We’re very used to seeing basic fashions being reborn, time and time once more in watchmaking, however few are fairly so unchanging because the Jaeger Le-Coultre Reverso. Invented in 1931, the Reverso (as it’s generally recognized) got here to life to resolve a persistent drawback. A British officer stationed in India had seen his watch was sustaining frequent harm throughout rambunctious polo matches and so a reversing case, enabling the face to be hidden from harm, was developed. The middle of the watch head slides out to the facet and will be flipped over to disclose the caseback. Initially the casebacks of early Reversos had been stable and both clean or engraved, however these days they are often embellished in myriad methods. Extra just lately nonetheless, some Reversos function a separate watch face exhibiting additional issues or just providing the choice of a second time zone.
At SIHH this 12 months, Jaeger-LeCoultre launched three new fashions that may add an additional dimension to the core assortment. These fashions, along with the really limitless customizations potential, strengthen one among Jaeger-LeCoultre, and the Richemont Group’s, strongest choices.
All three new fashions — the Jaeger-LeCoultre Reverso Tribute Small Seconds, the Jaeger-LeCoultre Reverso Tribute Duoface, and the Jaeger-LeCoultre Reverso One Duetto — have been closely influenced by the 1930s classics.
Jaeger-LeCoultre Reverso Tribute Small Seconds
At a positively gargantuan 27.four mm-wide × 45.6mm-long × eight.5mm-thick the caliber 822/2-powered Jaeger-LeCoultre Reverso Tribute Small Seconds is available in chrome steel solely. The luxurious burgundy pink dial is sun-ray brushed and paired with a color-matched leather-based strap. With the basic time/closed caseback setup, it is a easy watch that exhibits solely the hours, minutes, and seconds by the use of a sub-dial at 6 o’clock that provides the watch its identify. It’s a easy and basic addition to the gathering in a really interesting colorway.
Jaeger-LeCoultre Reverso Tribute Duoface
The second of the brand new trio provides a mid-size proposition, measuring a really wearable 28.three mm broad × 47mm × 10.3mm. Narrower and thicker than the Tribute Small Seconds, this piece stands up on the wrist with a extra related profile to the unique fashions from the ’30s. To make sure its practicality for the odd polo recreation in which you’ll end up embroiled, the Jaeger-LeCoultre Tribute Duoface can be solely out there in chrome steel. Inside, the guide caliber 854A/2 will tick away for 42 hours between winds. The entrance facet dial exhibits simply the hours, minutes, and seconds, whereas the again facet is dwelling to a second time zone in addition to an accompanying day/night time indicator. The primary dial is a blue sun-ray base with utilized silver markers, whereas the second is a barely extra advanced design, boasting a silvered background embellished with a Clous de Paris guilloché and completed off with utilized hour-markers.
Jaeger-LeCoultre Reverso One Duetto
Lastly, the Jaeger-LeCoultre Reverso One Duetto is on the market in each pink gold and chrome steel. This mannequin exhibits simply the hours and minutes on each the entrance and the again, however with two starkly completely different dials. Each the pink gold and the chrome steel choices have the identical entrance facet — a silvered, sun-ray guilloché, with Arabic numerals and heat-blued palms. The again facet, nonetheless, is coloured otherwise for each. The pink gold shows a wealthy burgundy, whereas the chrome steel — which is on the market with both a blue leather-based strap or a five-link bracelet — has a navy blue reverse. The instances each measure 20mm broad × 40.1mm × 9.09 mm and are embellished with 56 diamonds, which quantities to a carat weight of zero.63. All three references are powered by the manually wound caliber 844, which has an influence reserve of 38 hours.
Conclusion
Whereas none of those items reinvents the wheel, all three (particularly the Jaeger-LeCoultre Tribute Duoface, for my part) do add an additional layer of attraction to a set that exhibits no indicators of dropping its place available in the market. Because the preeminent rectangular watch, the Jaeger-LeCoultre Reverso enjoys virtually protected standing. However that’s the reward for making a product that by no means goes out of favor, even for those who’re not one for saddling up for a chukka or two. The Jaeger-LeCoultre Reverso Tribute Small Seconds retails for $7,900, the Jaeger-LeCoultre Reverso Tribute Duoface has a price ticket of $10,400, whereas the Jaeger-LeCoultre Reverso One Duetto is priced at $9,550 in metal on the strap, $10,500 in metal on the bracelet, and $20,300 in pink gold on the burgundy strap. Study extra at jaeger-lecoultre.com.
