Typography for the inscription of a favorite watch.

 

No detail is insignificant when it comes to designing watches. The shape of indexes, the chosen angle for Côtes de Genève (Geneva waves), the depth of a guilloché engraving, and of course, typography — each element makes its contribution to the watch's final appearance.

 

Jaeger-LeCoultre's Reverso is of course famous for its caseback, which has long ceased to serve its original function of protecting the watch from impact during games of polo. It has become a canvas for fine art miniatures and memorable personal messages.

When it comes to personalizing the Reverso's caseback, e.g., with the inscription of its owner's initials, you can now use a typeface specially created for the manufacture. Another thing that makes it unique is how the model's historic roots are acknowledged.

 

The company tasked one of the world's most famous graphic designers with creating a signature typeface for the Reverso — Spanish Lettering Artist Alex Trochut. Trochut continues his family tradition, whose grandfather created a collection of combining figures called SuperTipo Veloz for Barcelona's Fundición Tipografica Iranzo in 1942.

 

Alex Trochut has also developed a wealth of graphic solutions for Adidas, British Airways, Coca-Cola, Estrella, Nike, Nixon, and the Rolling Stones along with media outlets the Guardian and New York Times.

 

 

His portfolio also features the cover design for Katy Perry's ROAR signal. Trochut makes the letters spill over and zig-zag (or stripe for Adidas). They’re turned into op-art elements in a psychedelic composition, made to disappear before they reemerge again.

 

The letters come alive, and the possibilities for reincarnations seem endless. Trochut cites Art Deco style as his source of inspiration for the 1931 Alphabet for Jaeger-LeCoultre, which also influences the shape of the watch itself. He draws further inspiration from New York cityscapes — the city the artist now calls home.

 

"Progressive, optimistic and forward thinking, with a fascination for technology, and tremendous creative energy," that's how the Manufacture describes the spirit of the Art Deco era in the 1920s and '30s.

 

This is the atmosphere Trochut sought to convey through his typeface. It also has quite a technical appearance: the letters come together like moving parts of the same machine. The moving machine being a watch movement, of course.