Celebrity Life

Amanda Seyfried's standout performance as Marion Davies in the biographical drama Mank earned her an Oscar nomination and proved to be a pivotal point in her career. In an exclusive interview with Prestige, the actress and Jaeger-LeCoultre ambassador tells us more about her film, Art Deco costumes, the Reverso and her own inimitable style.

There’s never been any contention about Amanda Seyfried being funny; her breakout role in Mean Girls (2004) has transcended the ages and generations have memorised her various punchlines. No one without a formidable sense of humour could also have tattooed “minge” on their left foot. But Seyfried has also proved herself an absolute angel following her roles in Mamma Mia! (2008) and Les Miserables (2012), in which she used her wide blue eyes to her biggest advantage and blessed our ears with her piercing vocals.

Recently, it’s her role in the acclaimed movie Mank that has editors and film critics praising her nuanced performance and calling the film a turning point for her career. Seyfried was nominated, for the first time, as a Best Supporting Actress at both the Golden Globes and Oscars for her portrayal of Marion Davies, a screen star in the 1920s and ’30s who captured the heart of newspaper mogul William Randolph Hearst, and whose relationship became the impetus for the plot of Citizen Kane.

Directed by David Fincher, Mank follows the life of screenwriter Herman Mankiwicz, played by Gary Oldman, and his memories of the lavish times he spent with Davies and Hearst. It’s a big Hollywood moment for the 35-year-old actress, who’s equally poised and effervescent at work, but most comfortable when she’s at home at her farm in the Catskills, with her animals, husband Thomas Sadoski and their two children.

The star recently did a photoshoot with Jaeger-LeCoultre to mark 90 years of the brand’s most recognisable watch, the Reverso, with its dual faces, distinctive swivel-case design and rich Art Deco codes. The campaign was shot by Alique, a Dutch-born and New York-based photographer and artist known for her effortless portrayals of her female subjects. Under her lens, Seyfried, a friend of the maison, radiates an air of calm and quiet confidence. Much like the watch she wears – a pink-gold Reverso One Duetto Moon styled on both a matching bracelet or with a burgundy-red leather strap – Seyfried doesn’t need to shout to be heard. Her attitude and her work speak volumes for themselves.

The Reverso was created in the 1930s and, as the story goes, it was designed as a response to polo players who asked for a watch that could be turned around so the crystal and dial were protected during a match. The watch’s Art Deco cues are unmistakable – it’s deceptively angular but there are no strong edges, and the three grooves on the upper and bottom of the case profile give it just the right amount of flair without being excessive. On one side, the dial is in beautifully etched sunburst, while the other side it’s bolder – dark burgundy, with an elegant moon-phase indicator for a touch of romance. One thing’s for sure: the Reverso’s design has remained virtually unchanged for the last 90 years.

“If I had to define the Reverso, I’d say: timeless, innovative, pristine,” says Seyfried, adding that she likes watches that can be worn with anything – a shirt or a dress – yet still fits her style, which she describes as “loose, casual and androgynous”. Her own favourite Jaeger-LeCoultre is from the Master collection.

“I like the refined, clean, detailed look of a watch, and I never felt as if I found one that fit me,” she says. “I’m attracted to men’s watches – the Master is the most attractive watch I’ve ever seen. And so, I notice that kind of look in watches, that big, round, beautiful, clean, classic watch face. It’s solid, versatile, sexy and sharp. You can see the time from a mile away.”

Seyfried has been a friend of Jaeger-LeCoultre since 2019, and says she sees a solid friendship between them for as long as their values continue to be aligned. In a way, selecting her business partnerships are a somewhat similar process to her getting into character. She once described how she connects with her various roles by finding common things between herself and her characters. When it came to connecting with Marion Davies, Seyfried says, “It’s easy to feel misunderstood as a woman and as someone in the public eye. People assume things about me, and I try too hard to prove I’m a real person in most cases.”

Mank was set in the ’30s, around the time that Art Deco was at its peak and the Reverso was born. In homage to the movies of the era, it’s filmed in black-and-white. Costume designer Trish Summerville was the mastermind behind the elaborate clothes from Hollywood’s golden era.

