The Reverso is, in essence, one of the very first sports wristwatches.
Despite its refined and elegant appearance, it combined utility with a sleek Art Deco exterior that has become an icon of horological design. But in the case of the Reverso, looks deceive.
Though the model appears at first glance a dress watch, it owes its existence to the gentlemanly sport of polo. While touring India in the early 1930s, Swiss businessman César de Trey met a British polo player who'd just cracked the crystal of his watch on the field. De Trey returned to Switzerland with an idea already taken root in his head, which he then discussed with Jacques-David LeCoultre: What if a watch could be made with a case that could reverse?
The reversible case, masterminded by designer Alfred Chauvot, was Jaeger-LeCoultre's solution to the problems polo players faced on the field. Once reversed, the delicate components of the case were protected from the shocks sustained while on horseback. No more would polo players crack the crystals or damage the dials of their watches. Chauvot took out a patent for the Reverso in March 1931. Produced chiefly in steel, Jaeger-LeCoultre also released the Reverso in gold, and decorated the case back with engravings or even miniature portraits.
The particular Reverso we have here is a Duo Day/Night model. Rather than featuring a time-only dial on one side of the reversible case and a plain back on the reverse, it instead has two dials — one with home time, and the other with a second time zone and a 24-hour display. Housed in a 26mm x 42mm yellow gold case with sapphire crystals, and a signed yellow gold crown, it features a white guilloché dial with black painted Arabic numerals and a matching blued-steel sword handset. The reverse features a lovely, deep brown guilloché dial with luminous quadrant Arabic and a matching sword handset. Powered by a manually-wound Jaeger-LeCoultre movement, it comes paired to a beautiful yellow gold bracelet.
In excellent condition, this Reverso from the 2000s is one of the most unique, wearable executions of the famed model that we’ve had the pleasure to carry in recent years. And of course, it’s perfectly suited to the modern traveler.