Review
AndrewD shares a heartfelt tribute to his wife's Jaeger-LeCoultre Reverso Memory, reference 255.08.82, a watch that has become an integral part of her identity. His post beautifully illustrates how a watch, when worn daily and without reservation, transcends its status as a mere object to become a cherished companion and a vessel of personal history. AndrewD's reflection on the emotional connection to watches and their legacy offers a poignant perspective for collectors.
It is special when a watch becomes part of you; an expression of who you are. My wife has been wearing a Jaeger-LeCoultre Reverso Memory (Reference 255.08.82) for many years. It is not mollycoddled, but worn as it was meant to be.
The Reverso Memory was made between 1998 and 2002. On the front face is a simple three-hand watch with nice guilloche detail. On the reverse is a flyback continuous 60-minute counter. It is housed in the mid-sized Classic case (38.7x23.05mm). The rectangular push-piece below the crown is to reset the flyback minute counter to zero.
Inside is the manual wind Cal. 862 which has a 50 hour power reserve and a hacking second display and beats at 21,600vph (3Hz).
The front face is silvered with a seconds display at the 6 o’clock position. All three hands are blued and inlaid with luminous paint. The reverse dial is black with a sun burst guilloche pattern and a white hand, also with luminous inlay.
The watch is standing up to day-to-day wear very well. The swirls and scratches are quite homogeneous and therefore not noticeable. I wish I was brave enough to wear my watches like this; they become more than objects of beauty, but of function. The bracelet on the Memory is a particularly attractive feature and the watch looks wonderful on the wrist. It is part of her now and I could hardly imagine her without it.
I do worry that I don’t wear a single watch all the time that my children absolutely relate to me. I have memories like this of my grandfather and father and it would be nice if they had the same of me. The saving grace is that I talk to my children about the different watches in my collection and what they man to me. And of course they have the ‘archive’ here on PuristSPro if they ever want to read back one day and work it out for themselves.
It is perhaps a pity that we do not have a daughter to pass the JLC Reverso Memory on to. Perhaps a granddaughter one day.
Andrew
It didn't have the success it deserved, indeed. An original movement and complication, in a timeless Watch and design. Thanks for resuscitating it! One thought, though: It can also be worn by a man! Best, Nicolas
Yes of course, the classic case is/was a mans watch. But given the modern propensity for larger case sizes, the classic range looks great on a ladies wrist. She tried on the more traditional ladies Reverso's but the proportions on the wrist were no where near as perfect. I will post some photos of me wearing it at a future date and you can make up your own mind. The difficulty for me is that I am used to wearing the XGT Grand Date which goes to the other extreme. Regards, Andrew
... are a very special topic of its own. Isn't it a wonderful thing if she understands your feelings about your watches? It seems to me this can be enhanced a lot if she has her special piece of her own. I will come back to this later. I did not know about the Reverso Memory until a week ago when I flipped through an old 2001 JLC catalogue for a different reason and stumbled across it. A really interesting variation of the eternal Reverso theme. Quite sporty with the timer and the luminous hands
Thanks for the scans, Martin, I had not seen those before. She understands the attraction of a fine watch, just not why I should want more than one. ;-) The Memory was love at first sight for her. But it was the main dial with the prominent subseconds, the guilloche patterns and the symmetry that attracted her. She occasionally uses the flyback counter for parking or appointments, but the complication wasn't the reason she chose the watch. I get a kick out of the fact that it is an uncommon Reve
You put a light on something I have been thinking of many times... I don't have any children of my own, but my God-son will one day of course receive a watch from me. That watch I hope he will always associate with me... The question is which one? And how to achive that? I will not be able to always wear the same watch each time we meet... Best Blomman
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