Book Club | Jaeger-LeCoultre: Reverso

Brains : Love

15 January 2021

In 1931, Jaeger-LeCoultre created a watch that has sustained, after nine decades, a reputation of timekeeping excellence and technical prowess: the Reverso. Today, the Swiss watchmaker has decided to mark the 90 years since its inception by releasing a 200 page tome that honours its history and cultural relevance.

Born in the height of the Art Deco period, the Reverso watch was created in response to the challenge of designing a wristwatch that could withstand the rigours of polo matches. Despite its practical function, the design was induced by the spirit of the 1930s, where social mores, architecture and art where constantly changing due to the air of modernity that was present. It's sleek form and unique reversible case has managed to balance being a signifier of the time as well as being a timeless piece of horology throughout the years.

As well as focused imagery that depicts the craftsmanship and engineering calibre of the watch, interviews and essays conducted by British journalist and historian Nicholas Foulkes, further explain its impressive legacy. From a detailed explanation into the cultural changes that provided the backdrop to the creation of the Reverso – and later, its continued reinvention – to stories of Reverso owners who have personalised their watches in deeply meaningful ways, you'll be guaranteed an in-depth education to one of Jaeger-LeCoultre's most iconic watches.