Seyfried didn’t wear the watch on set but muses, “The Reverso can be worn with anything, casual or dressed up.” Her favourite costume was the delicate dress-and-hat ensemble she wore in the scene where Davies visits Mank in Victorville. “That open back was so delicate and special,” she says.

“I loved walking in Marion’s shoes,” she adds. “The gowns and the accessories helped so much to get me into character. The fashion was deliberate and chic. Nothing felt too tight or revealing, which is exactly my speed. “Marion knew exactly who she was and what people needed from her and used that to her advantage.”

Still, comedy is in Seyfried’s soul: “I have a lot of fun with comedy and wish I did more. The challenges in comedy are more fruitful.” She’s talked about wanting to play a musician, combining two of her greatest passions, singing and acting. She also finds joy playing a mother and thinks it would be fun to play a cop someday.

Opportunities are undoubtedly plentiful. Seyfried recently completed filming for A Mouthful of Air and a short film called Birdwatching. She also plays Elizabeth Holmes in the Hulu miniseries The Dropout, which chronicles the rise and fall of the now-defunct health-tech company, Theranos, and is currently in post-production.

With the world still adjusting to the pandemic, however, Seyfried says, “The fewer places I have to travel to, the better. I’m happiest when I know I’m going to be with my kids. And if I’m working, I have to be passionate about the story, the character and the people I’m working with. Life’s too fast.”

The post Amanda Seyfried on Her Acting Career, Art Deco Style and Watches appeared first on Prestige Online - Hong Kong.

Jaeger-LeCoultre’s new Reverso Tribute Enamel timepiece features a miniature reproduction of the famous Kirifuri Waterfall painting by Hokusai. This year Jaeger-LeCoultre commemorates the 90th anniversary of their iconic Reverso watch and, as part of the celebrations, have created a unique Reverso Tribute Enamel watch with a tribute to Japanese artist Hokusai. Created by Jaeger-LeCoultre’s in-house […]

The post Jaeger-LeCoultre Unveils Special Reverso Enamel Kirifuri Waterfall Edition appeared first on Billionaire Toys.

Mechanical watchmaking is one rooted in the past, but this has not stopped maisons and watch manufactures from constantly innovating and improving on their instruments of time-keeping, creating ground-breaking and ultra-complicated timepieces that continue to shock and enchant the modern world. From complications never before seen, to new material breakthroughs and completely unheard of ways of watchmaking, here is our selection of the most innovative timepieces that have just been released at the Watches & Wonders 2021 digital fair.

Jaeger-LeCoultre Reverso Hybris Mechanica Calibre 185

Jaeger-LeCoultre really pulled out all the stops to celebrate the 90th anniversary of its most iconic (most deservedly used here) watch - the Reverso. The new Reverso Hybris Mechanica Calibre 185 Quadriptyque is the most complicated Reverso yet, boasting 11 different complications and 12 patents. It's an absolute showcase of all the different expertises the Swiss manufacture has to offer, from sound, celestial complications, to precision and craftsmanship.

The Quadriptyque is the world's first wristwatch with four functioning display faces, making use of the swivelling case design of the Reverso to display 11 complications on the double-faced case and cradle of the watch. The watch takes astronomical readings to the next level. Three displays of lunar information are displayed on the interior face of the cradle — the synodic cycle, the draconic cycle and the anomalistic cycle — which makes the Quadriptyque the first watch ever to be able to predict the next global incidences of astronomical events like super moons and eclipses.

The Calibre 185, which took Jaeger-LeCoultre six years of research, is a new movement made entirely in-house. Here's what you'll be able to read from the four faces:

Face 1 - Hour, minute, flying tourbillon (indicating the second), instantaneous perpetual calendar, grade date, day, month, leap year, night & day indicator

Face 2 - Jumping digital hour, minute, minute repeater

Face 3 - Nothern hemisphere moon phase, draconic lunar cycle, anomalistic lunar cycle, month, year

Face 4 - Southern Hemisphere moon phase

Complicated as the watch is, the manufacture has ensured that the watch will be user-friendly for the wearer. The Reverso Hybris Mechanica Calibre 185 comes with a unique presentation box that has a built-in mechanism that allows the wearer to easily set all the calendar and astronomical displays of the watch after a period of being unworn.

