Jaeger-LeCoultre Reverso Tribute Enamel Hokusai

CELEBRATING AN ARTISTIC BRIDGE BETWEEN EAST AND WEST

Hokusai (c.1760–1849), hailed as a bridge-builder between art movements of the East and West, was an innovator with profound influence on Japanese art. His fame mainly results from the innovative approach he brought to ukiyo-e in the 19^th century, transforming a genre that for almost 200 years had been narrowly focused in terms of subject matter into one that included landscapes, plants and animals. Hokusai was a prolific painter and printmaker and, during his lifetime, woodblock printing flourished as a means of reproducing ukiyo-e paintings. Thanks largely to Hokusai, ukiyo-e and woodblock prints became central to forming the West's perception of Japanese art and had a major influence on Impressionism and later art movements.

Since 2018, Jaeger-LeCoultre has honoured Hokusai’s works of art with limited-editions of Reverso Tribute Enamel timepieces.

2018: First Reverso Tribute Enamel Hokusai paying tribute to Hokusai’s monumental series Thirty-Six Views of Mount Fuji with The Great Wave off Kanagawa reproduction

2021: One image of the series A Tour of the Waterfalls of the Provinces is reproduced on Reverso Tribute Enamel limited editions: Kirifuri Waterfall at Kurokami Mountain in Shimotsuke

2022: Another image of the series A Tour of the Waterfalls of the Provinces are reproduced on Reverso Tribute Enamel limited editions: The Amida Falls in the Far Reaches of the Kisokaidō Road

2023: Two more images of the series A Tour of the Waterfalls of the Provinces are reproduced on Reverso Tribute Enamel limited editions: The Waterfall at Ono on the Kisokaidō Road and The Waterfall Where Yoshitsune Washed his Horse at Yoshino in Yamato

2026: Final four images in the series A Tour of the Waterfalls of the Provinces are miniaturised on Reverso Tribute Enamel timepieces: Rōben Waterfall at Ōyama in Sagami Province; Kiyotaki Kannon Waterfall at Sakanoshita on the Tōkaidō; Yōrō Waterfall in Mino Province; and The Falls at Aoigaoka in the Eastern Capital

Hokusai’s eight-piece series A Tour of the Waterfalls of the Provinces marked the first time that the theme of falling water was approached in ukiyo-e painting, and included one of the artist's earliest applications of the then-new and fashionable Prussian blue pigment, recognised as a turning point in Japanese art. Prussian blue, created in the 18^th century in Berlin as the first modern synthetic pigment, arrived in Japan from Europe in the early 19^th century. Before its creation, European and Japanese artists primarily used blues derived from indigo and crushed semi-precious stones. Prussian blue offered an intensity, depth and permanence of colour unmatched by traditional Japanese blue pigments, enabling much richer and more varied shades of the colour. Hokusai, an early and most enthusiastic user of this new pigment, integrated it into many of his works, including the Thirty-Six Views of Mount Fuji . In the Waterfalls series, Prussian blue adroitly represents the power and majesty of the waterfalls, with gradients of blue giving great depth and dynamism to the streams of rushing water. The artist’s use of Prussian blue was not just a matter of colour but a technical and artistic innovation that enriched his expression, transformed the art of Japanese printmaking and left a lasting legacy.

THE BEAUTY OF WATERFALLS: ARTISTRY AND PRECISION

Just as Hokusai’s art evolved through his lifelong exploration of technique, the artisans of Jaeger-LeCoultre’s in-house Métiers Rares™ atelier continually push the boundaries of their craft, culminating in the completion of Hokusai’s celebrated 'A Tour of the Waterfalls of the Provinces' series with these final four masterpieces. These limited-edition Reverso Tribute Enamel watches showcase the prestigious Geneva technique for their miniature-enamel paintings on the reverse sides, a demanding process involving a minimum of 14 layers of enamel, each fired at 800°C before the next is applied, and requiring a total of 80 hours of meticulous work. Beyond the technical feat of faithfully reproducing Hokusai’s original colours, including the shaded bokashi effect from woodblock printing, the enameller faced the challenge of translating these intricate works onto a minuscule scale of just 2 cm². Most remarkably, the cartouches near the top of each frame feature original Japanese captions handwritten on a microscopic scale, yet they remain perfectly accurate and legible. This intricate artistry on the reverse provides a rich and unexpected contrast to the discreet styling of the front dials, which are characterized by faceted baton hour markers, Dauphine hands, and the chemin-de-fer minute track. These front dials further demonstrate mastery through the marriage of geometry and colour: once the hand-guilloché pattern is completed, four to five layers of translucent coloured enamel are applied, with each layer requiring separate firings and drying times to achieve their captivating finish.

The miniaturised Rōben Waterfall at Ōyama in Sagami Province art not only depicts its eponymous waterfall’s rushing, vertical stream, but also the pleasurable way that people experience it: small human figures are gathered in its cleansing pool, dwarfed by the mighty stream of water. The symbolic contrast is strong: the strength of nature coexists with the fragility of humanity.  The hand-guilloché dial on the front features a barleycorn pattern. This guilloché required 49 finely engraved lines, each executed in three successive passages of the rose-engine lathe, 147 passages in total, before being covered with a light walnut-brown enamel.

