Jaeger-LeCoultre Reverso
The Reverso is a historic wristwatch by Jaeger-LeCoultre featuring a flip-over face.
History
The Reverso, was introduced to the market in 1931 by LeCoultre, designed as a response to adversity: For polo-playing British officers in India it was always a great annoyance when the delicate crystals of their wristwatches were broken during the competition. The watch importer César de Trey described the problem to his supplier Jacques-David LeCoultre, who together with his partner Edmond Jaeger and the Parisian engineer René-Alfred Chauvot developed the watch with the "twist": A case in steel, which can slide on a holder and swivel completely. This means, in dangerous moments, the delicate glass can disappear inside. On 4 March 1931 this idea was registered as a patent. Shortly afterwards, the watch went into series production. The Reverso lasted in production as the first "sports watch" until World War II.
The Reverso was a challenge for Jaeger-LeCoultre to produce at first. Designed under contract to Jaeger (then a separate firm), it was intended to use a LeCoultre movement. But no appropriate movement was available and Jaeger was unable to produce the cases in time. Therefore, the earliest Reversos feature cases by A.E. Wenger and movements by Tavannes (often signed "Lisica"), although final assembly was handled in Le Sentier by LeCoultre since the very beginning. Starting in 1933, LeCoultre brought the movements in-house with their specially-designed JLC 11 U calibre (15 jewels, 18,000 vph, 50 hour power reserve). Eventually, 11 different movements were used in pre-war Reversos.
In 1972, Jaeger-LeCoultre's Italian distributor noticed many unused Reverso cases in the factory and asked for the company to restart production for him. The Reverso was officially reintroduced in 1982 as the squared-off Reverso II, first a historical curiosity, but in 1985 the company re-committed to the model with a newly-designed water-resistant case. The Reverso became the company's signature product in 1991 with a special anniversary "60eme" model, leading to many complications and models. The Reverso Duoface, introduced in 1994, was a technical feat, with a single movement driving dials on both sides, along with the 1997 Duetto for women. [[Strong sales have driven the watch to become one of the company's most popular models.
Today, the watch with the "two sides" is produced in many variants and is regarded as a beautiful, timeless classic that embodies the Art déco style perfectly. Due to its continuing popularity it is one of the pillars of the model range of Jaeger-LeCoultre and has contributed significantly to the reputation of the brand.
Models
The Reverso line has expanded greatly since its reintroduction, most notably with the Reverso Duoface, a model with a face on both sides and a dual timezone feature. Additional models include larger "Grande" cases, historic and special edition models, and specialist pieces like the Reverso Gyrotourbillon 2 and three-faced Reverso grande complication à triptyque.
All rectangular "classic" Reversos feature "golden ratio" case dimensions, 1.6:1.
- 1931 Reverso Classique
- 1982 - Reverso II
- 1985 - Waterproof Reverso
- 1991 - Reverso Grande Taille, Cal. 822, larger case: 42.2 x 26.0 x 9.3 mm
- 1994 - Reverso Duoface, two-faced case for men, Cal. 854/1, 42.2 x 26.0 x 9.3 mm
- 1997 - Reverso Duetto, two-faced case for women, single timezone, Cal. 865, 38.5 x 23.1 mm
- 1998 - Reverso Date, sweep date and month window
- 2001 - Reverso Septantième
- 2002 - Reverso Gran'Sport Chronograph, retrograde chronograph on the back
- 2002 - Reverso Septantième/70ème, first Grande Reverso case, double barrel 8-day power reserve, 28,800 vph movement
- 2003 - Reverso Grande Date, big date and power reserve indicator
- 2004 - Reverso Gran'Sport Automatique, Cal. 960R automatic
- 2004 - Reverso Grande GMT, Grande case, dual time zone, big date, power reserve
- 2004 - Grande Reverso 101, Grande case, Cal. 101
