The Reverso

The Watch That
Defines Attitude

(Legend) It all began with a shard. A small, inconspicuous crack in the glass casing of a watch on a polo field in colonial India. A moment of carelessness, a fleeting movement—and yet the origin of a timepiece that would come to mean far more than simply measuring time. The year was 1931 when Swiss businessman César de Trey started a revolution in the world of watches after an unsuccessful polo match. The glass of his chronograph, which had been shattered several times, demanded a solution. Thus, the idea was born to develop a watch whose case could be flipped over to protect the dial during the game. What initially sounded like a whim on the sidelines of a playing field laid the foundation for the creation of a 20th-century design icon.

De Trey’s idea of a reversible watch case to protect the sensitive glass during sporting activities was nothing less than ingenious. Back in Europe, he turned to his long-time friend Jacques-David LeCoultre. Together, they commissioned the Parisian engineer René-Alfred Chauvot to design the case. He immediately set to work and created a piece that would go on to make history.

The timepiece, soon to be known as the “Reverso”, was not simply a watch. It marked the beginning of a new era in the art of watchmaking that would forever change the world of luxury watches. It was a commitment to modernity, to clarity of form, to beauty derived from function. The departure from the classic round shape to a rectangular case was a strong aesthetic statement, considered revolutionary at the time.

A Manifesto of Modernity
In the 1930s, as the world gradually turned away from the ornamentation and stylistic opulence of the 19th century, the Reverso became a symbol of Art Deco—a style that helped shape the emergence of modernism. Clear lines, balanced proportions, and an emphatically geometric design language gave it the timeless elegance that still defines it today. The Reverso effortlessly combined formal rigor with subtle playfulness.

However, the true genius of the Reverso revealed itself on the reverse side. Wearers could decide for themselves whether it should face inwards to protect the dial or outwards to reveal another facet. The case became a canvas for engravings, monograms, or very personal emblems. The Reverso was therefore not only a technical masterpiece, but also a profoundly personal object that placed the individuality of the wearer at the center. It became a symbol of style consciousness and discretion, of taste without ostentation. Not a luxury object in the classic sense—rather one that did not impose itself, that unfolded with subtlety and grace.

A Reliable Companion
The Reverso quickly found its place on the wrists of the new, mobile, and cultivated elite of the 1930s. It was the accessory of travelers, diplomats, artists, and thinkers—people with a keen sense of beauty and function who had no desire to flaunt it publicly. The Reverso matured at a time when elegance was no longer meant to be loud, but quiet, reserved, and refined. It appealed to both men and women, something not taken for granted at the time. In an era when design was often gendered, the Reverso was a pioneer of cross-gender elegance, perhaps because it uniquely united opposites. It was both masculine and feminine, strict and sensual, technical and poetic. This combination of seemingly contradictory qualities made it the perfect companion for people of modernity—an era in which airplanes crossed the Atlantic, jazz conquered the radio, and life was on its way to becoming ever faster and more global. And while the world changed at a breath-taking pace, the Reverso remained a reliable constant.

The Jaeger-LeCoultre watchmaking house, from whose workshops this groundbreaking watch emerged, has always been a symbol of the highest craftsmanship and technical innovation. From its base in the tranquil Vallée de Joux in the heart of the Swiss Alps, the company has earned a reputation as a creator of technical masterpieces. Showiness has always been a foreign concept to Jaeger-LeCoultre. Instead, the company strives to combine the highest precision with aesthetic appeal in every watch. Whether the Duoplan from 1925, the legendary Calibre 101 from 1929, or the almost magical Atmos clock—all of these inventions expressed a philosophy in which functionality and beauty harmoniously merged without the influence of external trends or fashion fluctuations. The Reverso was key to this spirit.

Here to Stay
Internally, the Reverso was an engineering masterpiece, capable of more than met the eye. However, what set it apart was not just the technology; it was how the design itself became the narrative. No line was drawn by chance: the gently rounded lugs, the clear interplay of geometry and elegance—each detail was so precisely thought out that the Reverso earned a permanent place in the world of art and craftsmanship.

With the turmoil of World War II and the political and social upheavals of the post-war period, the Reverso briefly disappeared from public view. Its return was marked—not as a nostalgic relic, but as a contemporary reinterpretation of its original vision. In the 1980s, its renaissance began as the world of luxury watches was taking a new direction. New dials, day/night indicators, tourbillons, enamel art, lacquer work, and engravings—the Reverso evolved, but never forgot its roots. It remained what it had always been: a watch that did not try to please, but to fascinate. Its true strength lay in not adapting to the Zeitgeist, but in shaping it.

Preserving the Spirit
Although the Reverso was created in 1931 as a functional solution to a specific problem, the watch still bears the spirit of that era—a time when architecture, fashion, technology, and art merged to create a new style that still resonates today. The Reverso continues this spirit by incorporating historical colors and shapes into its newest models—black like lacquer, green like jade, blue like the evening gown of the avant-garde—telling stories from another era.

Those who wear a Reverso today do not do so to follow a fashion trend. It is not a vogue, nor a pose. It is an original—timeless, authentic, and always committed to itself. This is precisely what makes it an everlasting—and yet self-contained—symbol of a century in motion.