Emerged at the height of the art deco, its rectangular and rotating case was conceived to protect the watch crystal from possible blows during polo matches. The businessman César de Trey raised this situation with Jacques-David LeCoultre and together they hired René-Alfred Chauvot to reimagine a basic object of the men’s wardrobe, attending to very specific needs.
The result became an icon for Swiss watchmaking for a long list of reasons. First of all, its golden ratio-inspired design is an immediate focus of attention. Its balanced rectangular case –created from more than 50 individual components– and its unmistakable horizontal gallons became hallmarks that have remained unchanged over the years and quietly tell an important part of its history.
The case’s extraordinary swivel design – fitting perfectly into the integral case and offering no hint of slippage – and its subtle triangular lugs seem to flow into the attractive strap.
The original model featured a black dial with indices that contrasted against that background color, thus setting it apart from all the models that other brands were designing at the time.
Aesthetic variations began to emerge soon after its launch, with boldly colored dials made to order in deep red, chocolate brown, burgundy or blue. And, of course, there was the fact that the in-house watchmakers had to redesign the shape of the calibers to fit the case. To this day, more than 90 years later, more than 50 calibers have been developed and built for the Reverso range in the Joux Valley.
Designed to respond to a practical need, the back of the Reverso is a blank canvas that offers the opportunity for home artisans to show their mastery of techniques such as engraving, enamelling or painting, but also for owners of customize their watches as they wish.
Another option is to have a second face, giving a second expression of time using a secondary time zone (Duoface) or the same time in another style (Duetto). In this way, whoever wears a Reverso watch can adapt it to any context or occasion.
Although some of the most modern versions of the Reverso incorporate different watchmaking complications, its success lies not so much in the complexity of its mechanisms, but in the value of its ingenious conception and perfect execution.
This perfect synthesis of function and form has succeeded in transcending a utilitarian purpose and has earned a place in its own right in demanding watchmaking circles. But nothing that can be written compares to the pleasure of sliding the case on its axis and feeling the click that is generated when it is locked in position. Some privileges are only reserved for the dolls of connoisseurs.