This is not a watch

Jaeger-LeCoultre is paying homage to René Magritte with his most iconic timekeeper: The Reverso.

“To be surrealist is to banish the notion of “déjà vu” and seek out the not yet seen.” The words of Belgian artist René Magritte (1898-1967) are true of his work, especially his famous oil on canvas “The Treachery of Images” (1929). A novice eye would see a pipe, despite the inscription saying “This is not a pipe”, whilst a creative eye would grasp Magritte’s play on the gap between the item and its depiction. In tribute to the fabulous artist who died almost 50 years ago, Jaeger-LeCoultre has joined forces with Belgium’s famous De Greef jewellers to unveil a limited edition: Reverso in tribute to René Magritte, 15 available. The Swiss watchmaker teamed up with the Brussels-based jewellery house, Maison De Greef, to combine creativity and expertise in the René Magritte tribute-edition Reverso watch. The project was also carried out in close collaboration with Charly Herscovici, president of The Magritte Foundation. Flip the watch over to see a black dial with two spear-shape hands fuelled by the manual wind JLC822 calibre whilst the front of the rectangular steel case has a faithful miniature reproduction of “The Treachery of Images.” featuring a pipe painted in almost photographic detail, accompanied by the phrase "Ceci n'est pas une pipe" ("This is not a pipe"). Painted in Paris, France in 1929, the artwork can today be admired in the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, USA.

This timely series marks two anniversaries, celebrating 85 years of the Reverso in 2016, and the 50th anniversary of the death of René Magritte in 2017.

Price: 12,450 €

C.F.

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