Inside The History And Archives Of The Jaeger-LeCoultre Reverso

do you remember your first memory with watches it was actually that exhibition from 1991 I was less than 80 years old I remember I visited the exhibition I understood what was a reversal and that was my first contact with the 60th anniversary reversal exhibition 6th anniversary in Italy that we're talking about exactly my grandfather was working for the Italian dist distributor of Jer odmrp and Vashon canten and he was taking care of the north of Italy so this was mid-50s at the end of the 50s the Distribution Company closed and they asked my grandfather whether he wanted to take one of the three brands for distribution for the whole of Italy and out of the three he chose Jer because it was the manufacturer and Jer was already supplying the two brands with movements and other components so the choice for him was obvious and he chose JRA in 1931 the reverso was born out of necessity it wasn't just another watch it was a solution L Colt's head of commercial at the time Cesar betre took a trip to India and while there saw troops from the British military playing Polo while wearing the wrist watches looking for a way to to protect their time pieces during matches this sparked an idea that would have the cult engineer meet the challenge headon crafting a case that could flip over to Shield its delicate dial I'll watch that kid endure a polo match without losing its Elegance this was more than just a clever design it was a statement you see here this extension is 1866 it was stuck to the original building where we welcome each other then this was added in 1888 and this operated most of 1950 60 until it was decided to create this building that came to life in the 70s and there is another one that comes in front that was added also in around the year 200000 for a total of 25,000 square meters this is Matthew S jeer La cult's product and Heritage director he'll take us behind the scenes to explore what makes the reverso not just a watch but an enduring symbol of innovation and tradition uh the time when we started making watches in the late 1920s was a time marked by Design movement which was called the Ardo it was breaking from the aruo which was a lot of runess and the Aro is really governed by Form full function and it impacts not only on Art but on designs on the way people were writing on the way we were advertising on on architecture of course the reversal is really true to the AR Eco period because it came with the stad lines the Purity in the design which was really modern and really breakthrough at the time it's obviously the defining feature of the reverso case the swivel design and you pulled out for us actually a copy of the original patent which is dated March 1931 it looks like a few months after that we tasked a Casemaker company from Geneva which was called Wenger to create the case of the reversal that could swivel itself and show a a close case back and this case also has this signature with the gunes so those three straight lines on top of the case which really marked the Ardo and sort of elongated the case one of the defining features of these first generation reversal was a stainless steel case created with staybrite an early stainless steel alloy designed to prevent corrosion the dial was another strong feature of the time a black dial indices instead of numerals in simple hands Jer lult dubbed the combination the dial of the future on the dial was only written reversal that was the defining feature on this watch because well first Jer and L didn't exist and at the time what we really wanted to put in front were the watches the model of the watches the reversal really to sell the reversal as something sort of a revolution in fine watch making we've got sort of the standard size here about 39 by 23 mm I think 39 yeah but it was also from the beginning offered in a smaller size so always sort of intended with with men and ladies in I suppose so the smaller size was 33 mm and uh as this was really rectangular design with the golden ratio in mind this was a little thinner more elongated a bit more feminine in a sense and also more often made of yellow gold it was a success from the very beginning but when it was launched they wanted to go so fast that L didn't have a proper caliber to place in the watch at this time watch making was not thinking in house and so if we didn't have something in house we would buy it elsewhere but in two years in 1933 they were able to develop the loal caliber to F in the reverso the first one was called 410 they now feature a second either a small second or a central second the Dows are always the same in essence with the buttons the indexes but there are some other reverso with different dials the do reverso with the central second it was called the do reverso because the central second all you to calculate the pulse most of them now are branded L until 1937 and in 1937 in the early 30s jacqu David L partnered with Edmund Sher a Visionary in watchmaking design to create a workshop called specialty horology dedicated to crafting High precision movements for the world's most prestigious Brands Jac de's technical Ingenuity and Edmund's Creative Vision paved the way for the brands transformation by 1937 this Union was formalized as a jela cult solidifying its identity as a fully integrated manufacturer capable of every aspect of watchmaking all Under One Roof black lequer hands figures white or luminous blue red or brown dials on requests as I said the black dial is extremely clear and the time can be easily read it has a great future ahead which is a bit of a different translation as the French in France they were even more um optimistic about this black dial