The Jaeger-LeCoultre Reverso, created in 1931, characterised the art deco period in its streamlined, rectangular silhouette. It was famously designed to withstand the rigours of a polo match. The answer was a dial that flips right over, out of harm’s way, leaving the caseback showing instead.
A pinnacle of technical accomplishment and clean design, the Reverso epitomised the principles of both form and function.
Now, a new book released to coincide with the 90th anniversary of the Reverso looks at the watch’s history, tracing its journey through more than 50 movements and several hundred dial designs. The timepiece’s blank metal reverse side allows for bespoke adornment and, over the years, has been embellished with gemstones, engravings and enamel, for example. This scope for personalisation, one of the Reverso’s key attributes, continues to add to its popularity today. As author Nicholas Foulkes points out: ‘Much has changed since the 1930s, but for owners, now as then, the Reverso caseback remains a place where stories are told, emotions are expressed, and memories are stored.’
INFORMATION
Jaeger-LeCoultre Reverso, by Nicholas Foulkes, is published by Assouline
jaeger-lecoultre.com
assouline.com
-
Seven kitchens, one fire: inside LA’s hottest new food marketAt Maydan Market, chef Rose Previte turns global street food and layered design into a vibrant, fire-lit experience
-
Zegna’s exclusive new perfume is legacy in a bottleIl Conte, of which only 300 (refillable) bottles exist, evokes the early 20th-century office of company founder Ermenegildo Zegna, still preserved in an Alpine mansion
-
A new American airline hopes to bridge the worlds of private aviation and business classMagnifica Air’s Airbuses have acres of space, private suites and white-glove treatment for your precious luggage, coming soon to a route near you
-
Vacheron Constantin unveils the Historiques 222 to mark 45 years since the model’s launchVacheron Constantin restates its place in the pantheon of ‘sports chic’ watches
-
This Timex retro quartz watch is straight from the 1970sThe Q Timex 1972 Reissue watch stays faithful to the design codes of the original
-
Classic meets cool in Nomos Glashütte’s platinum grey watch designTwo new Tangente Neomatik watches draw on Nomos Glashütte’s clean German design codes
-
Girard-Perregaux goes back to the future with rethought Casquette watchGirard-Perregaux pays tribute to its original 1970s watch with the new and updated Casquette 2.0
-
G-Shock marks 40 years of youth culture with limited-edition watchG-Shock and the Museum of Youth Culture look to the archives for the new GW-M5610MOYC-1ER watch
-
Ten watch brands mark Mr Porter’s anniversary with special editionsTen watch brands, including Cartier, Jaeger-LeCoultre, Vacheron Constantin and Bell & Ross, are celebrating Mr Porter’s tenth anniversary in style
-
Atelier Oï’s Louis Erard watch is inspired by a minimalist sundialAtelier Oï has rethought the Louis Erard Le Régulateur watch with a minimalist dial, engraved as if with rays of light
-
Nomos Autobahn watch is rethought by designer Werner AisslingerThree new models make up the Nomos Autobahn Director’s Cut Limited Edition watch series, in motoring-inspired hues
