The year of the Reverso 85th anniversary is about to end. I thought it would be interesting to have a overall view on the Reverso " Anniversaries ".
We had the pleasure to discover, in 2011, a Tribute to the original Reverso, a very interesting Homage to a watch which became an Icon.
The original Reverso:
With the arrival of the Tribute To Reverso 1931, which can be considered as the Reverso Quatrevingtieme, it seemed interesting to make a recapitulative post on these Anniversary watches, which are the Soixantième, the Septantième and the " Huitantième ".
1/ The 60ème:
The only pictures I had of this Reverso came from the Manufacture, and it took me long years before being able to find the right opportunity to " capture " this Beauty.
The official pictures:
The idea was to celebrate the 60th Anniversary with a series of " firsts ":
- First GT case ( 42, 25 x 26 mm ).
- First movement decorated in 14-Carat Gold ( Cal 824 ).
- First Reverso to house complications, here the Date and the Power Reserve, if we don't mention here a Reverso Perpetual Calendar Retrograde, but it was a prototype, not a production watch.
It was also the first of a superb series of Limited Series Rose Gold Reversos: The Tourbillon in 1993, the Minute Repeater in 1994, the Chronographe Retrograde in 1996, the Geographique in 1998, and the last one, the Perpetual Calendar in 2000.
Two real pictures of this first Anniversary watch:
2/ The Septantième:
Once again, we have another series of " Firsts " to celebrate the 70th Anniversary of the Reverso:
- First XGT case ( 26, 5 x 29, 25 mm )
- First Reverso to use an eight days power reserve movement.
- First JLC watch to display a big date.
- First JLC watch to receive a 18-Carat solid white or rose gold movement ( white gold for the platinum 70eme, rose gold for the rose gold 70eme )
The two Septantièmes, side by side:
For those who want to see or know more about this special Reverso, here are two links:
The review:
And the photo essay on the Rose Gold and Platinum Septantieme:
3/ The Reverso Grande Complication à Triptyque:
When we think " Anniversary ", we too often forget that the " Triptyque " is also a commemorative Reverso, which was revealed in 2006 for its 75th Anniversary.
The Triptyque is a monument... Horologically and physically speaking:
The platinum case has impressive dimensions: 55 mm x 37 mm and 17, 9 mm thick, which is obviously not for everybody's wrist.
As the official communiqué said, it is the " first watch to offer THREE dimensions of time on THREE faces ", and I would add that these three dimensions of time are represented through EIGHTEEN complications, which mainly include a tourbillon, a zodiac calendar, an equation of time, a sky chart, the sunrise and the sunset times, a retrograde perpetual calendar, and a moonphase.
5 patents have been filled for this extraordinary watch, which is limited to 75 pieces.
You will notice that the design and the finish of the front dial have been improved since the first press file pictures.
The press file pictures:
The definitive watch, as I could see it at the Spécialités Horlogères Workshop:
My favorite side of the watch:
4/ The Tribute To Reverso 1931:
The simplest is not always the easiest.
The genius stroke was to avoid the impossible mission of a re edition, due to the too small size of the original on our modern wrists, without giving up the spirit of this iconic watch.
Like in an human life, there is time for shyness, then for audacity, sometime for exuberance, and for maturity.
The " chef d'oeuvre " is the thin case, as the dimensions are 46 mm long, 27, 5 mm large, and 7, 2 mm high.
As said in the in depth review, it is not a XGT case, it is a totally new case which was chosen for the Tribute To Reverso 1931, a case with ideal dimensions.
After all these complicated Reversos, a return to the roots, to the Essential is indeed a great way to celebrate an Anniversary.
In stainless steel or in rose gold, this Reverso is another tempting celebration watch.
If you want to read more about the Tribute To 1931, please see here:
The Red:
5/ The Tribute To Reverso 1948:
Steel case, same size than the TTR 1931, but a delicious stamped dial. With a small seconds at 6 o clock.
6/ The Reverso 85th?
I would say it is this Reverso Tribute Duo. We come back to a slightly bigger GT Case and an improved quality, for a sublime watch.
So, after viewing all these beauties, which Reverso is yours?
Looking forward to reading your comments and thoughts,
Best,
Nicolas.
