E.mmanuel Macron likes rectangular watches, as many press photos and TV pictures show. The French President should also appreciate the Jaeger-LeCoultre Reverso. Not least for patriotic reasons. After all, the reversible case was patented in Paris 90 years ago, and the classic watch is now being celebrated there – in a pop-up museum very close to the Elysée Palace.
Monsieur le Président could just drop by during his lunch break. Although we wouldn’t advise him to do that. Because, in our opinion, at least two hours are necessary to really understand the exhibition, which will be open until Christmas Eve. Anyone considering an additional offer such as a small watchmaking course or a visit to the Art Deco café on the fourth floor should plan a lot more time. After all, it is important to discover one of the most versatile watches in the world.
Because of its origins and popularity, the Reverso is actually a very European watch, but according to the Jaeger-LeCoultre annals, its history began in India in 1930, where polo was very popular at the time. Because polo sticks and flying balls are dangerous for the watch glasses common at the time, the story goes that a polo player asked the watch manufacturer from the Swiss Jura to develop a watch whose glass was effectively protected during the game. So the idea of a reversible case came up relatively quickly, which, thanks to the French engineer René-Alfred Chauvot, also took shape. He put a total of 17 drafts on paper before the design was applied for a patent on March 4, 1931 in Paris.
This is the beginning of a success story because the reversible case inspired artists, artisans, designers and watchmakers alike. Finally, the back of the watch, which can be made visible with a thumb press on the left side of the case, also wanted to be recorded. In the simplest case, it is decorated with an engraved monogram of the owner. No, we don’t gender here. Depending on the design, the Reverso is a women’s or men’s watch that invites creative people to let off steam. Engravers, guillocheurs, gemstone setters, enamellers and miniature painters will find their playing fields on the solid back of the Art Deco style housing. All of these handicrafts are still cultivated in the Jaeger-LeCoultre factory to this day.
To celebrate its 90th birthday, the manufactory launched the Tribute collection, which combines three of these handicrafts. While the guilloché dials were deliberately kept simple in a fine gray-blue or green, important works of European art history are visible on the back, which were considered lost for decades, reappeared a few years ago and were declared genuine. Specifically, these are the painting “View of Lake Geneva” (1876) by Gustave Courbet, “Sunset at Montmajour” (1888) by Vincent van Gogh and “Portrait of a Woman” (1917) by Gustav Klimt. These works were reproduced by miniature painters with an unbelievable wealth of detail on the white gold cases and made durable using the technique of Grand Feu enamelling. Each of these watches is limited to ten copies at a unit price of 108,000 euros.
Jaeger-LeCoultre is not only artistic, but above all creative and innovative in watchmaking. This is demonstrated by 49 movements specially developed for the Reverso, which can be seen in a showcase on the second floor of the exhibition, including minute repeaters, perpetual calendars and the gyrotourbillon that rotates around two axes. It is perfectly clear that such resourceful designers quickly came up with the idea of using the reversible case to develop movements with two dials. That in itself is difficult because the movement only turns in one direction, but the hands on both sides of the dial have to move in opposite directions.
A larger-than-life model shows watch enthusiasts interested in technology how it works. And because two dials are not enough for some, the developers came up with the Reverso Hybris Mechanica Caliber 185 Quadriptyque with four dials. For this purpose, the two sides of the retaining plate were also equipped with displays, which are transmitted from the clockwork in the reversible case via a complex transmission mechanism. For this fabulous watch, however, a fabulous 1.6 million euros are due. That would be a notable issue even for Emmanuel Macron.
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