Ulysse Nardin UFO

To celebrate its 175th anniversary this year, Ulysse Nardin has reimagined what a marine chronometer would look like in the future, giving us the UFO table/ desk clock that's more than just a time-keeping device. It's a modern tribute to Ulysse Nardin, encapsulating all of the brand's horological history in one single object, an homage to the marine chronometers of the 19th and 20th centuries, to the Freak of 2001 and the Blast of 2020.

"Reissuing a watch from the past by reusing vintage codes was not part of our creative intentions for this anniversary object. On the contrary, we wanted to reverse the trend and make a leap forward of 175 years, rather than a leap backward. We always look ahead. We wondered what a marine chronometer designed in 2196 would be like," explains CEO Patrick Pruniaux in a statement.

Marine chronometers of the past were housed in wooden boxes and set on gimbals, with the purpose of counteracting the effect of the ship's constant swaying on the stability of the clock while at sea. The modern Ulysse Nardin UFO emulates this, but reverses the process. The clock, which is protected by a glass-blown ovoid bell, sways on its own mechanical waves. Built on an imbalance, the UFO swings up to 60 degrees from its axis when nudged gently, calculated precisely so that it swings neither too fast or too slow and won't affect the operation of the balance. The structure of the UFO gives us a mesmerising view of the six barrels working in plain view, giving the clock a power reserve of an entire year.

The UFO is made up of 675 components and powered by the UN-902 calibre, which features a triple time zone function, deadbeat seconds, hours and minutes. Only 75 pieces are made.

IWC Big Pilot’s Watch Shock Absorber XPL

In an unexpected move but one that clearly resonates with the brand's identity as an engineer, IWC has presented us with the Big Pilot's Watch Shock Absorber XPL, the brainchild of the brand's new engineering division, IWC Experimental.

It's the first watch to feature the brand's patented new shock absorber system called the SPRIN-g PROTECT, which goes beyond protecting the movement from your everyday impacts that range between 25 Gs to 5,00 Gs, i.e. hitting your watch against a table corner or whacked by a hammer.

At the heart of the system is a cantilever spring that allows the movement to be suspended within the case, protecting it against the g-forces generated by impacts on the watch. The system took eight years to develop, and was done so with fighter pilots in mind, who are constantly subject to high g-forces in cramped spaces, and the watches that they wear are constantly at risk of hitting against hard surfaces in the cockpit. Tests done by IWC at the Cavendish Laboratory at the University of Cambridge has shown that the shock absorber system is capable of protecting the movement from accelerations in excess of 30,000 g in impact tests.

Another key factor is the use of Bulk Metallic Glass, which has an amorphous microstructure, which is significantly more elastic than conventional metals. The case of the watch is also made of ceratanium, IWC's ultra-lightweight high performance material, which allows the watch to come in at less than 100 grams. The unique crown system is another new innovation, allowing the movement to move independently of the case. At 44mm, the watch is extremely cool-looking and wholly original and definitely a refreshing and exciting offering from the Schaffhausen manufacture. The XPL is limited to only 10 pieces per year.

For an in-depth look on the IWC Pilot's Watch Chronograph 41, also released this Watches & Wonders 2021, click here.

Hublot Big Bang Integral Tourbillon Full Sapphire

In recent years, Hublot has really established itself as the ultimate maker of sapphire watches. The journey started in 2016 with the release of the Big Bang Unico Sapphire and in the years since, the brand has developed and matured its expertise in machining sapphire watches in complex shapes and a variety of bold colours. This year's release is almost a culmination of its efforts — the Big Bang Integral Tourbillon Full Sapphire comes with an integrated case and bracelet both of which are made from sapphire.

To achieve the look of pure glass, Hublot opted for the new Automatic Tourbillon calibre with sapphire bridges the HUB6035 automatic manufacture calibre, to maximise the watch's transparency. The challenge lay in the case and bracelet, as all visible screws had to be removed. The case had to be completely reconstructed, the general geometry overhauled to integrate the case with the sapphire bracelet. Everything from the bridges and the main plates in the movement had to be reworked to give the illustration of all the parts being suspended in space.

