History of… Jaeger-LeCoultre

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3 minute read

Updated 13th March 2025

From humble beginnings in a small barn to a global brand worth a staggering £12 billion, Jaeger-LeCoultre has become one of the most prestigious names in horology today.

Antione LeCoultre revolutionised the watchmaking industry, becoming the first watch manufacturer in what would become one of the most prolific locations for watchmaking in the world: Switzerland’s Vallée de Joux.

Originally named LeCoultre & Cie, it was founded in 1833 after LeCoultre decided to bring every part of the watchmaking process under one roof, a feat which until then had never been attempted.

La Grande Maison

The brand has made history countless times over the years with their penchant for innovation.

In 1844, LeCoultre invented the Millionometre, said to be “the world’s most precise measuring instrument”. The instrument could measure a micron, which is one millionth of a meter.

In 1907, they broke records with the world’s thinnest pocket watch, the LeCoultre Calibre 145. To this day, the piece still remains the thinnest in its category at only 1.38mm.

The merger of Jaeger and LeCoultre

A few years prior, in 1903, Jacques-David LeCoultre (Antoine’s grandson) met Parisian watchmaker Edmond Jaeger. Jaeger challenged Swiss watchmakers to make an ultra-thin piece of his own creation into a reality and LeCoultre rode 20km to the nearest phone to accept. After decades of collaboration and friendship, the official merger of Jaeger-LeCoultre was announced in 1937.

Inventing the Reverso

Never one to back down from a challenge, Jaeger-LeCoultre debuted one of their most notable pieces, the Reverso, as the product of one. On this occasion, the watchmakers were tasked with creating a timepiece which could withstand sporting events, specifically polo matches, between British officers in India. To protect the glass, Jaeger-LeCoultre created a timepiece which could be protected by rotating the case and facing the dial inwards.

Over the years, the case has presented buyers and designers with the perfect opportunity to put their stamp on the elegant piece. Think works of art, family crests, symbols for army badges and dials in every colour. In less than 100 years, the brand has created over 200 variations of the distinctive piece.

The Reverso range still lives on to this day and has become one of the most recognisable watches in existence.

Always time for sport

Polo matches remained a significant sporting association for the brand. Since 2006, it has been the title sponsor for the British Open, also known as the Jaeger-LeCoultre Gold Cup.

But Polo isn’t the only sporting event that Jaeger-LeCoultre is synonymous with. It is also the official partner of the Goodwood Racecourse and Qatar Goodwood Festival, which takes place annually in England.

Creativity. Expertise. Precision.

Jaeger-LeCoultre’s core principles come together in the “Made of Makers” programme, a series of collaborations with accomplished creators who share the brand’s vision and values.

One such collaboration was with French perfumer Nicolas Bonneville who worked with the brand to create not one, not two, but three signature scents exclusively for Jaeger-LeCoultre. Precisely balanced to leave a sophisticated and distinctive fragrance, each one tells a different aspect of the brand’s story.

In this programme, they also partnered with Spanish typographer Alex Trochut to create a brand-new typeface specifically for Jaeger-LeCoultre. Tapping into the brand’s love for Art Deco, the alphabet is the perfect combination of bold and elegant.

Each collaboration explores a different sense from taste to sound and smell to sight. Explore the Made of Makers programme in full here.

Legends representing legends

Jaeger-LeCoultre and celebrity ambassadors go hand in hand, or should we say, “watch on wrist”? Well, we tried!

The Maison has no shortage of celebrity admirers, and some of the biggest names in the entertainment industry have partnered with Jaeger-LeCoultre to represent the brand. American singer-songwriter Lenny Kravitz partnered with the brand in 2023 and was seen sporting a Reverso Tribute Tourbillion worth $139,000.

Kravitz joins a powerful team of brand ambassadors including actor Nicholas Hoult, musician Jackson Yee, actor Anya Taylor-Joy, actor Ni Ni, actor Kim Woo-Bin and actor Benedict Cumberbatch.

The Maison’s clientele also includes Hollywood legends. Iron Man himself, Robert Downey Jr, has previously showcased the Polaris Chronograph 42mm worth £13,500 while Leo DiCaprio donned a one-of-a-kind Jaeger-LeCoultre Master Compressor Extreme Lab estimated to be worth a $300,000. Maybe he found the ‘Heart of the Ocean’ necklace after all.

The Jaeger-LeCoultre legacy

Created in partnership with the Michelangelo Foundation in 2023, the Homo Faber Fellowship offers a seven-month educational programme to develop the craft makers of tomorrow.

For over 30 years, Jaeger-LeCoultre has worked hard to encourage young talent into the world of horology with apprenticeships and teaching programmes. This collaboration with the Michaelangelo Foundation aims to cultivate the next generation of watchmakers.