Jaeger-LeCoultre Celebrates 90 Years Of Reverso With New Book

Late last year, Jaeger-LeCoultre unveiled the very first of its Tribute watches designed to celebrate the 90th anniversary of one of the most iconic watches of all time: Reverso. Now, just before it kicks off the year with a host of incredibly exciting Reverso watches, the brand releases a tribute book: Reverso. Published by Assouline, the book traces the history of this legendary watch.

The Reverso was born in 1931 when Jaeger-LeCoultre answered a call for a watch that polo players could wear whose dial would be protected during play. Thinking outside the box, as this brand regularly does, Jaeger-LeCoultre created a reversible watch case held in a metal cradle. When worn in normal activity, the dial side was seen, but if players wanted to wear it during the match, they simply reversed the dial so that it closed inside the cradle and a metal casebook was facing out on the wrist.

The ingenious rectangular watch, with Art Deco appeal, was also sophisticated and elegant to wear. It quickly caught on with socialites and others. The new Reverso book traces that rich history with illustrations, archive images and original photography of some of the most beautiful Reverso watches ever made — to date. Thus far, the brand has developed more than 50 calibers and several hundred dials that would keep pace with the times.

With text written by author historian journalist Nicholas Foulkes, the book also shares stories of Reverso owners who have personalized their watches in meaningful ways. In all, the 200-page book is a fascinating journey through time. It retails for $195.