Watches & Wonders 2024: Jaeger-LeCoultre’s Precision Atelier with Chef Himanshu Saini
A gastronomic quartet from the two-Michelin-starred culinary mastermind, imagined with ingredients from Switzerland’s Vallée de Joux
The most prestigious global gathering for individuals interested in wristwatches and other time-telling devices, Watches & Wonders commenced today in Geneva, Switzerland. As the luxuriant event’s name implies, visitors will find more than timepieces inside the walls of the assembly—and once again pioneering Swiss watch brand Jaeger-LeCoultre has demonstrated that they understand what it means to infuse a bit of wonder into the convention center. As part of their Made of Makers series of exclusive artistic collaborations, Jaeger-LeCoultre has transformed a portion of their booth at Watches & Wonders into Precision Atelier, a multi-sensory presentation of artful, emotional haute cuisine by chef Himanshu Saini.
Often referred to as “the ingredient scientist,” chef Saini founded Mumbai’s Trèsind in 2018, and then Trèsind Studio in Dubai. The latter would become the first Indian restaurant to be honored with a Michelin star—and a year later it garnered (and has since sustained) two Michelin stars. For Precision Atelier, Saini channels his Indian culinary techniques into ingredients from Vallée de Joux, the illustrious watchmaking region and birthplace of Jaeger-LeCoultre. The result is four wildly imaginative, experiential bites.
Catherine Rénier, CEO of Jaeger-LeCoultre, says that chef Saini was selected as a partner because he shares the same values as the maison, along with their commitment to precision. He was an apt fit for Made of Makers, which, as she explains, “explores new forms of artistic expression, very often in unexpected materials and media.” Further, she adds, Watches & Wonders marks the debut of Precision Atelier, but it will travel the world as part of their Maison Precision Maker exhibition so that others can feast upon chef Saini’s gourmet creations.
In the way that a wristwatch contains the world of components that are required to keep track of and convey time, each of chef Saini’s bites are a precise, comprehensive world of flavor with a distinct origin story. “It’s about embarking upon an emotional journey—about making all of the senses alert,” Rénier tells COOL HUNTING. “It’s about going beyond our world, and what a watch can deliver, on a quest for excellence and creativity and innovation—and transmitting it all through another artistic dimension.”
Each sensory wonder is an exchange of ideas—a fusion of taste and tale and science. “When we began the collaboration, I hadn’t been to the valley and I hadn’t been exposed to these ingredients,” chef Saini tells us. “I think when this challenge was given to me, it also gave me such motivation. Cuisine should always move with the time. That means young Indian chefs should go out and get exposed to the ingredients of the world and other cooking philosophies. For me it is an open canvas. I want to give the essence of ‘Indian-ness,’ but at the same time I want to add layers of texture and flavor to balance it out.”
The chef’s cuisine has amassed so much attention because he prepares beyond what people will taste. “Experiencing how we eat today is not just related to the palate,” he says. “You have to have all the senses involved. The first important step with Precision Atelier was to make each bite visually appealing. Every one has strong visual language. At the same time, there is a moment of revelation—from flash paper to other surprises. There are also many textures designed to confuse the mind.” Familiar tastes take on the unexpected. And, the bites succeed at connecting the guest to valley itself.
“We want people to connect with their emotions,” chef Saini says. “When people connect with emotions, it creates memories.” Rénier mirrors this sentiment. Many people are aware of the transportive power of food, but what chef Saini does here seems to go above and beyond. Each conceptual bite—the Crimson Rosette, of beetroot, pine nuts, orange zest, amaranth and arugula; the Verbena Outburst and its liquid-stone structure; the Mysterious Forest, and its flavors of wild mushrooms, artichokes and chestnuts; and the Pine Nut Delight of cacao, vanilla, red grapes, hibiscus and spice—manages to tell three stories at once: of the atelier, of the chef and how they work so well together,
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