Jaeger-LeCoultre

The Reverso Art Deco:

From the early 90's till the end of the 2d Millenary, JLC produced some of the nicest Reversos ever made, in an astonishing LE of 500 pieces:

first, the 60eme, to commemorate as it deserves a watch that without doubt had to be called an ICON, the Reverso, the first of a great watch story, produced in 1931...

So in 1991, came this 60eme:



Then followed the Reverso Tourbillon, another pure Masterpiece, in 1993:



And by another very appealing watch, the Minute Repeater, in 1994:





In 1996, came another very nice watch, the Chronograph, with a magnificient movement:



Then, in 1998 the Geographique, one of the most pleasant one, with its useful and friendly complication:



And the last one, but not the less interesting, the Perpetual Calendar:



So, with these 6 watches housing all the traditionnal possible complications, we easily can say that JLC paid a great hommage to the original model, and even more spectacular, a set was sold at an auction...



Are you shivering, now?

Well, good! LOL

That's not the end...

JLC didn't only made Rose Gold Reversos in LE, but in current production too,in a GT case ( 42 x 26 mm )... Like the Sun Moon, the Date, The Duo Face, and a few others, as it seems that I maybe forgot some in this list...

Always in the GT case and the current production, I can say that the Reverso Art Déco is my all time favourite, which I'd rate as a true competitor even among the LE Rose gold Reversos.





These 2 pics are to be credited to Steve G, of course...

Launched in 1992, this watch, created by Sylvain Golay is a true piece of Art....

The Recto side is an example of simplicity, elegance and purity, in a sophisiticated way...

The dial is perfectly executed, with these applied Rose Gold indexes, the 3 hands, and the 2 different guillochage.









And a Macro of the dial:



The dial is made in massive silver.

I appreciate a lot the blend of round and rectangular parts...

I read somewhere that this was the meeting between the Art Deco, and the Art nouveau, which inspired itself from the voluptuous curves of the Vegetable kingdom.

You have a sober, very classy and elegant outcome, with the major part in silver and this small and discretes touches of Rose Gold.Something timeless, no?

Do you prefer the opposite contrast?

Salmon Rose with small touches of White Gold?

No problem, I have the watch for you! LOL



In this presentation, the time keeper has maybe an older look, due to the specific color of the dial, but not less interesting, IMHO, and to say all, my favourite choice.

This one is the White Gold version, being said that it doesn't exist any other metal, in SS nor in platinum.

But the best is to come, the movement...

Take a caliber 822, which was created in 1991 ( if I'm not wrong ) specificly for the new Reverso Grande Taille.

Then, work on the 116 parts of the caliber to transform it from a nice movement to a true piece of Art.

Only 10 pieces were made per month, as the work on most of the parts of the movement is important.



Do you prefer it, once again, in White Gold?...Here you are:



Nice contrast and combo, as the color of the movement matches the color of the dial, IMHO.

Here are some closer pics of the movement and of the work on it, which allows us to contemplate the great and fine engravings and skeleton...





And now, the whole movement:





The play of the curves, the sublte blend of Rose for the plates, Blue for the screws, and Red for the Jewels, the engravings, the sculpture of all these elements achieve to give an exceptionnal look to this watch, and its name to the caliber: 822 AD for Art Deco....

This is just fascinating.

But, the greatest thing with this watch is the concept of the skeleton...

What I love a lot is the idea of the 2 sides, one classic, timeless, sober, and the other spectacular, artisitic, and the possibility to choose when you want one or the other side...

In another way, I may say that this is not a mandatory skeleton, you see all the time, but, like some other nice JLC complications, you can play when you want with it...As this is the case with the Reverso Tourbillon in Rose Gold or in Platinum...Turn the dial,and escape yourself from the diary obligations, travel in the world of Art, without time, shedules, without nothing except your own pleasure.

Come back to Reality when you want or need to...

I had a lot of pleasure playing with it and taking some pics of it, and while I was doing so, I suddenly understood that this was the ideal solution ofr those who want a Skeleton, but not all the time...

Look at the pics " in situation "...









How can you say NO to this loveley time keeper?

