Blog / History
By the Fine Watch Guide team · · 4 min read
The Jaeger-LeCoultre Reverso was patented on 4 March 1931 as a watch whose case flips over to protect the crystal during polo. It nearly disappeared as round and dive watches took over, was revived in 1972 and reengineered with a 55 part case in 1985, then grew into the Duoface and a run of complications. Knowing which generation you're looking at matters for service, parts and price.
The usual story starts in 1930, when the Swiss watch enthusiast César de Trey met British officers in India who kept breaking their watches during polo matches. He took the problem to Jacques-David LeCoultre, and the French engineer René-Alfred Chauvot designed a case that could be turned over, hiding the crystal behind a solid metal back.
Accounts differ on small details, such as whether a player actually challenged de Trey or whether the idea was simply suggested to him, so treat the anecdote as the origin legend rather than a documented transcript. The paper trail is firmer. A patent application was filed in Paris on 4 March 1931 for a watch that could slide in its support and be completely turned over. In July de Trey bought the rights to Chauvot's designs, and in November he registered the name Reverso.
The head of the watch sits in a carrier. Slide it sideways along grooves, rotate it 180 degrees on a hinge, and slide it back, and the metal back now faces up. Spring-loaded pins lock it in each position. One account counts 23 parts in the original 1931 case.
The design is pure Art Deco. The case is a tall rectangle with proportions that one source ties to a length to width ratio of about 1.1618, and the edges carry triple gadroons, the fine parallel fluting still visible on classic Reversos today. Early cases came in gold or steel, with lacquered dials and personalized backs, and ladies' versions could be worn as pendants or carried as handbag pieces. Famous commissions from the decade included a piece commemorating Amelia Earhart's flight in 1935 and one initialed for General Douglas MacArthur.
The Reverso wasn't only a Jaeger-LeCoultre story. Eight cases were sold to Patek Philippe in the winter of 1931 to 1932 and became that brand's reference 106. Cartier's Cabriolet of 1933, later called the Tank Basculante, used a related idea but rotated the case vertically through 360 degrees.
The point for collectors: a flip-case watch from this era isn't automatically a Jaeger-LeCoultre. Check the dial, the movement and the case back signatures carefully, and expect a specialist to want to see inside before they commit to a value.
By the early 1950s round watches and tool-style dive watches dominated, and the delicate rectangular flip case looked like a relic. Quartz in the late 1960s made things worse for mechanical models of every shape.
The rescue came from an Italian distributor. In 1972 Giorgio Corvo bought the last batch of roughly 200 Reverso cases, had mechanical movements fitted, and sold them out within a month. That told the factory something. Jaeger-LeCoultre brought the Reverso back in 1975 as a quartz ladies' watch, then in the 1980s released a Reverso II with a squatter case that dropped the triple gadroons. It was a short-lived chapter.
Jaeger-LeCoultre began making its own Reverso cases again. Engineer Daniel Wild redesigned the case in 1981, and the new version debuted in 1985 with 55 parts, making it sturdier and more water resistant than the 1931 original. It became the basis of the Reverso Classique.
For owners, this is the practical dividing line. Pre-1985 cases have fewer parts and less sealing, so they need more cautious handling and a watchmaker comfortable with vintage hardware. Later cases are easier to keep sealed, though the swivel mechanism, pins and gaskets are still wear items that deserve attention at every service.
The 1990s turned the back of the case from a shield into a second canvas. Milestones listed by one history include the Reverso 60ème in 1991, a limited edition for the 60th anniversary, a first tourbillon Reverso in 1993, and in 1994 the Duoface, the first two-faced Reverso, showing two time zones. The first Reverso minute repeater also dates to 1994.
Experiments followed. The Gran'Sport of 1998 offered 50 meters of water resistance and sold poorly. The Tryptique and Squadra arrived in 2006, the Gyrotourbillon 2 in 2008, and the Grande Reverso Ultra Thin Tribute to 1931 in 2011 with straps from the Argentinian polo boot maker Casa Fagliano. In 2021, for the 90th anniversary, the Quadriptyque appeared, with 11 complications across four faces.
Today's Tribute family is the mainstream expression. Jaeger-LeCoultre's press material lists a steel Reverso Tribute Monoface at 40.1 by 24.4 mm and 7.56 mm thick, with the hand-wound Calibre 822 and a 42 hour reserve. The Duoface Small Seconds is larger at roughly 47 by 28.3 mm and 10.34 mm thick, using hand-wound Calibre 854, again with 42 hours. Retailer listings for other variants differ in size, so confirm dimensions against the exact reference.
At the top, the Duoface Tourbillon uses hand-wound Calibre 847 in a 45.5 by 27.4 mm case and was limited to 50 pieces. Centenary models are expected in 2031.
First, identify the generation: pre-1985 case, 1985 onward Classique, or a modern Tribute. Each has different parts availability and a different tolerance for polishing. Second, work the flip. It should slide and lock cleanly with no play, and the case should sit square in the carrier. Third, ask for service records that mention gaskets and the swivel mechanism, not only the movement.
Don't overpolish. The gadroons are the Reverso's signature, and heavy buffing softens them. If a seller or shop talks about refinishing the case, ask what material they'd remove and from where.
The patent application was filed on 4 March 1931, and the name Reverso was registered in November 1931. Production began almost immediately.
Not in the way a dive watch is. The original flip case was built for impact, not sealing. The 1985 redesign improved water resistance, and the 1998 Gran'Sport reached 50 meters, but check the stated rating for your reference.
A Monoface has a single dial and a plain metal back. A Duoface has a second dial on the reverse, first introduced in 1994 with two time zones.
Eight cases went to Patek Philippe in 1931 to 1932 and became its reference 106, according to Jaeger-LeCoultre history accounts.
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