Longines brings Springtime to Paris
“Printemps” is the French word for “Spring”. It is also the name of one of the iconic department stores on the boulevard Haussmann in the centre of Paris, and is celebrating its 150th anniversary this year.
Inspired by a Fairy Christmas tale written for Printemps in 1911 to put Spring into Christmas, the store has imagined an exceptional animated seasonal decoration based upon the Printemps Fairy, who, with her magic wand, awakens from their sleep a number of little helpers to do away with grey skies and other dreary winter landscapes. Among her helpers, none are more important than The Little Timekeepers who activate their clocks to hurry Spring along and bring blossoms and flowers to Christmas!
For the first time, Printemps, with the help of its 5 meter tall illuminated and animated Fairy on the front of the store, brings to life every one of its 11 window displays on boulevard Haussmann, to portray the incredible metamorphosis. The Fairy’s little companions have all been created in collaboration with partners from different fields: Lancôme for the flowers, Sonia Rykiel, Christian Louboutin, Evian, Burberry… and Longines for The Little Timekeepers. With faces that resemble watch dials, noses and smiles that suggest watch hands, and ears and little hats that resemble crowns and other push buttons, The Little Timekeepers flit from cog to cog, surrounded by mechanical devices, until a sudden action of cogs and clock hands thrown into a wild spin speeds time forward to catch up with Spring.
And on the store’s historic façade on Rue du Havre, the bas-relief 3D figure of a Little Timekeeper holds a giant Longines clock in his arms that shows the time to passers-by, amid a plethora of lights, cogs, gears and flowers.
This charming partnership requires an elegant limited edition, and Longines has chosen La Grande Classique in steel, for men and ladies, to edit 150 pieces each bearing a commemorative inscription to honour Printemps’ 150th anniversary.
The men’s round 34mm x 7.10mm thick model with white dial, slim black hands and Roman numerals is powered by the L593 mechanical self-winding movement seen through the sapphire case-back, while the ladies’ 29mm x 4.30mm thick model, with white mother-of-pearl dial and 12 diamond indices, is run by the L209 quartz movement.
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With steel bracelets, these commemorative edition timepieces are exclusive to Printemps.
Photo Credit: Haute Time. Follow Haute Time on Instagram to catch all of the new releases as they happen.
