Twice As Complicated

David and Goliath by Daniele da Volterra is one of my favorite paintings in the Louvre. The 16th century artist uses rich chiaroscuro contrast to emphasize the exerting, rippling and squirming of muscles. Nothing is left to the viewer’s imagination as David engulfs his fallen foe, who tries to escape his beheading. One of few two- sided Renaissance artworks still in existence, this painting is displayed in the middle of a long hallway, allowing admirers to walk around to the other side of David and Goliath to see Goliath continue to writhe and repel his merciless murderer. An ancient iteration of animated visual art, if you will.

Just like de Volterra’s masterpiece, the vaunted Jaeger-LeCoultre Reverso bucked convention to create an additional canvas. A sought-after icon that can boast almost a century of continuous and uninterrupted production, the Reverso began as an innovation of robust practicality, which would evolve into an artistic feature that showcases various decorative techniques, personalization and, in this case, complicated watchmaking.

1931 Reverso in steel with black lacquered dial, silver-toned hour markers and white hands.
1931 Reverso in steel with black lacquered dial, silver-toned hour markers and white hands.

A central role in the alliance of Jaeger and LeCoultre

From a small workshop started in Le Sentier in 1833, Antoine LeCoultre’s watchmaking business had expanded into an esteemed 500-artisan-strong business by 1888. And by the early 20th century, the company had ventured into pioneering ultra thin watches, upon which modern Reversos are based.

From Latin, “Reverso” approximately translates to “I turn around.” If you’re a watch connoisseur, you’ve probably heard about how Reversos were born in India, where British Army officers were caught up in the conflicting trends of playing polo and wearing wristwatches. A handful of wristwatches shattered during intense polo games was impetus enough for César de Trey, a Swiss businessman and watch trader, to persuade his close friend Jacques-David LeCoultre to purpose-build a wristwatch that could endure the tumbles, mallet whacks and collisions of polo.

Edmond Jaeger had been involved in the LeCoultre manufacture’s ultra thin pursuits, but it was the success of eventual icons like the Reverso that would cement the synonymity of the houses of Jaeger and LeCoultre, bringing them together in 1937 as the newly registered Jaeger- LeCoultre. LeCoultre & Cie., Edmond Jaeger and, very importantly, a talented French engineer by the name of René-Alfred Chauvot designed a case that could flip to protect the dial of a watch, and its patent was filed in Paris in March 1931. The Reverso trademark was registered and, unbeknownst to some, eight Reverso cases were sold to Patek Philippe between December 1931 and April 1932, signed as Patek Philippes.

Antoine LeCoultre
Antoine LeCoultre
Edmond Jaeger
Edmond Jaeger

Extra canvas space for exhibiting art and technology

Not merely a timekeeper, the Reverso’s dual canvases offer the opportunity for subtle personalization. Royalty, nobles and celebrities have engraved their initials, crests and commissioned unique artwork for the rears of their bespoke Reversos.

Jaeger-LeCoultre has also leveraged the reverse side of the Reverso dial to showcase a litany of decorative watch art techniques. Most memorably, Hungarian watchmaker Miklos Merczel created a variety of miniature enamel paintings on the reverse sides of Reversos in the 1990s, resulting in the founding of Jaeger-LeCoultre’s in-house enameling workshop in 1996. Since then, the collection has seen the creation of myriad pieces that are intricate works of art for the wrist.

Besides the incorporation of detailed miniature art into Reversos, Jaeger-LeCoultre also began integrating complications into the Reverso. First, a date pointer and power reserve display in 1991, followed by a tourbillon in 1993, a minute repeater in 1994, a retrograde chronograph in 1996 and a perpetual calendar in 2000. The complicated Reversos demonstrated the Grand Maison’s high watchmaking competencies and led to further categorization of the Reverso into the subcategories Reverso One, Reverso Classic and Reverso Tribute, according to their styles and sizes.

The Reverso 60ème introduced in 1991
The Reverso 60ème introduced in 1991
Jaeger-LeCoultre’s first tourbillon wristwatch from 1993
Jaeger-LeCoultre’s first tourbillon wristwatch from 1993

Jaeger-LeCoultre Reverso Tribute Duoface Calendar

The culmination of this storied evolution is the recently released Jaeger-LeCoultre Reverso Tribute Duoface Calendar, which utilizes its two faces to showcase two time zones.

The Jaeger-LeCoultre Reverso Tribute Duoface Calendar's Verso side has an hours-and-minutes central dial with sunray finish, and day and night indication
The Jaeger-LeCoultre Reverso Tribute Duoface Calendar's Verso side has an hours-and-minutes central dial with sunray finish, and day and night indication

One face displays minutes, hours, day, date, month, solar time and moonphase, while the other shows the hours, minutes and day/night display of another city of choice. Sporting elegant design elements that pay tribute to the O.G. Reverso of 1931, the Jaeger-LeCoultre Reverso Tribute Duoface Calendar is driven by the oblong-shaped manual winding caliber 853 that made its debut in 1994. Entirely designed, produced and assembled in-house, the intricately fashioned caliber 853 has chamfered edges, countersunk jewels, mirror polished screws and bridges decorated with Geneva stripes.

Jaeger-LeCoultre Reverso Tribute Duoface Calendar Steel, Ref Q3918420
Jaeger-LeCoultre Reverso Tribute Duoface Calendar Steel, Ref Q3918420

The new Jaeger-LeCoultre Reverso Tribute Duoface Calendar is available in a pink gold or stainless steel case. The pink gold model is matched with a brown strap while the steel version is paired with a deep blue strap. These finely crafted straps are handmade by Casa Fagliano, an Argentinian workshop that specializes in polo boots and has been partners with the Jaeger-LeCoultre since 2011. Inspired by the elegance and vigor of polo, these straps evoke the patina of equestrian equipment and are easily switched out, thanks to Jaeger- LeCoultre’s quick-change strap and buckle attachment system.

You can swap the strap of your Reverso Tribute Duoface Calendar easily, thanks to its quick-change system
You can swap the strap of your Reverso Tribute Duoface Calendar easily, thanks to its quick-change system

Tech Specs

Jaeger-LeCoultre Reverso Tribute Duoface Calendar Steel, Ref Q3918420

Movement: Manual winding caliber 853; 42-hour power reserve
Functions: (Recto) Hours, minutes, day, date, month and moonphase; (Verso) Second time zone and day/night indicator
Case: 49.4mm × 29.9mm; stainless steel; water resistant to 30m
Dial: (Recto) Silver with grained finish; (Verso) Blue with sunray finish and Clous de Paris guilloché
Strap: Interchangeable blue Casa Fagliano calf leather with steel double folding clasp; additional bi- material blue canvas and Casa Fagliano calf leather
Price: USD 14,500

Jaeger-LeCoultre Reverso Tribute Duoface Calendar Pink Gold, Ref Q3912530

Movement: Manual winding caliber 853; 42-hour power reserve
Functions: (Recto) Hours, minutes, day, date, month and moonphase; (Verso) Second time zone and day/night indicator
Case: 49.4mm × 29.9mm; 18K pink gold; water resistant to 30m
Dial: (Recto) Silver with sunray finish; (Verso) Gray with sunray finish and Clous de Paris guilloché
Strap: Interchangeable brown Casa Fagliano calf leather with pink gold pin buckle; additional bi-material beige canvas and brown Casa Fagliano calf leather
Price: USD 26,900

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