ReviewReversing Time – The Jaeger-LeCoultre Reverso Classic Duoface
The idea for the Reverso, Jaeger-LeCoultre’s iconic line of dual-faced watches, was born in 1930s Jodhpur after a player smashed his watch during a polo match.
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I was lucky to be a part of the no-holds-barred extravaganza put up in 2006 by Jaeger- LeCoultre, the fine watchmakers to celebrate the 75th anniversary of one of their most iconic products — the Reverso. And where else to celebrate than the place where the idea of the Reverso was born — Jodhpur? The early part of the 20th century in India was perhaps the heyday of polo, the ultimate equestrian discipline that takes place to the pounding hoofbeats of horses. It was the favorite sport of the maharajas of Rajputana and British military officers serving in India. And quite unwittingly, polo sparked off one of the greatest watchmaking achievements of the century. A watch made just for the blazingly swift game: the Reverso.
How did polo become, by chance, the cause of a great watchmaking invention? In 1930, a Swiss businessman named Cesar de Trey arrived in India on an extended tour and to visit friends. He was a close associate of Jacques-David LeCoultre, who turned Jaeger-LeCoultre into a world famous Haute Horlogerie brand. De Trey himself had just got into the distribution of luxury Swiss watches.
At the end of a polo game, one player showed him the smashed glass of his watch (sapphire crystal was yet to be developed) and challenged him to create a timepiece that would be sufficiently sturdy to survive the game undamaged.
The challenge was a sizeable one. This was because the previous models designed to protect the watch glass had sacrificed functionality for safety. Like all revolutionary designs, the new watch was the result of a simple idea that no one had previously thought of — turning the case over. Cesar de Trey entrusted the work to an engineer named Alfred Chauvot. On March 4, 1931, the company applied for a patent for ‘a watch capable of sliding into its base and of turning completely on its axis’. As a connoisseur of fine watches, Cesar de Trey knew that Jacques-David LeCoultre’s workshops were the only ones that had the necessary expertise and creativity to produce appropriately high quality movements. And it was at their Manufacture of the Vallee de Joux that the Reverso was born.
The Reverso is equipped in its own discreet way to stand up to hard knocks and its stainless steel case slides in its carrier and swivels completely over. Jaeger-LeCoultre has been linked to the world of polo ever since. In its history of over eight decades since its birth, the Reverso has hardly changed. Yes, there are extraordinarily elegant variations like the double-faced versions, effectively two watches in one, with an elegant but plain dial for daily wear, and a dressy face for evenings.
It is no easy task for Jaeger-LeCoultre to keep their bestselling model relevant and aspirational even after so many years. You can own one or you can own many, but each Reverso has a different story to tell.
The Reverso Classic Large Duo
To celebrate the 85th anniversary of the Maison in 2016, Jaeger-LeCoultre came up with its Classic Duo line in three sizes of small, medium and large. I will focus on the Large Duo in this column.
The inspiration still remains Art Deco with its geometrical case, straight Arabic numerals and the minute track in a well balanced case corresponding to ideal length and breadth ratio. The refinement comes from slimmer lugs which flow more smoothly over the wrist. Apart from being a stunningly good-looking watch available in steel (or pink gold), the watch sports an automatic movement unlike the mechanical hand-wound ones, which Reversos are normally fitted with.
Just imagine a watch with a second dial on the reverse side that can show a second-time-zone! That is the specialty of the Reverso Classic Large Duo where the Manufacture, with all its exclusive know-how, has developed and crafted a movement capable of displaying indications on two separate dials.
The unique calibre 969 beats at 4 Hz or 28,000 vibrations per hour making it a high performing movement. And just a single barrel is used to power the functions, keeping the size compact measuring only 4.77mm in height.
The front dial is brushed with a guilloché finish on white and sports a day/night indicator at 6 o’clock. The back dial is in black, bears large stamped hour-markers in a “clous de Paris” finish and displays “home time”. For those who are not familiar, the clous de Paris pattern is a high skill in dial making created by hollowed lines that crisscross to form tiny pyramidal shapes. The second dial also adds a surprise with the presence of the free-swinging oscillating weight at the centre. Also the Jaeger-LeCoultre anchor symbol replaces the traditional 12 o’clock hour-marker of the front dial.
For me the Classic Large Duo is not only one of the finest automatic timepieces available in the market today, it also offers two watches at the price of one.
What are your thoughts on this magnificent watch? let me know in the comments section below!
The Reverso Classic Duo is available at ethowatches.com.