Even the mandatory Wrist Shot pleads for this marvel...Comfortable, well put on the wrist, the only problem is that you don't want to give it back to his owner...LOL



And no problem with the strap, which is a nice croco with a matching folding buckle in WG or RG depending of the color of the case.

Well, if you're lucky enough to find one, as it was produced for ten years ( 1992 - 2002 ), but in only 900 pieces in Rose Gold ( ref: 270.240.623B ), and 200 pieces in White Gold ( ref: 270.340.625B ).

As I previously said, this was a big and pleasant surprise to meet this piece and its owner,and personnally, one of the 3 or 4 nicer Rose Gold ever made.

Hope you will take pleasure too, to view this topic!

Thanks to Patrickh for letting me play with his wonderful watch! Thanks a lot, my friend!

Best.

Nicolas
This message has been edited by amanico on 2008-05-27 07:44:48 This message has been edited by amanico on 2008-05-31 12:53:07

I'm just writing you to tell that my life has gained new meaning ..... :0)

 

The finish of movement is astonishing!!!!

 

Thank you again for great review

 

Sincerely

Damian

Which one?

The WG or the RG?

Will you answer???

NO?

Ok, other pics! LOLOLOL

Best, my friend.

Nicolas

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^{You constantly tempt us with these extraordinary beauties from JLC.What a wonderful review of some of the finest Reversos I've seen!}

^{I am still reeling from the sights and sounds of the JLC cocktail this evening to unveil the Polaris, so kindly arranged by Sean.}

^{More specifically the first watch I enquired to see and hear was the MMR.They took out two : the titanium and a gold with diamond bezel. To my untrained ears they both sounded the same but it was nevertheless a beautiful sound.I fell in love with the Ti piece - you are so lucky Nicolas!That was for me the highlight of the evening, more so than even seeing the Amvox III, which I know you have the hots for.}

^{The Polaris was nice in an antique watch way and I preferred the look of the SS to the platinum. However, the sound of the alarm is not my cup of tea.}

^{It was altogether a great presentation and time literally flew in the good company of other watch aficionados.Many thanks to JLC and Sean ,who is a true gentlemen and is ever willing to offer advice or impart some of his vast knowledge of watches to those that are eager to listen.}

^Cheers

^Fernando

So you were at the cocktail?

Did you managed to take pics?

Yep, I'm a luvky man, and totally enaored with my MMR...

But there are so many treasures to discover or re dicover, like this Art Deco...

I was truely impressed by this Reverso, and yes, if I had to add another Reverso in my collection, this should be one of the top three for me!

Best.

Nicolas

In my haste, I forgot to bring my camera.

Next time,for sure.

Cheers

Fernando

Well, I think that this is a case ok blacklist, Your Honor! LOLOL

Best!

Nicolas

Your reviews on the subject are a beauty to go through.  I never realised that JLC made a Reverso minute repeater!  All of the watches in the collection are phenomenal!  Jaeger le Coultre should do a Patek and construct a museum of some kind, particularly one dedicated to Reversos! 

While on the subject when does their patent run out on the Reverso model design?  I have seen early C20th  watches with similar attributes, and do feel worried that the design may be open, one day, to legitimate copies/variations by other watch houses.

What I understood here is that Jager build the movement, and bought the system of the case from  Mr Alfred Chauvot, in 1931....

 

Here is the Reverso Patent: You're absolutely right, in the 30's, some other brands made some Reversos watches, like Patek Philip, and Movado. Movado Don't know who to credit...) Look at the pics taken by Dan 16 in the PP forum, you'll see a PP Reverso! Best. Nicolas

Yes I did see the PP Reverso and I am indeed speechless to its beauty!  Hamilton released a gold filled Reverso model in 1941 called the Otis (ref 6147, cal 982) which I happened to see somewhere completely by accident.
This message has been edited by KCLQMULKU on 2008-05-29 14:03:31

enjoyable time to meet you and to discuss about watches.

You are a passionate man and I am very pleased to have met you.

Thanks for the nice macros. Now, I have discovered fine details that I could not see in real, even with my glasses. You are also an ARTist.

