FASCINATING CREATURE
To celebrate the 90th anniversary of its iconic model with its one-of-a-kind rectangular silhouette, the “Grande Maison” unveils a highly-exclusive edition that’s both surprising and fascinating.
It has reigned supreme for 90 years with its gadroon-enhanced, angle-free rectangular silhouette and its sliding system which enables it to be superbly discreet, to feature sweet words or the name of a loved one, or to center stage another face. Jaeger-LeCoultre’s flagship piece, created back in 1931 so that polo players could protect their watch dial by swiveling it, is now proposed in a highly-exclusive edition (190 pieces) known as Reverso Tribute Nonantième.
However, unlike its ancestor which boasted a retractable cover (Monoface) and, more recently, the Duetto and Duoface versions, this new watch shows the “same” time on both front and back. The surprise is hidden in the display of these indications. Up front: a rather classical silvered sunray-brushed dial boasting arrow-tipped applique indexes and two dauphine-type central hands reflecting the same rose gold as the 49.4 x 29.9 mm (11.72 mm thick) case, a large date at 12 o’clock and a small-seconds counter integrating the moon’s phases. And, on the back: a solid caseback hosting two hallowed and engraved, round openings, the smallest presents a semi-jumping hour and the largest ticks by the minutes in a reversed fan-shaped aperture hovered over by a day/night indicator.
All these functions are driven by the new Jaeger-LeCoultre 826 caliber, a hand-wound movement which delivers a power reserve of 42 hours.
Price: CHF37,900
By Sharmila Bertin