Continuing the story of the remarkable Atmos clock as an objet d’art, Jaeger-LeCoultre presents the Atmos Régulateur ‘Cherry Blossom’ at Homo Faber in Venice.

There could be no better setting in which to showcase the time-honoured skills of La Grande Maison’s Métiers Rares workshops: presenting the priceless human skills behind the creation of rare objects, Homo Faber brings together 15 exhibitions that celebrate the savoir-faire of exceptional master artisans from all over Europe. This year, reaffirming the shared values of craftsmanship that transcend cultures and borders, Homo Faber features 12 Japanese Living National Treasures as guests of honour.

In homage to this connection, La Grande Maison has chosen to depict the sakura or cherry blossom on the new Atmos Régulateur. An emblem of Japan, the cherry blossom has become a universal metaphor for Spring, a symbol of renewal and a precious reminder of the fleeting nature of life, and of time itself. In keeping with this year’s Stellar Odyssey theme, the Atmos movement features a moon-phase display – the best-known and perhaps most beloved celestial complication of all.

Noble in the presence and delicate in detail, the Atmos Régulateur ‘Cherry Blossom’ is a one-of-a-kind work of art, showcasing the clock’s mechanism within a transparent glass cabinet set between two dramatic panels of black Grand Feu enamel.

A branch of cherry blossom, hand-painted in enamel, extends seamlessly from one side, across the dial ring, to the opposite panel. Petals scatter in the air around it as if shaken free by a passing breeze.

With the enamelling alone requiring 200 hours of dedicated work by the master artisans in the Métiers Rares® atelier of Jaeger-LeCoultre, this is the largest enamelled piece ever undertaken at La Grande Maison. While the enamellers have thoroughly mastered the techniques of enamelling on watch cases and dials, the large scale of this piece presented an entirely different set of challenges. Rising to it, the artisans of the atelier worked closely together, spending countless hours on preliminary research, exchanging ideas, experimenting and making trials before the enamelling could begin in earnest. Materials and techniques were examined and reconsidered – and a new kiln was specified, to accommodate such large pieces.

TECHNICAL DETAILS

ATMOS RÉGULATEUR ‘CHERRY BLOSSOM’

Dimensions overall: 468 mm x 183 mm x 255 mm

Dimensions of panels: 196 mm x 105.2 mm

Calibre: Mechanical, perpetual Jaeger-LeCoultre Calibre 582

Functions: regulator type display of hours and minutes; 24-hour indication; month indication; perpetual moon-phase indication (one-day discrepancy every 3,861 years)

Dial: Grand Feu Enamel

Panels: Grand Feu Enamel

Cabinet: glass

Reference: Q5604302

Homo Faber Event is open to the public from 10 April to 1 May 2022, at Fondazione Giorgio Cini on the island of S.Giorgio Maggiore, Venice. Information and tickets are available at homofaber.com