Jaeger-LeCoultre Celebrates 85 Years of the Reverso

p/p pandnbsp;/p pWhile 85 years is not a milestone that is often celebrated, the Reverso is an exception, and deserving of this privilege. In tracing the legacy of this game changer, we also look to the future to find out whatandrsquo;s in store.br /br /Every once in a while, something comes along and shakes things up; it grabs your attention to reveal a new reality. I presume thatandrsquo;s how it was with the Reverso, when it was first launched in 1931. andldquo;If you read an article on say, andlsquo;10 icons in watch designandrsquo;, the Reverso is often a part of that list,andrdquo; says Marc de Panafieu, Regional Brand Director, Jaeger-LeCoultre. And itandrsquo;s easy to understand why. But de Panafieuandrsquo;s remark is telling in that it reveals the Reversoandrsquo;s influence since it was introduced in 1931.br /br /strongFrom The Top/strongbr /Itandrsquo;s a story that many are familiar with. It was around 1930, when travelling in India that Swiss businessman and watch connoisseur Candeacute;sar de Trey attended a polo match played by British army officers. One of the officers, who had just broken the glass on his watch, asked de Trey to develop a timepiece that could withstand the rigours of polo. De Trey approached Jacques-David LeCoultre, who he knew could supply the movements for such a watch. LeCoultre appointed the firm Jaeger S.A., which in turn enlisted French designer Renandeacute;-Alfred Chauvot, who then came up with the unique slide and flip mechanism./p pbr /The simple yet ingenious reversible design allowed the wearer to conceal the face of the watch while playing polo. While that alone was noteworthy, a wonderful benefit was the caseback surface that could be personalised. And as history shows us, it didnandrsquo;t stop there.br /br /strongThe Universe/strongbr /The unique swivelling case opened the door to numerous references encompassing complications and mandeacute;tiers dandrsquo;art. From two time zones or just one time zone with two different faces, to engraved, enamelled, gem-set, or skeletonised backsandmdash;you name it and the Reverso collection has it. But de Panafieu is quick to add, andldquo;It (Reverso) didnandrsquo;t influence the manufacture, but itandrsquo;s linked to the manufacture.andrdquo; A study of the Swiss maisonandrsquo;s varied collections will reveal that the Reverso is just one of its many pillars. De Panafieu explains, andldquo;Weandrsquo;ve been there for 182 years. To be honest, our watchmakers never stop. While for many, Jaeger-LeCoultre is synonymous with the Reverso, there is the DuoMaster, the Duometre, the Atmos, and so on.andrdquo; Having said that, for a lot of people the Reverso and Jaeger-LeCoultre are synonymous with each other. Itandrsquo;s one of the most powerful designs associated with the brand. And he agrees, while adding, andldquo;In terms of business, it is still a very important line for us. Itandrsquo;s actually commercially viable for us. And youandrsquo;re right; it goes beyond Jaeger- LeCoultre.andrdquo; This is why the 85th anniversary is so important to the brand./p p style="text-align: center;"andnbsp;/p p style="text-align: center;"/p p style="text-align: center;"emAn enamelled picture of an Indian lady on the caseback of a Reverso/em/p p style="text-align: center;"embr //em/p pThe uncertain economic environment, coupled with transient fashion trends, have made luxury brands aware that they need to change their approach while dealing with potential clientele. As de Panafieu shares, andldquo;We produce amazing content when it comes to watchmaking. But in todayandrsquo;s world, itandrsquo;s not enough. We also have to put some marketing into it.andrdquo; Itandrsquo;s this kind of insight that gives Jaeger-LeCoultre an edge, also leading to a much talked-about collaboration with luxury French shoemaker Christian Louboutin under the aegis of the Atelier Reverso. Atelier Reverso takes personalisation to a new level, enabling one to choose from 180 dial and strap options, some of which have been designed by Louboutin himself. Based on what we saw at SIHH in Geneva, this unexpected partnership will offer the best of both ateliersandmdash;Jaeger-LeCoultreandrsquo;s watchmaking knowledge and Christian Louboutinandrsquo;s avant-garde flair. But thatandrsquo;s not all. As de Panafieu explains, andldquo;There is an effort to make the Reverso line easier to understand for someone whoandrsquo;s entering the universe for the first time. For instance, if you enter the boutique and inquire about the Reverso, you probably wouldnandrsquo;t find it difficult to select something because the line has been in existence for 85 years and weandrsquo;ve always kept reinventing it. Yet, weandrsquo;ve tried to rationalise it.andrdquo; The outcome is a more concise collection thatandrsquo;s easier to absorb. For instance, the Reverso Classic line offers three sizesandmdash;small, medium and largeandmdash;without getting too technical (read: complications)./p pandnbsp;/p pThe Reversoandrsquo;s most endearing feature is the aforementioned personalisation of its casebackandmdash;its simplest feature the most enduring. De Panafieu states, andldquo;The Reverso is a powerful timepiece because the caseback makes it easy to personalise it.andrdquo; One of the main reasons of the Reversoandrsquo;s early success, personalisation is what led to some extraordinary creations such as the Reverso with a portrait of a Maharani. The Reverso timepiece offers many possibilities; the most common is to have oneandrsquo;s initials engraved on it. He shares an anecdote, andldquo;Someone made a wedding proposal with a Reverso. I know it for a fact because I worked on it for someone I know. On the caseback, he wrote: andlsquo;Will you marry me?andrsquo;andrdquo; With stories like this, itandrsquo;s no wonder that the Reverso is celebrating its 85th anniversary./p pandnbsp;/p pstrongMore On andgt;andgt; a href="http://www.luxpresso.com/watches" target="_blank"Watches/a/strong/p

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