For the month of February, Dubai hosted The Stellar Odyssey, a major exhibition by Jaeger-LeCoultre, which pays homage to the astronomical phenomena that lie at the origins of time measurement.
The exhibition was an invitation for watch enthusiasts and the general public alike to discover how the mysteries of the cosmos are translated into micro-mechanical wonders that capture the universe in miniature, in order to tell the time.
Exploring the wonders that we can observe in our night sky, The Stellar Odyssey revealed some of the awe-inspiring phenomena that the watchmakers of the prestigious Swiss manufacture express through their celestial complications.
Following the inauguration of The Stellar Odyssey at Watches and Wonders in 2022, Dubai was chosen as the first stop on a tour of major world cities. The exhibition was staged in a spectacular pavilion ‘floating’ on the waters of the Dubai Fountain, with the landmark skyscraper Burj Khalifa as its backdrop.
“It is an important part of our mission at Jaeger-LeCoultre to share the secrets behind the art and craft of watchmaking with the wider world by bringing our manufacture from the Vallée de Joux to the public around the globe,” said Catherine Rénier, CEO of Jaeger-LeCoultre. “The ancient cultures of the Middle East played a seminal role in the origins of time measurement, and we are therefore delighted that Dubai is where the world tour of The Stellar Odyssey makes its debut. It is a special opportunity to trace the unbroken line through several millennia to the exceptional legacy of innovation that has driven our maison for 190 years and the work that we do today.”
Showcasing a carefully curated selection of Jaeger-LeCoultre’s most remarkable historic timepieces as well as its most recent celestially-inspired timepieces – including the extraordinary Atmos clock and the Reverso Hybris Mechanica Calibre 185 – the exhibition featured multi-media installations that took visitors on a virtual journey to the cosmos.
Among the many highlights was the Atelier d’Antoine, named after the maison’s founder, Antoine LeCoultre, where watchmaking know-how was shared and explained through hands-on educational workshops based on the theme.
