Sarah's Grace

Alias Grace actress and friend of Jaeger-LeCoultre Sarah Gadon speaks to us about what makes her tick

Have you always been a watch lover?

I was a tomboy growing up. I never wore any jewellery; I don’t even have my ears pierced piece of “jewellery.” I wear them with my jeans, with cocktail dresses… There’s something effortless, I think, about a watch. 

What was your first-ever watch?

I can’t remember what it was. I might’ve had a Swatch watch when I was a kid but I feel like that’s almost a blasphemy to say. My first serious watch was a Jaeger-LeCoultre (JLC) Rendez-Vous with diamonds; I didn’t really have one before that. 

And is that your favourite watch from the brand? 

Yes, I love the Rendez-Vous collection; it’s something that I wear. For me, there’s something very classic about it. I studied film and a lot of Italian cinema; and I love the kind of classic 1950s look of an Italian screen siren: Just a sweater and a round-shaped watch. I find it so sexy and feminine. But, of course, as you know, all of their timepieces are beautiful. I like the Reverso and I love their incredible vintage collection for really amazing red-carpet pieces. 

You’ve been with the brand for four years now. How has it been?

I know a lot more about the brand and a lot more about watches now. I didn’t know what went into making a watch before I went to the Manufacture and met the watchmakers and the craftsmen, and saw them assembling the watches. I had no idea how long it took to actually make a watch. I didn’t realise the difference between a company that outsources their parts versus one that makes all of their parts in one place and assembles the watch entirely in one place [like JLC]. It’s so labour-intensive and there’s a real artistry behind it. It’s like a piece of art and that’s why watch people are equally as intense as film people because it’s such a passion. I love that.

What would you recommend a woman looking to buy a JLC timepiece? 

It really depends on her personality. If she’s feminine, then go for the Rendez-Vous. It’s classic; it’s beautiful; she can wear it with dresses. If she’s not so feminine, get a Reverso, because she’s sporty and she’ll want to protect her watch face when she’s playing sports. And if she’s kind of a bad-ass, then she’ll should definitely want to go for JLC’s Louboutin collection, which came out last year, because it’s very avant-garde. 

Last but not least, what ’s happening with Sarah Gadon? 

I just finished Alias Grace, a six-part limited series for Netflix. It’s based on the Margaret Atwood novel and it’s directed by Mary Harron, who also directed American Psycho; it’s written by Sarah Polley. Margaret is very close with Sarah so [Atwood] approved every draft, every casting choice, every little element of our production, and she also makes a cameo appearance. She’s a fierce lady. She is amazing; she’s really smart and it was incredible to work with her; and also mildly terrifying. I’m really excited about that and it comes out this fall.