Cover The original Reverso watch (Photo: Courtesy of Jaeger-LeCoultre)

Celebrating 90 years of the iconic Reverso watch by Jaeger-LeCoultre

A design now recognisable the world over, The Reverso watch stems from a surprisingly utilitarian origin. In the 1930s, off-duty British army officers in India took to the polo fields in games that often ended in a state of chaos. Those who dared to wear a wristwatch would leave the field with its face in pieces.

And so, watch dealer César de Trey was tasked with procuring the necessary parts to produce a watch with a reversible case—one both durable enough to withstand the physicality of polo matches, while also aesthetically in keeping with the high society of the time.

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Above The Reverso watch (Photo: Courtesy of Jaeger-LeCoultre)

The result was the Reverso, its design patented in 1931 by LeCoultre, as the watch brand was known until 1937. The watch face rotates 180 degrees, affording the fragile glass and dial an element of protection while the case back is exposed during matches. Met with a favourable reception, the Reverso attracted attention both on and off the field, and was seen on the wrists of popular players of the time as well as a long list of household names, including King Edward VIII and Amelia Earhart.

While its popularity soared through the 1930s, its art deco aesthetic soon fell out of favour and, by the 1970s, the Reverso all but vanished. That is, until 1983, when Jaeger-LeCoultre revisited its archives and sought to revive the model. While the new Reverso was visually in keeping with earlier iterations, the new, water-resistant model was now significantly more advanced.

Over the years, the Reverso has seen many new and unique launches, from the Duoface, featuring two dials, to the Gyrotourbillon—released on the 175th anniversary of the brand and showcasing the first square-shaped Reverso—to the limited-edition Reverso Quadriptyque; with four watch faces and 11 complications, it is one of the most complex watches the brand has launched. While its design remains a classic, the Reverso has remained contemporary through a series of innovative adaptations over the years.

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Above Artistic creations on the Reverso caseback (Photo: Courtesy of Jaeger-LeCoultre)

The Reverso’s reputation continues to live in the cinematic arts, too, worn by Pierce Brosnan in The Thomas Crown Affair, Meryl Streep in The Iron Lady and Michael Douglas in Wall Street. It was also the watch of choice that advertising executive Don Draper, played by Jon Hamm, bought himself to celebrate a promotion in hit television series Mad Men, his company’s logo engraved on the case back. 

The blank canvas of the case back has played host to many artistic interpretations over the years, from a route map of Earhart’s record-breaking flight to carbon-copy miniatures of famed artworks, including Katsushika Hokusai’s The Great Wave Off Kanagawa. 

While its origins may have been functional, the Reverso watch has become an iconic timepiece, celebrated over the last 90 years for its design and its composition in equal measure, with new iterations likely to continue to impress for the next 90.

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