amanico
[JLC Moderator]
340585
When you think " Jaeger Lecoultre ", which is the first watch which comes to your mind?
A long time ago, in the early 2000's, I read a well written article saying that for some brands, there were some cannibal watches: For example, Audemars Piguet is cannibalized by the Royal Oak, Blancpain by the Fifty Fathoms, Omega by the Speedmaster... And when it comes to Jaeger Lecoultre, by the Reverso.
On this matter, I agree and disagree. Ok, if you are talking to somebody who is not passionate about watches he may give you this kind of answers. Ok, some brands play a tricky game, and if they are cannibalized by some of their watches, it may be because they want to do so. See Omega, for example. Each year they launch an endless series of Speedies, in LE or not. Go to their Museum, you will see all the place the Speedmaster takes!
Back to Jaeger Lecoultre, in this article it was said that the Reverso was so important that it supplanted the name of the brand in people's mind, thinking that the Reverso is a brand apart of Jaeger Lecoultre.
It is true that the Reverso is very important for Jaeger Lecoultre, but at the point to supplant the name of the brand? Certainly not!
It is a fact that the Reverso was born in 1931, and that, in these 90 last years, we saw many of them, some being very important for both the Grande Maison and the watch lovers. See, for instance, the rose gold series in the 90's, the very early Reversos with their colored dials, the Tributes, the Anniversary pieces and this year, the Quadriptyque... They all are masterpieces, at their own level.
A Blue one from circa 1935:
Chocolate, someone?
BUT... There is a big BUT...
La Grande Maison existed way before the Reverso, since... 1833. Since then, Lecoultre, then Jaeger Lecoultre produced an incredible variety of pocket watches, desk watches, wrist watches and even clocks, some of them being very important.
The Atmos line, for example, is an icon. So is the Memovox, since 1950, and in a more recent times, the amazing variety of high end watches, such as the Minute Repeaters, the Gyrotourbillons, and let's not forget the Duometre line which is, for me, tomorrow's icon, and a great classic, already.
The first Memovox, ref 3150:
So, I come back to my question: Which is the first watch which comes to your mind, when you think Jaeger Lecoultre?
Personally, I could not mention just one, as it would be too reductive to what is Jaeger Lecoultre, and not only one watch, but a line.
So may answer is : Geophysic, Memovox, Duometre, Minute Repeater ( because JLC is very innovative when it comes to this complication ) and Reverso.
The legend, the Geophysic:
Master Minute Repeater, launched in 2005. Here the Titanium version, from 2006:
The Duometre à Chronographe, since 2007
The Master Gyrotourbillon One, born in 2004:
You? What kind of Jaeger Lecoultre man or woman are you?
Looking forward to reading your comments and thoughts.
Best,
Nicolas
More posts:
When you think " Jaeger Lecoultre ", which is the first watch which comes to your mind?
A long time ago, in the early 2000's, I read a well written article saying that for some brands, there were some cannibal watches: For example, Audemars Piguet is cannibalized by the Royal Oak, Blancpain by the Fifty Fathoms, Omega by the Speedmaster... A...
You summarize it perfectly my friend
Probably even today many people would be able to name Reverso only if you ask randomly in the street but any watch lover would be able to name also the futurematic, Memovox, Atmos, and now of course the Duometre line.
For me, there’s no doubt that when I think of JLC it’s Reverso that springs to mind.
When I became interested in watches many years ago my grail was a Rolex Explorer and I eventually got one. By then I had discovered Reversos and one of that line became my new grail. I now have two and wish I had more. Although I’m now very familiar with ...
When I think of JLC
I think of the slogan “watchmaker of watchmakers”. For example, the IWC Mark 12 used the calibre 899, and countless Royal Oaks have used their movements. Anything creative, slightly above mid-tier comes to mind. Something groundbreaking, ground-up comes t...
When I think of Jaeger Lecoultre..
which btw happens many times every day, my mind goes to innovative watches like EL1 and EL2, the Duometre line, all the Gyrotourbillions and of course the memovox watches.
Great post; thank you
I agree that, while Reverso is rightly a classic and a flagship model that JLC should and must cherish, for the reasons you and everyone are mentioning, it is not cannibalized by it the way AP, an exceptional historical brand, has unfortunately been by th...
You said it all for me, my friend..
Memovox, Geophysic, Reverso, Duometre, Gyrotourbillon I, & of course MMR’s and the Atmos concept. - If I need to pick just ONE, then maybe the Memovox series, as a whole, for Humble Me..t Best and thx for this food for thoughts.. Best, hs
For me, the JLC is best associated with Reverso and memovox.
The higher complications are, of course, also associated with JLC, but only for real WIS or very seasoned collectors. Most of my friends who are into watches but not really deep, only know Reverso and memovox.
More than just Reverso
Hi I'd go for Memovox, Reverso, Futurematic ( even though it's unusual & rare, it shows their innovation). But also the more recent series Master Control. Cheers JML
While it is true, I think of Reverso first, the Reverso is not a big seller for JLC...
Everyone always assumes that the JLC Reverso is a big seller. It isn't. Round watches outsell square ones even at JLC by a considerable margin. Furthermore, most of the super complicated JLC watches are almost always in round cases. And when I think of JL...
JLC definitely pushes the envelopes of complications...
What company produces unusual minute repeaters with even more gongs than Audemars Piguet? What company pioneered a multi-axis Tourbillon? A spherical tourbillon that actually works, when Breguet is technically considered the King of Tourbillons? JLC reall...
So many rich talents. But just not appreciated because it doesn't say "Patek Philippe" or "Audemars Piguet" on the dial.
I can't wait to visit the factory!
I cannot say I think of a first or only one watch when I think of JLC mon ami. I can say that I think of several which include a Reverso, a Gyrotourbillon, and a Duometre of some kind.
By the way, missed you in Paris yesterday. I gave your badass strap for your MMR to Mike so you can get it from him earlier than seeing me again which I hope will be soon 😜
Nico, great post once again
I think there are certainly some watches in the entire lineup of JLC that has gotten iconic over the course of history, and that you’ve rightly pointed out, the Reverso, Memovox and I would stretch it a bit further to include the niche Deep Sea Alarm, whi...
You and I both share special memories
With JLC. Some of the old names like Milan, Guillermo and Yves are also part of those memories. Through your contribution over the years here I’ve picked up quite a few pieces…and they are the ones that continue to hold significant value in the collection...
One icon not mentioned is their Ultra Thin
The dauphine hands and dagger indices seem the epitome of JLC dna to me. I was recently discussing watches with two far more sane watch fans than myself. When I showed them the Amvox II on my wrist, they showed no recognition of the brand. It reminded me ...
For me, it’s Reverso, but then eclipsed by the geophysic.
If I could have but one JLC, it would be an original geophysic. That’s thé éclipse. Will i ever have will, and fortune, and luck for that? I can’t say
I would say
Reverso it’s the DNA of the brand. If you said vintage then I would say Memovox because it’s the iconic wrist alarm
