Jaeger-LeCoultre Reverso - History of an Icon
The Jaeger-LeCoultre is a legend that arose from a practical need. In the early 1930s, Swiss businessman César De Trey, stumbled upon a match between British Army officers in India. One of the players approached him with a request to create a timepiece robust enough to survive the brutality of their sport. A year later, the Jaeger-LeCoultre Reverso was born.
When Cesar De Trey returned to Paris, he partnered with Jacques-David LeCoultre, the brand’s owner at the time, to solve the polo player’s request. The slick solution they landed on was a watch with a case that could flip. On one side was a precious glass crystal, the other made of plain unadorned steel that could take a beating. This was one of the first sport watches, a piece built not for elegant sit-down dinners but meant to take a day-to-day beating and aid racers, divers, explorers, or in this case, polo players.
The manufacturer LeCoultre patented the concept of ‘a watch that is able to slide out of its frame and turn around completely’ on March 4, 1931. Using grooves, pins and a locking mechanism, the central part of the case can rotate 180 degrees. This is not only a practical construction but also an aesthetically elegant design as it gives the watch both a very casual and dressed face and a robust, plain caseback for sport purposes.
Not only did the swiveling case keep the watch safe during the polo matches, it also provided easy access to blank space to engrave on. Thanks to that innovation, the watch was an immediate hit.
An unconventional icon, Reverso is a timeless design with elegant dials and the famous reversible case that offers room for either individual engravings or insights into the mechanics. With numerous editions since its first creation in 1931, Jaeger-LeCoultre proves its ability to create cult objects and demonstrates that Reverso lives and breathes. Even when taking some more varied forms and complicated displays, it hasn’t lost its original attraction.
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