What happens when the “Father of Modern Chinese Painting” meets the “Watchmaker’s Watchmaker”? That is the question Jaeger-LeCoultre poses with its latest collaboration—this time with legendary Chinese ink painter Xu Beihong.
Through deft, fluid brushwork, Xu conjured hazy, tranquil worlds of horses and birds that seemed to exist only in dreams. It became the hallmark of his artistry, one that would eventually define modern Chinese painting.
This brings us to current day, where Jaeger-LeCoultre honours the late artist’s work by transposing miniature reproductions of horses Xu drew onto its iconic Reverso watches. The pairing feels serendipitous for several reasons—the most apparent being that the Reverso itself was born from polo, a sport played entirely on horseback (for the uninitiated, its swivelling case was originally conceived to protect the watch face from the rigours of the game).
The other reason lies no further than the calendar. We’re less than a day away from Lunar New Year, which will usher in the Year of the Horse. Combined with the equestrian roots of the Reverso, this collaboration feels like providence materialising.
The Reverso Tribute Enamel “Xu Beihong” series comprises of three references, each features a miniature enamel-painted caseback requiring no less than 80 hours of meticulous brushwork. On the dial side, the artisans intentionally choose translucent enamel colours to elicit that airy, feathery quality commonly found in Chinese landscape paintings.
“The Running Horse” captures a single horse mid-stride, galloping across a faint, open field—evoking a sense of majesty and grace. The front dial features a hand-guilloché sunray pattern overlaid with a deep pine-green grand feu enamel.
“Two Horses” depicts a scene between two horses—one black, the other white—galloping in tandem. Their synchronicity suggests a mutual affinity and energy, a yin and yang in motion. Swivel the case over and you’ll find a barley-seed guilloché pattern beneath a teal-blue enamel echoing the silhouettes of distant mountain peaks in Chinese paintings.
The last of the trio, “The Standing Horse”, details a black horse posturing by its lonesome on a meadow—conveying nobility and latent power through bold strokes. On the flip side, a herringbone guilloché pattern shines underneath a crimson-orange enamel, reflecting the vitality of a painted sunrise.
Inside each 45.6 x 27.4 mm white gold case houses Jaeger-LeCoultre’s Calibre 822, a manually wound movement that allows up to 42 hours of power reserve. A black alligator strap accompanies each piece, completing a refined, suave take on a Reverso fit for the Year of the Horse.
Jaeger-LeCoultre’s Reverso Tribute Enamel “Xu Beihong” is limited to 10 pieces for each reference worldwide.
