It’s all too easy to fall out of shape, isn’t it? Life can take us into an unplanned direction, and before we know it all we have left is a bloated midsection and glory-day mind reels that we play over and over.
The future appears only as bright as our best day in the past. If we’re lucky, we’re able to reconnect with purpose and passion and prepare to make history once again.
When the eightieth anniversary of the Jaeger-LeCoultre Reverso approached in 2011, everyone familiar with the company expected to see a special model to celebrate the renowned heritage of the line, just as it had done before.
Twenty years prior, in 1991, Jaeger-LeCoultre began the limited series of the Reverso with a 500-piece edition in honor of the Reverso’s sixtieth anniversary.
Ten years later we saw another limited edition of the Reverso Septantieme (meaning seventieth), which was yet larger and thicker, with an eight-day double-barrel movement. The platinum version showcased a magnificent guilloche dial.
The Reverso line continued to expand over the next decade into numerous case sizes and thicknesses. You might also recall the Squadra (Squared) Reverso model, with its many iterations and run of limited editions as well.
Diet needed
What had appeared in 1931 as a response to a request to protect the watch dial during a polo match was in 2010, seventy-nine years later, out of shape. Too many sizes, too many references. The individual branches of the Reverso tree were bountiful, but it was near impossible to connect them all to the roots.
Each and every individual Reverso would undoubtedly shine on the right wrist. But making that match was a daunting task for many. The chance that a retailer would carry enough of the references to sample was slim, and wrapping one’s head around the line-up required an overly lengthy lesson in Reverso. The heritage was certainly crisp, even integral, but the connection to it had begun to slip into the opaque.
It’s all too easy to fall out of shape, isn’t it? By 2010, the Reverso had done exactly that, its core strength now concealed.
Rebirth
The often-used “icon” with regard to the Reverso seemed at that point to be more of a question than a declaration, and a new focus was needed for the line to effectively—and organically–regain its form.
At the 2011 Salon International de la Haute Horology (SIHH), Jaeger-LeCoultre delivered with an eightieth anniversary Reverso that patently offered new life to the very identity of the icon. Unlike previous Reverso anniversary editions, the pivotal reference was not produced solely in precious metal or as a limited edition. That year’s Grande Reverso Tribute to 1931 jumped straight to the short list of best-in-show pieces, empowered by the connective language of the original Reverso.
The defining “Reverso”-only on the dial immediately solidified the line and accomplished two essentials in the process: 1) a core piece was established, from which a model line could evolve; and 2) Jaeger-LeCoultre proved it could restart the clock. The message is simple, and leaves no question of intent.
Following the production version of the watch, Jaeger-LeCoultre introduced a special U.S. Edition 1931, which took design cues from early Reverso models and whose patina dial conveyed the significance of historical inspiration. The U.S. Edition of the Tribute to 1931 was limited to 100 non-numbered pieces per year, and included a hand-stitched cordovan strap from the world-renowned Argentine bootmaker Casa Fagliano. With this piece, the brand honored the polo-inspired roots of the Reverso, and its design elements made it clear that the Reverso would continue to be informed by the rich heritage of the line.
In each of the four years since that 1931 re-edition, Jaeger-LeCoultre has infused the Reverso line with a renewed vigor, which in turn has only served to fortify the entire collection. Examples include:
-The Grande Reverso Ultra Thin Tribute to 1931 Rouge, whose vintage inspiration was believed to number fewer than 10 pieces in the entire 1930s.
-The Grande Reverso Ultra Thin Duoface Bleu, whose vintage counterpart first appeared in 1933, an example of which sold at auction in 2011 for about $68,000. This model features two time zones on two dials, powered by a single movement, and whose front-facing blue dial is true to the classic elements of the entire line.
Jaeger-LeCoultre International and Creative Marketing Director Stéphane Belmont said a few years ago that it takes patience and vision to allow a model line to develop. Four years after the eightieth anniversary of the Jaeger-LeCoultre Reverso, the results speak for themselves. Under the guidance of former CEO Jérôme Lambert and the valued input of an intensely focused design team, Jaeger-LeCoultre has cultivated an enduring foundation from which the Reverso can only continue to grow.
This year
And grow it did at the 2014 Salon International de la Haute Horlogerie watch fair in Geneva, where Jaeger-LeCoultre introduced the Grande Reverso Day & Night, powered by a new automatic caliber (967B), and a mere 9.14mm of ultra thinness.
In addition, the pink gold-only model with Chocolate dial was introduced, yet another contemporary bookend inspired by the brand’s deep heritage, this time from 1934. And later this year, we will see a modern version of the 1948 Reverso.
The foundational purity of the Reverso is so clearly expressed with each new model introduction, faithfully representing the design purity of the icon. In fact, the residual relationship of the Reverso is no longer measured model to model so much as it is collection to brand. Each piece integral, each piece connected. Consequently, we are unable to explore any one model without exploring the entire Reverso collection—and the brand—as a whole.
To put it simply, Jaeger-LeCoultre has returned the Reverso to form–and to the best shape of its life.