- 2005 - Grande Taille Automatic, Cal. 970 automatic
- 2006 - Reverso Squadra, automatic movement, square case
- 2006 - Reverso Squadra Hometime, automatic Cal. 977, 50.5 x 35.0 x 14 mm square case
- 2006 - Reverso grande complication à triptyque, three faces with 19 complications
- 2006 - Reverso à Éclipses, Cal. 849
- 2006 - Reverso Squadra World Chronograph, dual-face chronograph worldtimer
- 2008 - Reverso Gyrotourbillon 2, gyrotourbillon, perpetual calendar with double retrograde indicators, sidereal time with equation of time
- 2011 - Grande Reverso Duoface, Cal. 986, 48.4 x 29.9 x 10.7 mm case
- 2011 - Grande Reverso Lady Ultra Thin, Cal. 846/1 or Cal. 657 quartz, 40.0 x 24.0 x 7.2 mm case
- 2011 - Grande Reverso Ultra Thin, Cal. 822, Thin 46.8 x 27.4 x 7.3 mm GT case
- 2011 - Grande Reverso Ultra Thin Tribute to 1931, Thin GT case
- 2011 - Reverso Répétition Minutes à Rideau, Sliding curtain minute repeater with trebuchet hammers, Cal. 944
- 2014 - Grande Reverso Night & Day, the first automatic Reverso, Cal. 967B, 46.8 x 27.4 x 9.1 mm
- 2015 - Grande Reverso 1931 Seconde Centrale, Cal. 966A, 27.4 mm
- 2016 - Reverso Classic
- 2016 - Reverso Tribute
- 2016 - Reverso One, Cal. 657 quartz, 32.5 x 16.3 x 7.0 mm
- 2016 - Reverso One Duetto Moon, Cal. 842, 40.1 x 20.0 x 10.0 mm
- 2016 - Reverso Tribute Gyrotourbillon, Cal. 179, 51.1 x 31.0 mm x 12.4 mm
- 2016 - Reverso Classic Large, Cal. 965, 45.6 x 27.4 mm x 9.0 mm
- 2016 - Reverso Classic Large Duoface, Cal. 969, 47.0 x 28.3 mm x 9.0 mm
- 2016 - Reverso Tribute Duoface, Cal. 854A/2, 42.9 x 25.5 mm x 9.2 mm
- 2016 - Reverso Tribute Calendar, Cal. 853, 49.4 x 29.9 mm x 10.9 mm
- 2017 - Reverso Tribute Moon, Cal. 853/A, 49.4 x 29.9 mm x 10.9 mm
- 2017 - Reverso Classic Large Duoface Small Seconds, Cal. 854A/2, 47.0 x 28.3 mm x 10.3 mm
- 2017 - Reverso Classic Small, Cal. 846/1, 34.2 x 21.0 mm x 7.4 mm
- 2017 - Reverso Classic Small Duetto, Cal. 844, 34.2 x 21.0 mm x 8.7 mm
- 2017 - Reverso Classic Medium, Cal. 822/2, 42.9 x 25.5 mm
- 2017 - Reverso Classic Medium Duoface, Cal. 854A/2, 42.9 x 25.5 mm
- 2017 - Reverso Classic Medium Duetto, Cal. 968A, 40.1 x 24.4 mm
- 2018 - Reverso Tribute Small Seconds, Cal. 822/2, 45.6 x 27.4 mm x 8.5 mm
- 2018 - Reverso Tribute Tourbillon Duoface
- Reverso Squadra Lady Duetto, automatic Cal. 968J, 42.0 x 28.8 x 11.8 mm square case
- Grande Reverso Lady Ultra Thin Duetto, Cal. 864A, 40.0 x 24.0 x 8.9 mm case
- Reverso Duetto, Cal. 844, 33.2 x 20.7 mm x 8.3 mm
- Grande Reverso Ultra Thin Duoface, Cal. 854/1, 46.8 x 27.4 mm x 9.1 mm
- Grande Reverso Calendar, Cal. 843, 48.4 x 29.9 mm x 10.2 mm
- Grande Reverso 976, Cal. 976, 48.4 x 29.9 mm x 10.2 mm
- Reverso Lady, Cal. 846/1 or Cal. 657 quartz, 33.2 x 19.5 mm x 7.2 mm
- Reverso Classique, Cal. 846/1 or Cal. 657 quartz, 38.5 x 23.1 mm
- Reverso Grande Sun Moon, moon phase, day/night indicator
- Grande Automatique, with self-winding movement
Complication series
Beginning in 1991, Jaeger-LeCoultre began a limited-edition series of Reverso models with special complications
- 1991 - 60eme, time, small seconds, power reserve indicator, first Grande Taille (GT) case
- 1993 - Reverso Tourbillon, tourbillon and power reserve indicator on the back
- 1994 - Reverso Répétition Minutes, minute repeater
- 1996 - Reverso Chronographe Rétrograde, chronograph
- 1998 - Reverso Géographique, duoface with day/night indicator on both sides and dual timezone with city name selector on back
- 2000 - Quantième Calendrier Perpétuel, perpetual calendar with leap year indicator on front and month, day, date, and moon phase on back
- 2001 - Platinum Number One, with tourbillon
- 2003 - Platinum Number Two, with tourbillon
External links
- A top watch blogger on the newest must-have timepiece
- The Jaeger-LeCoultre Reverso: From Colonial Aristocracy To Amelia Earhart And Into Its 80th Year
- Ensuring the future - learning from the past: Jaeger LeCoultre’s re-ascent and the Reverso
- Squaring Off
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