At the annual Watches and Wonders fair in Geneva this week, Jaeger-LeCoultre revealed gleaming tributes to its iconic Reverso watch. Read on to discover all the covetable new timepieces.
Inspired by the rough and ready play witnessed on the polo fields of India, Jaeger-LeCoultre’s famous Reverso wristwatch changed the face of dedicated sports watches forever – quite literally.
Conceived by Jacques-David LeCoultre and watch dealer César de Trey, with the help of French designer René-Alfred Chauvot, the rectangular timepiece had an innovated swivelling case that could be slid out of its socket and completely turned over, protecting its vulnerable glass and dial from breakage during polo matches.
Functional, hardy, yet still effortlessly elegant – thanks to its Art Deco silhouette – the Reverso eventually transcended the polo field and became a modern design icon. Its plain case back has even come to be regarded as a kind of wearable canvas, and has been customised, embellished and adorned with countless miniature artworks over the decades.
Now, almost a century after the Reverso’s debut in 1931, Jaeger-LeCoultre has unveiled nine new creations which pay homage to this famous design heritage.
The first, the Reverso Hybris Artistica Calibre 179, is a limited run of 10 timepieces which blend the maker’s complex gyrotourbillon function (itself featuring 123 components) with the complex artistry with highly decorative plates and bridges. Described by the maison as “a tour de force of mechanical ingenuity inspired by a fascination with the tourbillon”, each model is crafted with laser-cut 18k white gold and hand-lacquered by a master craftsman.
Jaeger LeCoultre also revealed two new versions of the Reverso Tribute Duoface Small Seconds, which highlights the timeless simplicity and modernity of its forebear. Available in dark blue or black iterations, the new models boast sleeker, redesigned reverse dials (these models have two dials, with one on each side of the sliding case) which recall the design of the early 1930s Reverso. In addition, the coloured front dial features a small seconds register (hence the model’s name).
For a decadent touch, the new Reverso Tribute Monoface Small Seconds has now also been created entirely in shimmering pink gold. This unisex model boasts a silky Milanese link bracelet and grained dial, bringing a fresh and covetable new allure to the classically simple Monoface family.
In contrast, the new Reverso Tribute Geographic deliberately reinterprets the classic ‘travel time’ complication, powered by a new in-house movement, the Calibre 834. Available in either 18k pink gold or steel, this limited edition piece (only 150 will be made) boasts an intricate world time indication on its polished case back, displaying the time in 24 major time zones simultaneously. Easy to read and to set, the watch features a hidden pusher at the top of its case to allow the wearer to adjust the time to their chosen zone.
A musical new addition to the Reverso collection, the Reverso Tribute Minute Repeater is a feat of technical ingenuity. Powered by the new in-house Calibre 953 movement (which incorporates 7 patents), this pink gold timepiece is also a limited-edition, with only 30 being made.
When activated, the watch rings with a musical chime produced by miniature trébuchet hammers and crystal gongs within its sleek case, and is decorated with radiant hand-guilloché patterns, highlighted with layers of gleaming grand feu enamel, all entirely crafted by the maker’s Métiers Rares (‘rare materials’) atelier – the watch version of an haute couture studio.
Intricate adornment is also a feature of the new Reverso Tribute Nonantieme ‘Enamel’, Reverso One ‘Precious Flowers’ and Reverso One ‘Precious Colours’ models, which all make use of the Métiers Rares atelier’s master enamellers and gem setters.
Two new limited-edition ‘Precious Flowers’ watches, for example, require hours of delicate grand few enamel work (15 hours for the Green Arums version, 30 hours for the Purple Arums model). They also feature hundreds of shimmering snow and grain-set diamonds, which have been set into the back of their pink diamond cases and lugs.
But the most intricate artwork of all has surely been reserved for the outstanding new Reverso Tribute Enamel ‘Shanahmeh’ watches.
The case backs of these timepieces have been embellished with incredible micro paintings created using traditional craftsmanship, each featuring a reproduction of an illustration from the 16th century epic poem Shanahmeh (‘Book of Kings’), which was written in early Persian and dedicated to Shah Tahmasp.
Honouring the Reverso’s equine origins, each of the four limited-edition micro paintings is of one of the earliest depictions of polo (then known as ‘chogan’) taken from the Shanahmeh, crafted with exquisite enamel work and gold paillonage. Just ten of each of the four designs will ever be produced, making every watch a rare and extraordinary artistic masterpiece in its own right.
It’s a feat that “celebrates the origins of the Reverso in the sport of polo, captures the power and beauty of the horse and pays homage to one of the world’s greatest works of literature and art,” says the Maison.
What do you think? Which would you choose?
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