they were saying this is the dial of the future one of the most captivating aspects of the early reverso models was the variety of dial designs Jer lult offered they were expressions of style precision and individuality designed to appeal to a range of tastes but perhaps the most Personal Touch of the ver or so came from the blank canvas of the case back owners could engrave initials family crests or even intricate designs over time jera cult elevated this tradition offering Exquisite enamel finishes that transformed the reverso into a wearable work of art probably one of the rarest reversal and uh that was worn by the very famous Douglas Mar Arthur I have to say as someone who remembers the Douglas MacArthur reverso appearing at auction maybe 10 years ago or so I was really excited when you pulled this one out one of the most important from a personal provenance perspective at least uh vintage revers to see this was also done directly by the Casemaker and all the CRS or the initial that were made by the Casemaker have been you know archives in this book so we can follow it along and when the Casemaker stopped making a reversal case in the late 40s early 50s we could gather these crests and find inspiration in these books you've also got a couple of really beautiful enamel work watches that show a completely different side of Jer lol's craftsmanship and ability to do things besides just engraving here so the anel is quite an incredible story and enameling was a very important craft in Geneva but it was made for pocket watches so it was much bigger so that to miniaturize it to fit on the back of a reversal which is really small the first reversal were sold actually to the military that were in India and they were invited to the court of some maras and they showed the reversal and one Maharaja fell in love and commissioned the manufacturer to have the reversal enamel with the portrait of his wife because miniature are actually a thing of India and Asia miniature portrait are really important this watch was actually found in the 199 is by a German pilot from lenza on a trip to Mumbai he found it in a shop he bought it and later sold it at Dr crot auction house and we were able to buy it the enameling is so vivid and looks like it has been done yesterday it's most likely the most important watch that is held today in the 3,000 watches that we have in our Museum in its early years the reverso captured the imagination of watch enthusiasts around the world but with the outbreak of World War II priorities shifted and the watch industry turned its focus to practicality and round watches leaving the reversa to fade quietly into the background by the 1970s it seemed the reverso might remain a relic of the past maybe someday all watches will be made this way the watch industry had made a major shift at the courtz crisis as inexpensive mass-produced courtz watches disrupted traditional mechanical watchmaking but it was precisely during this challenging period that the corvo family led by Georg o corvo recognized the enduring value of the reverso his unwavering belief in its Timeless design played a key role in rescuing it from obscurity setting the stage for its return at that time orders were taken in a much different way so there was buzzle world of course but uh Distributors were often coming to the manufacturer uh to talk with the management with the watchmakers and to see whether they could create something specifically for their Market we're talking changing dials Changing Hands not creating something from scratch and my grandfather found uh in some drawers apparently with some of the technicians 200 reversal cases that were lying there from the 30s and he asked Jer if they could uh produce those watches for him and initially they said no because they didn't have movements they didn't have dials so the only thing they had were those 200 cases of stay bright steel he managed to enclose a movement of the ovetto so the oval mve movement the caliber 840 in one of those cases with a circle otage that had been made in Milano by our watchmakers so he showed Jer that it could have been done after some back and forth they agreed to recreate and reproduce those 200 reverses how was he received by the Swiss watchmaker at that time at the beginning they were reluctant but he managed to convince them and they said okay we do this 200 pieces but then we don't want to to hear about this anymore you know they thought they'd be done with you after that huh yeah exactly they thought they'd be done thanks to the corvo family's dedication The reverso Returned stronger than ever blending modern Innovations with its classic art deco charm it was a testament to the appeal of the reverso enduring design a new dial was also designed for the corvo reverso a beautiful white or gray signed Shera cult 100 of each color the Roman numerals in particular set the Great St apart from most other rsos corvo managed to sell all 200 watches in less than 3 months the sucess have been so immediate that uh in the end they wanted to rework on it and it happened in the years after when they re engineered the case and they put back in production to watch Matthew brought something out for you yopo it says uh I might as well have you say it because it says it in Italian Camp italan 1979 basically a distributor's work was not only to do the commercial part but but also to take care of the marketing the pr the after sale and this was advertising magazines and newspapers in Italy like Panorama I saw vog in there I know a lot of the pages are focused on the reverso not exclusively but I I assume that speaks to that being the popular watch at the time especially for jera col in Italy absolutely the end of the 70s were a