In Kiyotaki Kannon Waterfall at Sakanoshita on the Tōkaidō, the falling water is depicted as less powerful and more delicate than in other prints, almost like gentle silken strands. The waterfall shares its scene with the Kannon temple and pilgrims climbing steps, not only to admire the waterfall, but also to seek spiritual renewal. The hand-guilloché dial uncovers a captivating wavy pattern, shimmering beneath a translucent, almost emerald-coloured enamel. The wavy pattern comprises no fewer than 66 finely engraved lines, each executed in three successive passages of the rose-engine lathe, amounting to a total of 198 passages dedicated solely to the guillochage alone.

The Yōrō Waterfall in Mino Province is famous for both its beauty and legend: it was believed that as a gift from the gods, its waters could turn into sake. Hokusai captured both the power of the natural cascade and the spirit of the story with human figures in the foreground seeming rather insignificant against the scale and drama of the waterfall. The hand-guilloché dial on the front reveals a captivating new bamboo-style pattern, coated in a rich olive-coloured enamel. This intricate design is brought to life by 48 precisely engraved lines, each requiring three distinct passages, for a total of 144 masterful lines.

A powerful stream cascades over rocks in The Falls at Aoigaoka in the Eastern Capital , creating a marked contrast between the serene lake water that forms the origin of the falls and the rough waters in its basin. The human figures in this scene go about their daily business, apparently oblivious to the waterfall’s beauty and power. The hand-guilloché dial on the front unveils a new herringbone-style pattern, finished with a vibrant cyan-blue enamel. This intricate guilloché is the result of 120 precisely engraved lines, each demanding three distinct passages, amounting to an impressive total of 360 masterful lines.

Each timepiece may be paired either with a black alligator leather strap fitted with an 18-carat white gold (750/1,000) folding clasp, or with an 18-Karat white gold (750/1000) “Or Deco” Milanese bracelet. All four of these limited-edition watches are powered by the manually wound Calibre 822, first introduced in 1991 and shaped to closely follow the form of the iconic rectangular Reverso case. It is a svelte 2.94 mm in height, which helps to ensure the thinness of the Reverso case and exceptional comfort on the wrist. With a power reserve of 42 hours and a frequency of 3 Hz, Jaeger-LeCoultre’s Calibre 822 is a reliably precise movement for this beautiful piece of art on the wrist.

TECHNICAL CHARACTERISTICS

REVERSO TRIBUTE ENAMEL HOKUSAI WATERFALLS SERIES – Rōben Waterfall at Ōyama in Sagami Province

Case: 18K white gold (750/1000)

Dimensions: 45.6 x 27.4 mm x 9.73 mm

Calibre: Manually wound Jaeger-LeCoultre Calibre 822

Functions: Hours and minutes

Power Reserve: 42 hours

Front dial: Barleycorn guilloché, grand feu enamel

Back dial: Closed – miniature-painted grand feu enamel

Water resistance: 30m

Strap: Choice of black alligator leather with small scale lining and 18K white gold (750/1000) folding buckle or white gold 18K Milanese bracelet, both interchangeable

Reference: Q39334T7

[Limited edition of 10 pieces]

REVERSO TRIBUTE ENAMEL HOKUSAI WATERFALLS SERIES – Kiyotaki Kannon Waterfall at Sakanoshita on the Tōkaidō

Case: 18K white gold (750/1000)

Dimensions: 45.6 x 27.4 mm x 9.73 mm

Calibre: Manually wound Jaeger-LeCoultre Calibre 822

Functions: Hours and minutes

Power Reserve: 42 hours

Front dial: Wavy guilloché, grand feu enamel

Back dial: Closed – miniature-painted grand feu enamel

Water resistance: 30m

Strap: Choice of black alligator leather with small scale lining and 18K white gold (750/1,000) folding buckle or white gold 18K (750/1,000) Milanese bracelet, both interchangeable

Reference: Q39334T8

[Limited edition of 10 pieces]

REVERSO TRIBUTE ENAMEL HOKUSAI WATERFALLS SERIES – Yōrō Waterfall in Mino Province

Case: 18K white gold (750/1000)

Dimensions: 45.6 x 27.4 mm x 9.73 mm

Calibre: Manually wound Jaeger-LeCoultre Calibre 822

Functions: Hours and minutes

Power Reserve: 42 hours

Front dial: Bamboo guilloché, grand feu enamel

Back dial: Closed – miniature-painted grand feu enamel

Water resistance: 30m

Strap: Choice of black alligator leather with small scale lining and 18K white gold (750/1000) folding buckle or white gold 18K (750/1,000) Milanese bracelet, both interchangeable

Reference: Q39334T6

[Limited edition of 10 pieces]

REVERSO TRIBUTE ENAMEL HOKUSAI WATERFALLS SERIES – The Falls at Aoigaoka in the Eastern Capital

Case: 18K white gold (750/1000)

Dimensions: 45.6 x 27.4 mm x 9.73 mm

Calibre: Manually wound Jaeger-LeCoultre Calibre 822

Functions: Hours and minutes

Power Reserve: 42 hours

Front dial: Herringbone guilloché, grand feu enamel

Back dial: Closed – miniature-painted grand feu enamel

Water resistance: 30m

Strap: Choice of black alligator leather with small scale lining and 18K white gold (750/1,000) folding buckle or white gold 18K (750/1,000) Milanese bracelet, both interchangeable

Reference: Q39331T9

[Limited edition of 10 pieces]