Around 30 WatchTime readers in the Miami area, plus their spouses or significant others, were the guests of Jaeger-LeCoultre North America at the company’s boutique in Miami’s bustling Design District on May 14. Jaeger invited the group for a special presentation of new Jaeger-LeCoultre models unveiled at the SIHH salon in Geneva in January.
Philippe Bonay, president of Jaeger-LeCoultre North America, flew to Miami to host the evening. As WatchTime’s editor-in-chief, I was also on hand. Philippe and I both gave short welcoming remarks. I introduced him, recapping his 17-year career in the watch industry, 16 of them spent in the United States. Philippe said a few words about the new 1,000-square-foot boutique, which opened March 6, and a few more about the brand. He stressed Jaeger-LeCoultre’s long and distinguished history, having been founded in Switzerland’s historic Vallée de Joux in 1833. He pointed out that Jaeger’s theme for 2015 is astronomy, the science that measures the movements of heavenly bodies and is intimately linked to horology. Many of the firm’s 2015 products, he said, have astronomical connections: the Duomètre Sphérotourbillon Moon, for example features a moon-phase function accurate for 3,887 years. The new Master Calendar perpetual calendar watch has a dial made of meteorite.
Jaeger-LeCoultre’s boutique team presented the new watches, as well as the rest of the collection, to the guests over the course of the evening.
In addition to the watches, guests enjoyed a tasting of Hennessy Paradis Imperial cognac conducted by Laurent Firino Martell, Hennessy’s private client manager. Jaeger-LeCoultre also served Champagne and hors d’oeuvres.
Smoothly managing the event were Jaeger-LeCoultre’s New York-based public relations director Cecile Tinchant and WatchTime’s advertising and event sales director Sara Orlando and event manager Minda Larsen.
Notable among the guests was prominent watch blogger Robert Velasquez, known to his followers as Spanish Rob. Rob, who is also a contributor to watchtime.com, flew from New York to cover the event on social media (Twitter: @WatchTime; Instagram: @watchtimemagazine); the watch photos below are his, taken live at the event.
