For Mother’s Day, Jaeger-LeCoultre put together a tête-à-tête with a touch of timeless elegance

In conjunction with Mother’s Day, Swiss watchmaker Jaeger-LeCoultre hosted an intimate ladies’ teatime at bōl Kuala Lumpur with eight influential pairs of mother-daughters — while also highlighting its special novelty collections for the occasion.

The best and most meaningful relationships are shaped by loving hands — and very few transcend a mother’s. In that same vein, Swiss watch brand Jaeger-LeCoultre stands out for its unique handmade creations, carefully crafted and hand-wrought into the elegant pieces we know today. To ring in the Mother’s Day weekend, Jaeger-LeCoultre held a little tea party at Bōl in Kuala Lumpur. The afternoon also saw a presentation of some of the brand’s most precious timepieces to date, from its Reverso and Rendez-Vous collections — fit for that feminine grace.

Set on the restaurant’s spacious first floor, the arrangements for tea were a vision: sleek rattan chairs; tables decorated with delicate flowers; a sprawling green wallpaper print that not only pays homage to Peranakan floral motifs but makes the whole space feel all the more intimate; ‘A Room of One’s Own’ for the twenty-first-century woman.

In her welcome speech, Yuraida Martin, Country Manager of Jaeger-LeCoultre Malaysia, shared with the guests a bit of the brand’s history: “Back then, women weren’t really allowed to wear watches but we still needed to tell the time, right? So, we had our ways to work around it.” Fun fact: Jaeger-LeCoultre was one of the first watchmakers to create remarkably small calibres when worn on the wrist, adding mystery and subtlety to its feminine pieces. As it happens, this year marks Jaeger-LeCoultre’s 190th anniversary. In fact, Malaysia is the brand’s first boutique expansion outside of its home country in Switzerland over a decade ago.

The event was attended by a diverse mix of fashion and lifestyle bellwethers, as well as local personalities including Yazmin Aziz, Nikki Dhillon, Sharifah Aryana, Vanessa Chong, Yuki Tan, Shalma Ainaa, and Ally Mukhriz — and of course, their respective mothers! As Yuraida cheekily points out, “Now, when was the last time you took your mum out for a little mother-daughter date, hmm?” Suffice to say, the teatime began to turn emotional — and even a little entertaining at times — as the mothers shared some of their favourite memories of their daughters, and the daughters giggling or shying away.

The afternoon began with guests mingling and savouring a specially curated menu by Bōl, featuring Straits-inspired dishes such as ayam buah keluak sliders and deconstructed rojak tarts. Hugs and laughter abounded as the women settled into the cosy atmosphere, eventually finding their seats somewhere between the two long tables. Aside, from where the Jaeger-LeCoultre pieces were put on display, an elaborate photo booth was set up by the open window, giving perfect lighting for a mother-daughter shoot. Upstairs where Bōl’s snug glasshouse lies, astrologer Belle Loh was readily perched with her tarot cards — with a few close reading sessions ending in tears; a cathartic experience for both mother and daughter.

As the afternoon stretched on, guests took turns trying on the various Jaeger-LeCoultre pieces. While Belle prepared her station to read the guests’ fortunes through the stars, downstairs the Jaeger-LeCoultre Rendez-Vous Shooting Star was also taking centre stage. This enchanting timepiece was designed especially for its wearers to make a wish. Recreating the unpredictable shooting star, you’ll notice that as the watch moves, the ‘magical’ star will appear on the dial at random moments during the day. Though, as Yuraida jokes, “We modern women are very busy, you know, to be waiting all day for the star to pop up!” And so, the star may also be summoned on demand by manually winding it several times.

The Jaeger-LeCoultre Reverso One also made a special appearance at the event, in different variants: a stunning piece with baguette-cut diamonds surrounding both its front and back; and another with a black dial on its back, inspired by the glitters of the night. For a special evening ensemble, the Jaeger-LeCoultre team also presented the Jaeger-LeCoultre Rendez-Vous Secret — a white gold watch and jewellery marvel — a bracelet version that could “hide the timepiece” and instead act as an accessory to complete your look.

Alas, the lovely Straits-inspired dessert wasn’t the final treat of the afternoon! The ladies departed with gift bags containing candles flown in from Geneva — from the home of Jaeger-LeCoultre to their homes. To cap off the delightful teatime affair, guests also partook in a ‘love notes’ session where any messages they’d like to dedicate to their loved ones were written in beautiful calligrapy.

To learn more about Jaeger-LeCoultre and its latest in watchmaking, head to its official website HERE.

(Photos by Jaeger-LeCoultre/Bthology Studio)