Limited-Edition Watch Only Available In Six Chinese Cities#
Jaeger-LeCoultre calls on Chinese artistic heritage with its Enamel Lotus Master Minute Repeater
Following such recent China-only releases as the Chloé fifth anniversary handbag, the Anna Sui x JOYCE flash drive, the BMW M3 Tiger, and the Absolut "72变" bottle by artist Gao Yu, Swiss watchmaker Jaeger-LeCoultre is looking to Chinese culture for its limited-edition Enamel Lotus Master Minute Repeater. Reflecting the importance of consumer education and outreach in the cut-throat China luxury watch market, the limited release of the Lotus Enamel Master Minute Repeater coincides with Jaeger-LeCoultre's traveling "Eternal Art Treasures" exhibition.
The exhibition, which kicked off last week at the Jaeger-LeCoultre flagship in Beijing with an event attended by celebrities like director Chen Kaige (Farewell My Concubine, The Promise) and actress Karen Mok, includes rare examples of Jaeger-LeCoultre clocks and watches from throughout the company's 177-year history, and will ultimately make its way through six cities in China: Beijing, Shanghai, Harbin, Shenyang, Dalian and Taiyuan. As a part of the exhibition, the Enamel Lotus Master Minute Repeater watch will only be made available in these cities.
Although Jaeger-LeCoultre has created limited-edition watches that call on a country's artistic heritage in the past -- most notably its Reverso Portuguese Art collection of 2004 -- it'll remain to be seen whether potential buyers in China see the Enamel Lotus watch as a must-have or a case of pandering to the market. Either way, Jaeger-LeCoultre's choice to enlist popular celebrities like Chen Kaige and Karen Mok for its inaugural exhibition in Beijing can't hurt its chances.
Celebrities like Chen Kaige (second left) and Karen Mok (C) attended Jaeger-LeCoultre's opening exhibition in Beijing
Jaeger-LeCoultre president Jérôme Lambert (R) introduces the exhibition to celebrities Karen Mok (L) and Chen Kaige (second right)
The watch face invokes ancient Chinese enamel techniques