turning point when the new reversal case came out everybody started to want a reversal and especially at the end of the 70s the 80s were the years where the trend became more and more popular among watch collectors in Italy and you know Italian collectors have always been very refined like classic shapes uh slim watches and reversal was just perfect for them over the next few years jera col worked with other case manufacturers to make a new case for the reversa this era often features a quartz movement and is identifiable at a glance only having two gons instead of three the the first attempt at a new case was not so sturdy however and the complexity of the swivel design prevented the casemakers from producing them quickly the case of the reversal is probably as complex as a caliber offer watch so when the success of the reversal was there in the 70s we said how are we going to make cases again and this was the the the great challenge in the late 7s and the early 80s for so the case was fully engineer in house and this was much more complex than the original case and a system of swiveling which is much more sturdy and resilient and the first born of these watches was this case which is called the reversal classic it has the same dimension of the original reversal so 39 mm what is different there is that they started with a new dial which now we call the classic dial which has numerals keeps the rail track but numerals in black on a white dial completely breaks with the watches of the 30s which had indexes and color DS like those original watches from the 1930s though alongside the classique also released smaller reversal and on bracelets too and this is called Dam lady in French it is a smaller size but it keeps the same rectangular ratio and famously those two watches were equipped with caliber 846 which is an evolution of the corvo used caliber also very small when you see them extremely thin and uh extremely well made the 1990s then became the golden age for the reverso with the introduction of the larger Grand Tha High reverso case a more versatile model that brought the reverso back to the Forefront of watchmaking and to go along with it a new movement in the caliber 822 a design very reminiscent of the early caliber 410 from the 1930s 199 1 marked the 60th anniversary of the reverso and to celebrate Jer Le col began adding complications to the watch for the first time the revers means 60th in French this was the first reversal with the complications the complication was a power Reserve because of course this is manual winding and from the 60th came a great generation of every other year the history complications of watchmaking reinvented for reversal in the same size of the GR case so 43 mm started with the power reserve the T the minute repeater the chronograph the geographic which is a great complication of and the pet calendar in the year 2000 all limited to 500 pieces this series of six watches in particular are real collector's items limited editions in Gold hard to find nowadays and a set of collectors really go crazy for them whenever they do appear I think it Illustrated that J could use the reverso to display something on obviously the dial side but obviously the flip side as well and you do that throughout the catalog not just with collector's items like that and I think that's what we've got on this last tray here to really show how complications and complicated watchmaking began to proliferate throughout the reversal catalog breing complication on reversal also gave us this revolutionary idea at least for reversal is to feature a second dial on the back of the watch because because the watch had been thought to protect itself but with the unbreakable safer Crystal we were now able to have a watch that was swivel and to offer another complication on the back and in 1995 we created the reversal Duo face and this has completely changed the way reversal was seen reversal was appreciated and for us has created a blue ocean of creativity because now we were able to feature the three-dimensionality of the watch has been known from 1850 to the 1930s as the watchmaker of watchmaker and the king of complications Making triple complications pocket watches or minita chronograph calendar for the greatest name out there but then the reversal came and reversal didn't have a complications reversal was in the height of the Artic code time 19 72 was really the ignition and I think we owe to the corvo family and georgo corvo a lot in tough time you usually succeed in doing what you do best and I think foral it's probably to innovate it's definitely two stories coming together and creating the legacy of J today I wanted to ask because as you speak I'm catching a glimpse of the white dial corvo reverso of course the first time I've ever seen one do you have any idea what went into the thought behind the design of those dials to be honest absolutely no and I never I never really spoke with my grandfather about it because uh he passed away in 97 and I was still 13 years old my passion for watches was developed afterwards and I wish I could have talked to him and understand what went into his mind you know I have my father's Legacy and memories but they're for sure different compared to what my grandfather could have said or could have uh uh the insights that that he could have told me you know I wish the reverso journey is a testament to creativity and resilience from its birth as a solution for polo players to its Revival through the corvo family's Vision it has transcended its Origins to become a true icon Jer cult's ability to unite technical Innovation with Timeless design ensures that the reversal Remains Not Just a watch but a testament to the art of watchmaking