Cover The Jaeger LeCoultre Reverso 1931 timepiece in a leather strap (Photos: Jaeger-LeCoultre)

A story told in four parts, here's how the Jaeger-LeCoultre Reverso became one of the most iconic timepieces

There have been few timepieces that have enjoyed such popularity and longevity as the emblematic Jaeger-LeCoultre Reverso. This year marks the 90th anniversary of the iconic collection, which is a celebration of form and function. Over the past 90 years, the Jaeger-LeCoultre Reverso has consistently reinvented itself with countless iterations that demonstrate the brand's ingenious watchmaking prowess, as well as its top-notch artistry. This begs the question—how did this timepiece attain this iconic status?

Read more: Here’s What Goes Into Jaeger-LeCoultre’s Reverso Watches, According to Design Director Lionel Favre

The History of an Icon

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Photo 1 of 3 The original copy of the Jaeger-LeCoultre Reverso design's patent
Photo 2 of 3 The original figure designs for the Reverso Case
Photo 3 of 3 The original designs for the mechanisms of the timepiece

In 1930, entrepreneur César de Trey was travelling through India and noticed that many British army officers had picked up the game of polo. Desiring a wristwatch that could be worn on the polo fields without damaging the glass, Trey sought out Jacques-David LeCoultre and René-Alfred Chauvot to design and produce a wristwatch that would not be destroyed by the impact of the mallet. The solution by the intrepid watchmakers? A swivel case that allows the watch face to be flipped over.

Over a year later, a patent had been filed for Chauvot's design and the world saw its first swivelling case wristwatch created and sold. Dubbed the Jaeger-LeCoultre Reverso, this timepiece was a beautiful amalgamation of form and function. Not only was it the most inventive watch for its time—a wristwatch capable of flipping the watchface inwards into its cradle to reveal a polished steel back—but it also proffered a design that was eternally modern. 

It was an instant success, not just amongst polo players for its functionality, but also with tastemakers as it was a stylish piece of iconography that reflected the times with its Art Deco-infused elements.

The Unforgettable Aesthetic

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Above The Jaeger-LeCoultre Heritage Reverso 1937 featuring a blue lacquer coloured hands and dial
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Above The Jaeger-LeCoultre Heritage Reverso 1933 with a gold case, hands and indices with a cordonnet bracelet

Distinguished not only by its inventive function, Jaeger-LeCoultre's Reverso collection possesses an indelible style that makes it easily recognisable. Its signature rectangular all-steel—also available in gold or even a bi-metal case that featured a gold case with steel cradle—cases with soft edges project an aura that is both sleek and refined. The case is elevated by the gadroons strips, that have come to be characteristic of Reverso timepieces. This is then completed by the use of designs patterned after the Art Deco movement—with its use of sleek geometric shapes and stylised form, it was a representation of the modernity of its time. 

In another first, Jaeger-LeCoultre pioneered the use of a black dial with contrasting indexes on the Reverso (something that was unheard of in the 1930s). While the world of watchmaking was focused on the use of silvered dials back then, the Reverso series dared to be different. It wasn't soon before long that made to order dials of colour came to be a part of the Reverso series, with choices like bright red, chocolate brown, and even blue lacquer dials. It comes as no surprise that the Reverso would come in an array of iterations. Whether it was made into pendants or worn on a cordonnet bracelet, the Reverso signature design holds an undeniably unique presence. 

Read more: Kim Woo-Bin is Jaeger-LeCoultre’s New Brand Ambassador

Unparalleled Craftsmanship

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Above One of the many artisans engraving the initials of brand ambassador Nicholas Hoult's initials onto the case's back

The Jaeger-LeCoultre Reverso has been the canvas for increasingly ingenious complications over the years, but its enduring success also lies in the craftsmanship required to achieve this level of superlative watchmaking. 

There is no finer expression of the impeccable craftsmanship in Jaeger-LeCoultre Reverso timepieces than the pleasurable tactile feel of the reversible case gliding on its carriers into its satisfying lock. It is an elegance of function that can only be achieved through the meticulous work of the craftsmen that assemble these watches. In fact, the polished steel case back presented itself as a blank canvas rife with opportunities for customisation, which only added to the appeal of the Reverso. From Nicholas Hoult, actor and the marque's most recent ambassador to Amelia Earhart, the case's back has been a way to commemorate milestones with a customised design. 

As such, Jaeger-LeCoultre is one of the few watch Manufactures to have an in-house enamelling atelier, which as of 2016 has been folded into a vast studio of artisans, the Atelier des Métiers Rares, featuring artisans of various skills, from enamel artists to guillochage masters.

Innovation and Iterations

Above Bedazzled by the mechanical beauty that is the Hybris Mechanica, Jaeger-LeCoultre's most technical timepiece

Innovation has always been a key part of the Reverso Story. This year alone marks a great milestone for the Swiss manufacture as they introduced the Reverso Hybris Mechanica Calibre 185 Quadriptyque, the marque's most complicated and technical watch to date. It not only honours its storied heritage but also features innovations across the many Reverso iterations. 

Made up of over 800 parts that create its movement, the Jaeger-LeCoultre Reverso Hybris Mechanica Calibre 185 Quadriptyque, can certainly be considered a pièce de résistance for the Reverso series. Not only does the timepiece possess four faces—made up of the two sides of the swivelling case and its cradle respectively—it boasts over 11 complications which include the tourbillon, a minute repeater, and an instantaneous perpetual calendar. It is truly a summation of the marque's innovations through the decades. 

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Reverso Classic Medium Duetto
Above The Jaeger-LeCoultre Reverso Duetto Medium in pink gold set with diamonds on a taupe alligator strap
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The Jaeger-LeCoultre Reverso One Cordonnet Duetto Jewellery
Above The Jaeger-LeCoultre Reverso One Cordonnet Jewellery with a diamond set cordonnet bracelet

Alongside the release of the Jaeger-LeCoultre Reverso Hybris Mechanica are the Reverso Duetto Medium and Reverso One Cordonnet Jewellery—timepieces that showcase the duo aesthetic expression proffered of all Duoface pieces. 

Beginning with the Reverso Duetto Medium, we see a tributary reimagining of the beloved Reverso Duoface, cut in a more slender case for casting a graceful silhouette. The beloved gadroons of the Reverso are jazzed up by the inlay of diamonds, bringing about a feminine and delicate appeal. Similarly, the Reverso One Cordonnet Jewellery shares its approach with the Duetto Medium but with a greater show of dexterous craftsmanship with diamonds set not only on the gadroons but also on its watchface, case and cordonnet bracelet. 

With such dazzling timepieces being created time and time again from its ingenious concept of a reversible case, it's little wonder that the Jaeger-LeCoultre Reverso has enjoyed its longevity and iconic status. 

Read more: Jaeger-LeCoultre Launches Art Deco-Inspired 1931 Café

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