Exquisite craftsmanship arrives in Venice

In 1929, at Jaeger-LeCoultre’s Grande Maison of the Vallée de Joux, 74 parts were assembled to create the watch manufacturer’s Calibre 101 movement.

After almost 100 years, the Jaeger-LeCoultre Calibre 101 is still the smallest mechanical movement in the world, consisting now of 98 parts, weighing in at only one gram, and occupying miniscule dimensions of 14mm x 4.8mm x 3.4mm.

Crafting the movement requires skills so highly specialised that only a few watchmakers are capable of carrying it out. Given Jaeger-LeCoultre’s enduring commitment to unsurpassable excellence, it is fitting that the watch manufacturer would use the Venice International Film Festival, the world’s oldest film festival and one of its most renowned, to present two new models from its 101 collection.

The 101 Reine and the 101 Feuille are made in pink gold, reflecting a feminine elegance that has been celebrated on the silver screen since the first Venice festival was held in 1932.

In these timepieces, mechanical mastery meets the epitome of fine jewellery, with 110 pavé diamonds (with a weight of 11 carats) ornamenting the band of the 101 Reine.

The 101 Feuille incorporates 167 pavé diamonds (with a weight of 10.3 carats), both brilliant- and baguette-cut, on the band, as well as on the leaf-shaped lid that opens and closes, revealing and hiding the dial, via a concealed mechanism.

In these timepieces, mechanical mastery meets the epitome of fine jewellery.

The two models will be on display from 14–30 September at Homo Faber, an event run by the Michelangelo Foundation for Creativity and Craftsmanship.

Forming part of Discovery and Rediscovery, an exhibit celebrating both traditional and avant-garde techniques in European craftsmanship over the centuries, the 101 Reine and the 101 Feuille, building on Jaeger-LeCoultre’s long-established reputation for magnificence, can be found right where they belong.