The scene was set in Cannes as Finch & Partners, and partner Jaeger-LeCoultre, awarded Italian director Paolo Sorrentino the Annual Filmmakers Award in front of prestigious guests at the luxurious Hotel du Cap, Antibes.

“It is great to honour Paolo whose spirit both as an artist and as a man is greatly inspired to me personally. His work encompasses the most important elements of life to me. Love, humour, passion and the unexpected spirit and fantasy” said Charles Finch, CEO of Finch & Partners.

The event, hosted by Charles Finch, featured a night of stars and icons. In attendance was models Coco Rocha and Naomi Campbell, actors and actresses Adrien Brody, Gemma Arterton and Elizabeth Olsen and iconic directors Arnold Schwarzenegger and Takashi Miike – amongst others.

Guests enjoyed a night of cocktails, good food and dancing way into the night. For the third year, guests were invited to view a special photographic exhibition, ‘The Art of Behind The Scenes’, which showcased exquisite photos from some of the most accomplished on-set photographers. The exhibition was produced by Finch & Partners and Jaeger-LeCoultre, and features previously unseen images of Brigitte Bardot, Sophia Loren and James Dean. This year the exhibition also included a series of contemporary photos taken in New York, Paris and Shanghai with a vintage Compass camera developed in 1937 by Jaeger-LeCoultre.

Jaeger-LeCoultre’s involvement in photography dates back to 1937, when LeCoultre and Cie manufactured the Compass: a full-featured camera small enough to fit in a cigarette packet based on a demanding design by Englishman Noel Pemberton Billing, a reality that only a watchmaker could fulfil. Only 4,000 models were ever made. The Compass camera featured an exposure meter, rangefinder, EV indicator, angle viewfinder, telescopic lens shade, built-in filters and a device for panoramic and stereoscopic view. The 1938 even claimed the camera was “Built like a watch – as simple to use”.

Haute horologerie and the world of photography and cinema certainly share similar values: they both create dreams and a sense of wonder through aesthetic and technical mastery. Jaeger-LeCoultre draws upon the talent of its many artisans to create exceptional watch objects in the same way it takes exceptional writes, actors, directors and technicians to create a piece of filmmaking art. In the end, it is all about two worlds infused with creative ingenuity.

Images courtesy of Jaeger-LeCoultre