For the next twelve months Jaeger-LeCoultre will be celebrating the mighty Reverso – an 85-year-old bona-fide icon that deserves a place in any serious watch collection.
JLC announced a range of Reversos at SIHH earlier this year, but more importantly they announced a restructure of the entire Reverso line. Their aim – to evolve the collection while staying true to their history.
The Reverso has been distilled into three, established stylistic impressions: the Reverso Classic, the Reverso Tribute and the Reverso One.
The Reverso is now divided into the Classic, the One and the Tribute collections.
The Reverso Classic collection remains reassuringly seductive, staying true to the art deco styling that’s always defined the model. Available in three sizes, all are scaled using the Golden Ratio to ensure harmonious and comfortable proportions. Though the faces are familiar, the Classic collection sees updated cases with reworked lugs, making them slimmer and more subtle. As the name suggests, it truly is a classic design, looking great on both men and women.
The Reverso One collection is designed with women in mind, with the more petite models revisiting the elongated case shapes of the 1930s.
And last (but certainly not least), the Reverso Tribute collection draws inspiration from the original models of Jaeger-LeCoultre’s heritage, and will have a greater focus on complicated timepieces, such as the Tribute Calendar. The mainstay, though, is the new Tribute Duo, a steel-cased watch with – you guessed it – two faces. The front dial is white with a fine opaline pattern, while the reverse features a second time zone dial in a fantastic blue Clous de Paris guilloche pattern, with an additional 24-hour day/night indicator.
One of the main appeals of dual faced Reversos is that you get two watches in one, and that’s very much the case here; the white and the blue dials are equally elegant, but also very individual. Whichever you choose, the dark blue alligator strap works well, contrasting nicely against the front dial, and providing a tonal match with the back dial. The dauphine-style hands are razor sharp, a nod to the historical aesthetics of the Reverso collection, whilst executed in a very modern way.
The beautiful opaline dial of the Tribute Duo.
At 42.8mm x 25.5mm, the Duo’s case sits between the medium and large Reverso Classic models, and while it will look great on most men’s wrists, it’s a lot less unisex than the other Classics. The watch is powered by JLC’s manually wound in-house Calibre 845A/2, a dual time movement with 45 hours of power reserve.
The Reverso Tribute Duo is a discreet, yet distinctive watch, and a welcome addition to the JLC family. It’s a smart design that pays homage to the Reverso’s rich past in a very contemporary package.
Jaeger-LeCoultre Reverso Tribute Duo 85th Anniversary Australian pricing
The JLC Reverso Tribute Duo 85th Anniversary has an indicative RRP of $16,200.
