Watches may feel predominantly masculine, but did you know that the very first wristwatches were made for women? The intrinsic connection between women and watchmaking is a fascinating, beautiful story being told now in Shanghai by Jaeger-LeCoultre. The Swiss watchmaker, dubbed la grande maison, and the ‘watchmaker of watchmakers’, has just opened The Dream Shaper, an exhibition staged in the heart of the Chinese city that puts on display the romance, design and crafts that go into making its timepieces such beautiful objets.
Over 70 archival pieces are on show, in an exhibition structured in four chapters. “Your journey begins with the maison’s very first wristwatch created in 1895, an elegant Art Deco piece with rubies framing the dial,” reports Vogue Singapore’s editor-in-chief Desmond Lim from Shanghai. This, alongside, pieces from the 19th and early 20th century—pocket watches miniaturised and transformed into pendants, brooches and bracelets—tell a story of how women expressed themselves through adornment.
In a section titled ‘The Age of Freedom’, Jaeger-LeCoultre shines a light on its most iconic innovation: the Calibre 101 introduced in 1929. “Still the world’s smallest mechanical movement, at less than a gram, it is as light as a butterfly,” reports Lim. The record-unbroken movement transformed timepieces into slender jewelled bracelets, expressed today in creations like the 101 Reine, inspired by a piece worn by Queen Elizabeth, and masterpiece jewellery watches.
The exhibition closes on a realm of complicated watches for women—pieces that exemplify the growing independence and power of women since the 1970s. From intricate miniature enamel painting to the mesmerising illusion of floating calibres, the exhibition puts front and centre the brand’s enduring pursuit of beauty and innovation. But most exciting is perhaps ‘The Age of Emancipation’, a chapter of the exhibition centred on mid-century shaped watches. “A personal favourite stands out,” says Lim. “The emblematic Étrier wristwatchof the 1970s, a rare union of bold design and mechanical poetry.”
The Dream Shaper exhibition is accompanied by immersive experiences that bring you further into and closer to the world of Jaeger-LeCoultre. Live demonstrations of key stages in the watchmaking process give a rare insight into its complexity and artistry, with hands-on sessions on offer to give gem setting, enamel painting, and movement assembly a try-it-for-yourself shot.
The Dream Shaper by Jaeger-LeCoultre runs from 10 to 26 September 25, at Zhangyuan W7, Lane 258, Maoming North Road, Shanghai. Admission is complimentary.
