christianch provides a personal and detailed review of his Jaeger-LeCoultre Grande Reverso 1931 Seconde Centrale, celebrating a significant life milestone with this acquisition. He delves into the watch's design, its unique features like the central seconds hand and white gold case, and how it stands out within the Reverso 1931 family, offering a collector's perspective on its appeal despite some enthusiast reservations.
The Jaeger-LeCoultre Grande Reverso 1931 Seconde Centrale is the newest (and may be the last) iteration of the tribute to 1931 family. The original model that inspired
the Reverso 1931 Seconde Centrale was in fact born a few years later, in 1935.
Since the announcement of this new model in January 2015 I was immediately thrilled and captivated by the design and the fact that it was the first special edition (boutique only) in
white gold and the first Grand Reverso 1931 powered by an automatic movement (caliber 966 A).
Ironically the very fact that the watch is in white gold and not steel and the automatic movement made it a less desirable reverso to other enthusiast, collectors and reviewers.
Today I celebrated and important milestone in my life (the completion of a post-graduate degree) -- better said today is when I physically got the pg degree in my hands after having completed
the graduation in May -- so it was a perfect timing to celebrate with this very special reverso.
In honesty, after a lot of interest around SIHH and my enquiry at the boutique I didn't think too much about it (it was not available in March and I am not good with waiting) until I visited the boutique:
The dimensions of the watch are similar to my other reverso "chocolate" the case is 46.8 x 27.4mm that fits well in an averagely-smallish sized wrist like mine but the thickness of
9.2 mm vs. 7.3 mm is very noticeable. I am not even sure if the difference is that small because the Reverso 1931 Seconde Centrale has a much more solid feeling on the wrist
and more presence/stability.
The buckle is the classical JLC pin buckle in white gold
The watch has an alligator strap that fits perfectly with the dial. The gorgeous casa fagliano straps are difficult to get, it is a small manufacturer with only 3-5 people in production so
perhaps it made sense to include only the alligator strap. Previous version of the reverso 1931 (like the brown "chocolate" rose gold) came with two straps: a fagliano strap and
the alligator one.
This watch is luxurious yet very discrete. It has a very unique dial and the gilt faux patina on the hands is gorgeous.
I love this watch concept as a "special edition" being a bit more exclusive than the standard edition, luxurious in white gold and -- like in pretty much many Jaeger-LeCoultre
watches it offers a lot of value for the money.
It is a classic re-interpreted in a new metal and with a new automatic movement that I very much welcome. I don't dislike manually wound watches but I also love the obvious convenience
of an automatic movement.
The Seconde Centrale moving hand creates a more lively effect than other 1931 models.
Here it is boxed (but still with the stickers on)
There is a lot of heritage and history in this watch and this is why the reverso is such an iconic model. I hope and think that Jaeger-LeCoultre will bring even more surprised next year.
In the last years there has been a lot of focus on round watches (and some really nice ones like the geophysic) so I am really happy that in 2015 this new special edition was presented.
Just as a matter of quick comparison here is my other reverso 1931 in both natural and artificial light
There is something magical in removing the stickers in a new watch.... after the removal one can finally see the watch in its true beauty
Here it is without stickers, much more shiny
The back of the watch is properly marked as a special edition.
I love the idea of special boutique edition as it helps Jaeger-LeCoultre to attract enthusiast and collectors in the boutique and creates a new, more exclusive watch without the constrains
of a limited edition. It also helps the brand to maintain more control on certain models.
Here is a final photo together with the reason for such a spontaneous celebration.
My review is perhaps more visual than technical but I simply wanted to share the reasons for my choice: special edition, unique look, in gold and automatic movement. A special, understated
everyday watch that highlights class and style (like all reverso) with an excellent value preposition. Precious and stylish yet not pretentious.
