Swiss watchmaker Jaeger-LeCoultre engages 100K consumers via mobile

By Giselle Tsirulnik

December 3, 2009

Learn to make watches in six classes

Jaeger-LeCoultre, a Swiss luxury watch and clock manufacturer, has seen 100,000 downloads of its unique iPhone application in less than two months.

The Jaeger-LeCoultre application is ranked amongst the most downloaded free branded applications. What is most surprising is the application is over 10 megabites, which could have been a handicap since it only allows downloading through a Wi-Fi connection on the iPhone or through iTunes.

�Jaeger-LeCoultre, a premiere luxury brand in the horology world, intended to share its exclusive watchmaking culture and skills with the public,� said Alexandre Mars, CEO of Phonevalley, Paris, France.� �Far from being a conservative company, which would keep the secret about its collections, Jaeger-LeCoultre proves they are highly innovative and forward-thinking.

�We consequently created the first watchmaking school on iPhone,� he said. �The application initiates to the luxury watchmaking through six classes and a comprehensive watchmaking dictionary, and thus provides a unique brand experience through free, valuable brand content.�

Phonevalley created the application.

Watch out!

The Jaeger-LeCoultre application invites users to revisit the brand�s most iconic models, from the Reverso Squadra to the Reverso Gyrotourbillon 2, along with the Master Compressor Diving Pro Geographic.

Far from merely representing a chance to discover these models, the application offers users a watchmaking initiation, which is meant to get users to admire these Jaeger-LeCoultre timepieces from a whole new angle: that of an amateur watchmaker.

Thanks to this application, iPhone owners explore the various stages in creating a watch. They have access to a particularly comprehensive dictionary of horology and to six watch initiation classes.

Mobile watch making

The dictionary of horology explains a number of specialized terms, from shock-absorber to barrel, from Clous de Paris to equation of time and from tourbillon to moon phases.

The classes enable users to practice watchmaking techniques directly on their iPhone screen: assembling a chronograph mechanism, decorating and jewelling a movement, polishing, engraving and gem-setting a case.

For the latter class, the aim is to gem-set a Reverso Neva, making no mistakes and in record time, by skillfully sliding the diamonds onto the watch case. The watch classes�take place every two weeks.

The application also offers a chance to explore a collection of over 60 models, including eight interactive models from among the eight most emblematic creations from the Manufacture Jaeger-LeCoultre.

The user can test the most innovative of these watches, and thus for example activate the depth gauge of the Master Compressor Diving Pro Geographic.

Users can change the time zone on a Master Geographic, start a vertical-trigger chronograph by simply pressing the sapphire crystal of an AMVOX2 Chronograph or swivel the case of a Reverso Grande GMT.

Finally, the application provides a function that identifies the Jaeger-LeCoultre points of sale in the country and/or city of your choice and enables you to locate them instantly.

�Reaching over 100,000 downloads within a few weeks is a fantastic success for a free branded application and this success is driven by two key points: the quality of the content and the interactivity of the application,� Mr. Mars said.

�Thanks to the classes and the dictionary, iPhone users get to learn about a fascinating and exclusive world, the luxury watch making: this is a high value-added content, for free,� he said. �And fans of Jaeger-LeCoultre�s masterpieces can also rediscover over 60 iconic models, which then can manipulate.