Without a doubt, the Reverso is one of the most cherished and iconic timepieces created by Jaeger-LeCoultre. Its origins are fascinating and it was way back in 1931 when it was first originally launched. The Art Deco lines of the watch were an instant classic and had design traits that stood the test of time. It has housed more than 50 different calibers, while its blank metal flip side has become an intriguing canvas decorated with enamel or engravings. The Reverso is celebrating 90 years while it was in 1991, with the launch of the Reverso Soixantième, that the Calibre 824, developed especially for the Reverso Soixantième, incorporated a date indicated by a central hand and a power reserve indicator. This was followed in 1993 by the Reverso Tourbillon – its first wristwatch tourbillon.
Then came the Reverso Répétition Minutes in 1994, the first time Jaeger-LeCoultre had miniaturized a minute repeater for a wristwatch, Calibre 943 was the world’s first rectangular minute repeater movement. In 1996, La Grande Maison introduced the Reverso Chronographe Rétrograde, with an intricate display on the reverse side that solved the problem of how to arrange the chronograph counters within a rectangular frame. This was followed two years later by the Reverso Géographique and, coinciding with the Millennium, the Reverso Quantième Perpétuel.
Then in 2002, the Reverso Septantième had a Calibre 879 which provided an 8-day power reserve- rare at that time. Five years later, the Reverso Grande Complication à Triptyque introduced Calibre 175: a single movement incorporating 18 different functions, including civil time, sidereal time, and a perpetual calendar, displayed on three dials – the third dial being set into the carrier plate of the watch. The Reverso has also housed Jaeger-LeCoultre’s unique bi-axial flying tourbillon, first in the Reverso Gyrotourbillon of 2008 and again in the 2016 Reverso Tribute Gyrotourbillon. In 2012, Jaeger-LeCoultre introduced the Reverso Répétition Minutes à Rideau, in which the chiming mechanism is activated by the movement of a pair of theatre-style curtains as they reveal and conceal the dial.
With its distinctive shape, what binds the Reverso is the visual allure which has not changed over the years along with the craftsmanship of course. A horological icon.