There are no less than 37 components in the case, five of which are made solely from sapphire. The bracelet comprises of 165 components, 22 of which are made from sapphire. The result is a work of art, like wearing a fragment of light on the wrist, something that's still a rarity in today's haute horology scene.

Bulgari Octo Finissimo Perpetual Calendar

You can't talk about innovation and not mention Bulgari, who since 2014, has stacked up world records one after the other in its Octo Finissimo line, all in the quest for ultra-thinness. There's been the thinnest ever automatic movement at 2.23mm, the thinnest tourbillon movement at 1.95mm, the thinnest minute repeater at 3.12mm, the thinnest chronograph at 6.90mm and last year's thinnest tourbillon chronograph skeleton watch at just 7.40mm. This year the brand's taken on the perpetual calendar with the Octo Finissimo Perpetual Calendar, and at a slender 5.80mm, sets the world record for the slimmest perpetual calendar watch.

The caliber BVL 305 is only 2.75mm thick, a remarkable feat indeed considering that a perpetual calendar is a pretty complex function in itself, being able to correctly adjust itself automatically at the end of 30-day months, and even at the end of February and even in a leap year. To maximise the thinness, the design engineers at the manufacture at Le Sentier utilised a micro-rotor instead of a full-sized rotor, effectively compressing the watch parts into the same level to achieve this ultra-thinness, although the entire movement still consists of a whopping 408 components.

The Octo Finissimo Perpetual Calendar features a retrograde date display, day, month and retrograde-display leap years, capable of telling the correct time and date until February 2100. Perpetual calendar watches are traditionally tricky complications to deal with, but Bulgari takes this into account with three correctors to easily adjust the different indicators: the date at 2pm, the month at 4pm and the day at a third pusher between 8 and 9 o'clock.

One last thing, the Octo Finissimo Perpetual Calendar is being launched in two versions, one in a titanium case, and another in platinum — another first for the brand, who's never made an Octo Finissimo case in platinum before this.

The post Watches & Wonders 2021: The Five Most Innovative Timepieces appeared first on Prestige Online - Hong Kong.

The iconic timepiece celebrates its 90th anniversary this year.

The post The storied history of the Jaeger-LeCoultre Reverso appeared first on The Peak Magazine.

The iconic timepiece celebrates its 90th anniversary this year.

For more stories like this, visit www.thepeakmagazine.com.sg.

The 252-page Assouline coffee-table book tells the story of the world's most famous reversible watch.

The post In the Reverso’s 90th year, Jaeger-LeCoultre launches a book dedicated to the icon appeared first on The Peak Magazine.

The 252-page Assouline coffee-table book tells the story of the world's most famous reversible watch.

For more stories like this, visit www.thepeakmagazine.com.sg.

The year in new watches is over, but we are not quite done with the novelties of 2019. These eight watches will take some time to build an audience, even though some are key highlights for their brands.

The post Dark Horses appeared first on LUXUO.

Jaeger-LeCoultre shows off why it is a master of the dual time complication with the Reverso Tribute Duoface

The post Introducing the Jaeger-LeCoultre Reverso Tribute Duoface Fagliano appeared first on LUXUO.

Whether one is a watch enthusiast or not, there are certain watches that, when worn, are easy to recognize, which is part of what makes them iconic in the first place. And while some may associate price tags with popularity, there is a reality that not every sought-after timepiece worn by the 1% is out […]

The post The Six Most Iconic Watch Models of All Time appeared first on Upscale Living Magazine.

Continuing where we left off, we highlight some of the steel sports watches that set the bar for the industry

The post A Deep Dive Into the Watches That Kickstarted the Unprecedented Demand for Steel Sports Watches appeared first on LUXUO.

Jaeger-LeCoultre reminds the world why it is called the Grande Maison with the Master Grande Tradition Gyrotourbillon Westminster Perpétuel, and a few other notable complicated watches

The post Precision Instruments – Jaeger-LeCoultre Master Grande Tradition Gyrotourbillon Westminster Perpétuel appeared first on LUXUO.