The Jaeger-LeCoultre Reverso watch collection is a true legend among the enduring luxury watch designs.First created in 1931, the fascinating original impetus of the Reverso's birth was a desire by polo players to have a rugged timepiece which would endure the rigors of their rugged sport. Since the glass crystals of watches were known to be fragile even under less demanding circumstances,
Jaeger-LeCoultre created a unique pivoting watch case, which could be reversed 180 degrees, thus providing a sophisticated and ingenious means of protecting the dial side of the watch. Quickly endearing itself to athletes and adventurous individuals of all stripes, the Reverso watch proved itself to be a true object of beauty, its second "face" providing a palette for elaborate engravings--initials, coats of arms, and other insignias, as well as elaborate masterworks of miniature enameling; for example, India's Maharajah of Karputala was so impressed with the Reverso watch, that he ordered 50 pieces in the early 1930's, each bearing an enamelled likeness of himself. Today, the Reverso watch collection is richer than ever before, comprising a stunning array of technical and aesthetic specialities.
The
Reverso Classique collection captures the essence of classic Reverso design in models for both men and women; the collection includes watches with simple three-handed time displays animated by manufacture movements that are either manually wound or quartz battery-operated; like the originals, the casebacks of these watches offer an excellent opportunity for personalization. Many interesting, complicated Reverso designs are incorporated in this collection as well; among these are the Reverso Grande Sun Moon watch with its manually-wound 8 day movement, moon phase display and rotating day night indicator, the Reverso Grande GMT watch, with its large date display and secondary time zone, and the Reverso Grande Automatique timepiece, representing the first Reverso with an automatic (rather than hand-wound) movement. Unlike the original basic Reverso, many of these more complicated Reverso timepieces bear a secondary dial on the opposite side, allowing these watches to show off two distinct technical personalities.
A profound demonstration of the skill of Jaeger-LeCoultre's artisans can be found in the
Reverso Joaillerie and
Reverso Email collections. The former offers women everything from models with elegant simple diamond setting, up to the stunningly beautiful Reverso Neva and dazzling Reverso Rock Setting watches, which demand the ultimate in the skill of the master jeweler. The Reverso Email watches showcase the exquisite and nearly extinct art of miniature enamel painting---thanks to the remarkable skills of Jaeger-LeCoultre's gifted master of enamel painting, Miklos Merczel, this rare art lives on and thrives.Of note, these individual works of horological art can be personalized according to the wishes of the individual client, and can depict almost anything that can be envisioned, including portraits of loved ones, fanciful imagery, or reproductions of famous masterworks.
The Jaeger-LeCoultre Reverso watch is at its most contemporary in the new
Reverso Squadra collection. Featuring a distinctive square profile, these new, larger Reverso watches utilize self-winding movements, which are naturally manufactured by Jaeger-LeCoultre. All of the variants share the characteristic of having a display for a secondary timezone; the Reverso Squadra World Chronograph watch is the most complicated Squadra timepiece, with a chronograph, large date, and day/night indicator on its primary side, and a rotating world time indicator appearing on its reverse side.
Recently, Jaeger-LeCoultre unveiled the ultimate complicated Reverso timepiece. The Jaeger-LeCoultre Reverso a Triptyque watch is the first three-faced Reverso (including the back plate, which bears a unique perpetual calendar complication). In total, this tour-de-force of haute horlogerie contains numerous complications, including a rotating star map with signs of the zodiac, time of sunrise and sunset, equation of time, sidereal time, and a tourbillon. Its remarkable mechanism, which has six patents pending, requires a number of unusual technical solutions, and is an exquisite summary of Jaeger-LeCoultre's dedication to exceptional watchmaking.