Best my dear friend,

Sincerely yours,

Patrickh

It was indeed a pleasure to meet you, my friend...
And you're indeed a lucky guy to own such a masterpiece!
I was blinded by such a beauty!
Thanks, once again...
See you soon.
Nicolas

To show the entire LE Reverso series and the Art Deco--incredible!  As you know, I have a leaning toward the Reverso and those you have shown are among the finest and my favorites.  To own the set of all of the LEs would be quite exciting. 

Thanks for the visual feast.

tempusfugit

Yep, it would be great to own the entire set, as each of them is a pure treasure to own and to cherish...
Difficlut to say that one is less beautiful than another...
This is a very coherent set, IMHO.
But a less expensive alternative is this Reverso Art Deco, as it seems to be a very representative model of the spirit of the reverso...
Best, my friend.
Nicolas

I would want to own the Perpetual, the Geographique, the Chrono, and the Art Deco. Some of the most beautiful watches in the world and I'm sure challenging for a designer/engineer to package into a small space like the Reverso GT case.

Thanks Nicholas for the great review.

You may consider this Art Deco, my friend, as I wrote to Tempusfugit...
Indeed one of the 4 or 5 most beautiful Reverso with the GT case, IMHO.
And a true piece of art, too.
Thanks for your kind words!
Nicolas

since 1996 and really loved it (albeit the size).

 

It's worth mentioning that if you like the dial and find the movement too extravagant, you may wish to look at a steel version made for a Japanese retailer known as the "Chino Reverso". It had the Art Deco dial and If my memory serves me correctly, there was a YG model as well.

 

Cheers,

Asi

 

And feel very sad for you, as your JLC collection was very impressive!
As for the Chino Reverso, I saw it somewhere, here, I think, but I don't remember if it also have this nice finish of the movement...
Thanks for the nice comments, my friend.
Catch you soon for a chat!
Nivolas

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No, thanks, I don't want a Half Art Deco...LOLOLOL
Best,
Nicolas

…in white gold and salmon rose dial may be the most elegant watch I’ve ever seen!!! Breathtaking!!!

Thanks for such a beautiful, inspired and pleasant review, Nicolas.

Marcelo

I love so much this combo that I was lucky enough to get it on a special edition of the Breguet Type XX, in platinum with this salmon dial...
And when I bought it ( the Breguet ), it made me thnik a lot about this Reverso AD...
Indeed an impressive finish.
Best, and once again, thanks for the nice comments, my friend;
nicolas

Thanks for a great profile of a great watch. I think if I ever do get a Reveso, the Art Deco might be the one. I have only seen photos of the AD, but it looks absolutely beautiful. The Rose Gold AD is definitely my favorite Reverso, and you are right that it is a lovely way to have a squellette. I have a question about the finishing on the movement in the Rose v. the White Gold versions. The finishing on the Rose seems, for lack of a better word, finer or more delicate than on the White. Is there any significant difference in the appearance of the movements between the two versions? Again, I have only seen photos, so I am not in a good position to comment, but any insight woud be appreciated. Thanks again for the review.

respo

No, there is no difference as for the finishing of the movements on the WG and on the RG...
If you see that, it's due to the quality ( poor quality ) of the pic I used to illustrate my words on the WG...
The finish is exactly the same...
Thanks for the nice words, my friend.
Nicolas

Nicolas, wonderful review of the Art Deco and RG Reversos, really beautiful pieces!  Can you give me a reference number for the Perpetual Calendar Reverso?

Also, I've been looking around online and seem to come up with a different ref number for the Art Decos than you...you give the RG as 270 240 623B, and in my search I've come up with the RG as 277 3460.  Is mine a new model, (have they re-introduced the Art Deco?)?

Whatever you or any other forum memebers can tell me is really wonderful, thanks so much!  Have a great day!

Chris.

Here is the page from an old catalouge - Nico is right,,,,,as usual

 

 

Asi

 

 

This message has been edited by Asimut on 2008-05-28 07:13:04

Roger that, thanks much Asi.  By the way, in your opinion would you prefer a platinum Reserve de March Reverso or the RG Art Deco Reverso if costs were equal?

That is the one I would choose again.

Cheers,

Asi

So if you consider buying a Reverso, without breaking your wallet, this may be this one.
Best.
Nicolas