Moving beyond the known borders of horology itself, Jaeger-LeCoultre’s Made of Makers programme has truly drawn parallels with the art realm while elevating the Maison’s values of creativity, expertise & precision by forging connections with artists, designers, and craftsmen of various disciplines who all share these tenets. Highlighting the continued reinvention of the classical arts as leading creative inspirations even today, it has consistently challenged the notion that such pursuits are bound to the past. It continues to explore how new media & materials can be harnessed to reinvent even traditional forms or techniques, seamlessly bridging the past and present. Just like the Grande Maison’s watchmakers themselves, the selected artists all respect tradition as a creative foundation even as they push boundaries into fresh horizons, reflecting how both watchmaking & classical arts ultimately infuse human creativity into the larger cultural tapestry of any given era.

Now, a new collaboration with Olivecoat brings the art of webcomic design into the Made of Makers portfolio. Although comic strips are generally perceived to be a phenomenon of modern pop-culture originating in the mid-20th century with Francophone bandes dessinées, American superheroes and Japanese manga, the art of using image sequences to narrate stories can in fact be traced back to prehistoric cave paintings, Roman monuments’ relief sculptures & medieval illustrated manuscripts. Swiss schoolteacher, author and caricaturist Rodolphe Töpfer is widely acknowledged as the father of modern comic strips, having published mid-19th century sequential boxed sketches with the first use of speech balloons & onomatopoeia – invented words representing sounds including the iconic ‘Bam!’. Come 1964, the term “9th Art” (neuvième art) was coined by French critic Claude Beylie to place comics within the canon of fine arts – a significant cultural recognition that was further affirmed in 2009 when none other than the Louvre Museum itself dedicated an exhibition to “The 9th Art.

In the modern age, webcomics are now bringing this art to new frontiers via digitalisation, with vertical scrolling serialised comics specifically optimised for mobile devices. Hailing from Cebu in the Philippines, one such designer of the medium is Olivecoat who combines classical comic codes including storytelling, hand-drawing and symbolism with contemporary digital collage & experimental visuals. As a result, she thus stands out as a rising webcomic talent for her unique blend of imaginative narratives, heartfelt character interactions, and self-aware humour all expressed through a distinctively recognisable pastel palette & carefully formed panels with painstaking craftsmanship.

Still, storytelling truly transcends craft as a way for Olivecoat to connect, reflect, and bring subtle human truths to light. Authentic character dynamics form the deep roots of her work, driven by stories with fleshed out characters who feel more like real people rather than just personas on a page. As she explains, “I’m always reading feedback about how I connect with readers and make them feel seen through narratives in my work. Comments like: ‘Oh, I didn’t think this was a universal experience, but it touched me deeply.’ That really motivates me as a creator.”

With all this in mind, the Reverso webcomic commissioned by Jaeger-LeCoultre to Olivecoat seeks to bring fresh perspectives to one of the Maison’s most iconic timepieces in a digital project that unites heritage, innovation & artistic fusion. Redefining the historical essence of the Reverso’s creation via contemporary visual storytelling, it definitely dramatises its historic origin story – transforming archival facts into a compellingly fictional yet truthful narrative that brings the world of fine watchmaking to even broader audiences.

Here, a fresh visual style also plays its part in reinterpreting the Reverso story, with graphics influenced by Eastern visual traditions including manga. This East-meets-West approach creates even more dynamic, energetic dialogue by bringing two unique cultural aesthetics and storytelling tempos into a vertical-scrolling comic highly suited for mobile platforms. Clearly, this format also pays homage to the Reverso’s famously rectangular form itself, drawing upon its Art Deco inspired craftsmanship to revive the 9th Art’s classical codes into the modern format of digital storytelling.

Yet, the Reverso webcomic’s story itself also respectfully exemplifies the essential time, place & action elements of presenting a compelling story. Set against the vibrant backdrop of the roaring twenties, it captures the Reverso watch’s 1931 conception as a key pivotal moment in horological history.

Connoisseurs are seamlessly transported between the narrative’s two defining locations: India’s polo fields where the watch’s groundbreaking reversible case was inspired, and the renowned workshops of Le Sentier where precise craftsmanship brought the vision of César de Trey, his son Pierre, master watchmaker Jacques-David LeCoultre, and René-Alfred Chauvot to life. With these compelling characters anchoring it, the webcomic weaves a tale of inspired creativity, collaboration, and legacy that truly endures. Honouring both the timepiece’s spirit itself & the art of comics, this experience of narrative heritage is poised to further increase the timepiece’s desirability among new audiences – even those who may not have thought about seeking out a Reverso of their own before.