The Scuola Grande di San Rocco Reverso

A yellow gold Reverso Grande Taille whose case-back reproduces the main marble staircase of Venice’s Scuola Grande di San Rocco — the confraternity house famous for its Tintoretto cycle, whose restoration Jaeger-LeCoultre has sponsored since 2013. Unveiled at the 73rd Mostra (Venice Film Festival), the piece works almost entirely in a narrow band of stone-grey tones, since the marble subject left little room for colour contrast; the straight architectural lines fought the curved case surface throughout, and the firing process flattened the marble’s texture more than expected. Three weeks of work, 32 dryings at 230°C, and 15 firings at 800°C. Announced alongside a Facebook campaign — each “like” during one week in September 2016 triggered a donation toward the restoration — which drew over 2,500 likes and led to a final €15,000 gift to the Scuola.