@wanadoo.fr
I will start with an endless thank you to Jaeger-LeCoultre.
I have just returned back from La Vallée de Joux (Suisse), I have so much to tell you my friends and every watch enthusiast, I need to gather all my thoughts and that is going to take some time.
Milan, Nardin Coyote (Nico), and myself were fortunate and privileged to be invited for the inauguration of the Jaeger-LeCoultre Heritage Gallery, of course this was for us three another excuse and occasion to share time together, we gathered in France and prepare for the trip to Switzerland, Thursday we were all set and met in Paris, we boarded our flight and good time started. We landed perfectly and were driven to our hotel in Geneva. After checking in, we started to meet with the many, so many other JLC friends (approx 350 people) arriving from all 4 corners of our sphere, collectors, retailers, journalists as well as VIPs. What a panel! Us three already mixing with everyone and meeting with old and new watch friends, we were already into greater good time.
Nardin coyote's noble gong indicated us it was 18:30 and everyone there was being guided to check in the fleet of limousines that drove us to The Vallée de Joux manufacture, it took approx. 45 minutes to arrive to a special corner of Switzerland. On arrival the elegant and dedicated Monsieur Jerome Lambert (CEO) personally warmly welcome each guest, un je ne sais quoi that makes a real difference. Once everyone regrouped with all others, we found ourselves standing in front of the newly re-designed entrance of Jaeger-LeCoultre Manufacture waiting for Ms Carole Bouquet to cut the Rubban that would officially inaugurate the New Entrance and most of all The Heritage Gallery, she arrived beautiful as ever, made a nice poetic speech about Time... Her Time, and with a huge pair of scissors she cuts the rubban. A artistic show took place for a few minutes followed by a magnificent firework, and finally everyone entered into the JLC main building to be directed to an area that would unite all invitees for the evening (more about in a later post)...
Monsieur Jerome Lambert made a speech about Jaeger-LeCoultre and its history and he explained the background of the challenge to realise and display The JLC Heritage... Applauded by all, the Festivities started (more on this later).
Randomly each table made of 10 guests was invited by a member of staff to be guided to... The Heritage Gallery. Eventually it was my/our turn; we walked through the buildings to arrive in the heart of JLC History... truly, at this moment I stop breathing. Even if I knew most of the brand's footpaths, even if I am aware of watchmaking, even if for many years I literate myself of most watchmaking basics, what was now in front of my eyes was simply something about real time, time that passed and time that goes on, (I could hear my heart beats), I knew nothing anymore. My feelings and emotions were filled to a point that I knew and immediately decided that I had to go slow, real slow. My eyes were about to walk me through over 450 years of detailed horology, 350 calibres (JLC made over 1000 calibres) and past 300 patents. (more, much more about this later...), I was lost, I still cannot say to myself if this was a voyage in the past or the future, and at the same time I was happy to see that The humble Jaeger-LeCoultre establishment finally exposed itself with its paramount merits. I was thankful to be just here and thankful to all those that passionately made all that my eyes could see possible. From my first and last footpath in the Jaeger-LeCoultre Heritage Gallery, I did not catch my breath back. I simply slowly travelled into it in total astonishment before a Master in Achievements. Was I dreaming? No! It is real time!
More posts from Nardin Coyote, Milan and me will follow.
To start, here some pictures...
All photos are from Jaeger-LeCoultre
The newly redesigned Jaeger LeCoultre manufacture entrance.
Corole Bouquet & Jerome Lambert (Jaeger-LeCoultre CEO)
The show that took place before we entered the manufacture
Carole Bouquet (French Actress)
Ute Lemper (German Singer & Entertainer)
YvesOdier TTT
Posted by amanico
October 6, 2007 - 01:45PM cet
IP : 88.166.185.226
Email : amarillifondaneche@yahoo.fr
Thanks for this post, Yves, as I was thinking a lot to try to give some order to all we saw there.
It was a fantastic event, a wonderful organization, and a true, pure and deep friendship ambience.
JLC did a great job to create this Museum, and there will be also a " collector saloon" which appears to be very interesting.
IMHO, there are 2 important things:
1: JLC is really creating a bridge between its past and its present.
When you see the actual production, it clearly refers to the past.
We saw magnificient calibers, and some of the present watches and movements are clearly inspired by the masterpieces of the past. An example? The Duo metre.
2: JLC is going more and more in the right direction, top quality and the perfect finishes, but also and as always innovations, in the respect of the past.
All this makes sense, you feel it, you get it , you're convinced by it.
There is also another thing I want to say.
JLC is, and when I say JLC, I want to speak of the WHOLE team, a very young team...Magali, Nicolas, Sonia, Jerome ( LAMBERT), Marc Andre, Stephane, Yves ( Meylan), Elizabeth, Julie, all of them are very young, inspired, and dynamic.
They think, re think, listen, have a an autocritic point of view... In all, really amazing.
And to finish... They are all friends, not friends to say friends, but TRUE friends.
Thanks for these beautiful, rare and intense moments.
Nicolas Aka " Naaardin Coyotee".
BTW, Yves I don't thank you for this new last Nickname you found for me...ROFL!
PS. Pics to follow. Stay tuned!
Posted by amanico
October 6, 2007 - 03:21PM cet
IP : 88.166.185.226
Email : amarillifondaneche@yahoo.fr
Posted by adman7
October 6, 2007 - 07:01PM cet
IP : 24.199.116.29
Email : mccaffrey7@gmail.com
WAY jealous. Looks like a great trip. Can't wait to see all of your reports and photos. Hopefully Milan took it easy on you too!
I think JLC is hosting something here in New York later this Fall. Looking into it, but maybe we'll get to see some of the same new peices.
Keep the pictures coming! HAGWE too!
Posted by SportX
October 7, 2007 - 12:50AM cet
IP : 205.188.116.199
Email : Issportx@aol.com
Posted by Guille
October 6, 2007 - 10:29PM cet
IP : 72.211.227.96
Email : gcenicer@cox.net
Posted by Asi
October 7, 2007 - 09:48PM cet
IP : 79.178.63.102
Email : asimut@gmail.com
Cheers,
~Asi~
Posted by W
October 9, 2007 - 10:31PM cet
IP : 206.116.196.39
Email : cadthis@hotmail.com