Japanese printmaking in miniature form.

 

Sure, the "Thirty-Six Views of Mount Fuji" or "Tour of the Waterfalls of the Provinces" print series are prime examples of the "meisho" (trans. "famous places") landscape genre. Yet the world-famous woodblock prints by Hokusai are more than just tranquilizing illustrations depicting landmarks of natural beauty in Japan.

 

Water and humanity's relationship with the element is connected to the traditional Japanese perception of the world expressed through the "ukiyo-e" genre of Japanese art (trans. "pictures of the floating world") and proverbs such as "Mizuno awato naru" (lit. trans. "it becomes a bubble of water", i.e. come to nothing).

 

Jaeger-LeCoultre Reverso Tribute Enamel — Hokusai «Amida Falls»
Jaeger-LeCoultre Reverso Tribute Enamel — Hokusai «Amida Falls»
Jaeger-LeCoultre Reverso Tribute Enamel — Hokusai «Amida Falls»
Jaeger-LeCoultre Reverso Tribute Enamel — Hokusai «Amida Falls»

That's why the novelty by Jaeger-LeCoultre is best viewed with an understanding the depth of symbolism which lies behind the original woodblock print: the watch features a reproduction of the Amida Falls in the Far Reaches of the Kisokaidō Road (Kisoji no oku Amida-ga-taki) on its caseback.

 

If you look at the Reverso from another angle, you could say that it's not Japanese conceptualizations that are central here, but the Western traditions of miniature painting and working with Grand Feu enamel.

 

The artisans at the Métiers Rares atelier didn't simply reproduce the details of the illustration to recreate the waterfall, they also used a specially developed technique to replicate the characteristic colors of the woodblock print.

 

This is called the "bokashi" effect — a gradual transition of subtly nuanced shades which is normally achieved in printing on paper. It took the artisans at Jaeger-LeCoultre 70 hours of work over the course of many weeks, and 12-15 firings at a temperature of 800°C.

 

Ultimately, you don't even have to look at the reproduction of Hokusai's work on the Reverso Tribute Enamel Hokusai "Amida Falls". A quick glance at the dial covered with semi-translucent green enamel in a lozenge pattern is enough to elicit gasps of awe.

 

Geometry enthusiasts will be delighted: 60 perfectly even lines which required 600 passages on the lathe. And of course, the same angle had to be maintained for perfect symmetry!

The model which completes a trilogy dedicated to Hokusai by Jaeger-LeCoultre has been given a white-gold case measuring 45.5 x 27.4 x 9.73 mm. The movement responsible for timekeeping is the manually wound Jaeger-LeCoultre Caliber 822/2. The watch manufacturer's new work of art will be available in a limited edition of ten pieces.