Horological Meandering

During the early years of the Reverso’s production, a small number of Reverso cases were sold to other companies, including Cartier, Patek Philippe and Vacheron Constantin. However, in 1934, Spécialités Horlogères was renamed the Société de Vente des Produits Jaeger-LeCoultre, and it was this firm that acquired the Reverso patent. The Reverso’s primary aim was to protect the glass of the watch, and from the outset the model was aimed at the sportsman. It is said that César de Trey had originally approached Chauvot to design a watch that could withstand the rough and tumble of a game of polo – de Trey had apparently seen a gap in the market when challenged to produce a shock-proof watch by a polo player whose watch glass had just been broken during a match. With its elegant, clean lines and rectangular shape, the watch’s design was perfectly suited to the Art Deco period. Reversing to a plain back, the watch also offered the tempting possibility for the buyer to personalise their watch with their own initials, their family crest or a unique decorative motif. Early advertisements for the model already showed examples with monochrome, enamel-decorated initials and monograms.

At the time this watch was produced, Cartier London was at the height of its most experimental era, creating distinctive and unconventional wristwatches. Yet, the firm also continued to offer a variety of classic models from its past. This particular model, typical of Cartier’s reversible wristwatch production, is an especially slender interpretation of the original LeCoultre Reverso concept, but in keeping with Cartier’s signature style of slim, elegant dress watches