The Jaeger-LeCoultre Reverso first made an appearance nine decades ago, patronizing the Polo players. The legendary 20th-century design has now influenced the launch of the 1931 Café – an elegant and convivial new venue created to coincide with 90 years of the Reverso. the pop-up café seamlessly personifies the Art Deco movement and uses elements typical of a Jaeger-LeCoultre Reverso in its details. It doesn’t take much to guess that the unique1931 Café evokes the elegant interior of a 1930s ocean liner and the glamour of a film set with its monochromatic interiors. The black-and-white palette is contrasted with warm and complimentary light, which makes the place looks like it belongs to another era owing to chrome, velvet, glass, and lacquered wood elements in the design.
The signature Art Deco feature, a marble floor with an inlaid geometric pattern, adds to the charisma of the 1931 cafe. Right from the frosted-glass chandelier dominating the center of the room to the chairs featuring three metal bands that echo the three gadroons on a Reverso case, the cafe is grand and completely reminiscent of the classic timepiece. How can we not talk about the food when discussing a cafe? The soul of the cafe is created by twice named Pastry Chef of the Year, the young Paris-based chef Nina Métayer who has made a special collection of cakes and pastries using flavors of the valley. Ingredients such as mountain berries, nuts, and honey combined with Swiss chocolate transport guests into a magical culinary world.
Among the pieces created exclusively for 1931 Café is a delightful surprise that reminds you of the snowy landscape of the Jura in winter while covering a burst of summer fruit in its center. Paying tribute to Art Deco style is an artistic, rectangular confection of hazelnuts and chocolate. Nina Métayer says, “What appealed to me greatly about this collaboration with Jaeger-LeCoultre was the idea of bringing together two very different expressions of craftsmanship in one project. The pastry chef and the watchmaker share the same deep values, and our gestures are driven by the same desire: not to create for ourselves but to excel for the pleasure of the recipient.”
The 1931 Café in Shanghai opens its gates from 13th June until 15th August. Come autumn, and the 1931 Café will be recreated in a new location in the heart of Paris.