Jaeger-LeCoultre Reverso
The wristwatch with a case that turns over, so the glass is protected during polo.
British officers in India complained that their watch glasses broke when they played polo. The businessman César de Trey took the idea to Jacques-David LeCoultre, and a case that could be turned over in its frame was patented in 1931.
The shape, with gadroons and straight lines, is typical of Art Deco. The Reverso has been made almost without interruption and comes with two dials, one on each side.
Materials: Steel or gold, glass; mechanical movement
Manufacture: Made in Le Sentier in the Vallée de Joux since 1931.
The rectangular case in a frame it can swivel in.
The gadroons at the top and bottom of the case.
The steel back, often engraved with initials.
The patent of 1931 covered a case that could slide in its frame and be flipped over. Jaeger in Paris and LeCoultre in the Vallée de Joux collaborated on the watch, and the name Jaeger-LeCoultre began to be used for their joint products in the 1930s.
The case is slid sideways in a carriage and then flipped, so that the smooth metal back faces upwards. The back was originally intended for initials, a coat of arms or an emblem.
A rectangular case with three grooves at the top and bottom, straight sides and the carriage around the case. The dial often has Arabic numerals and a railway minute track.
The Reverso has been made in many sizes, for women and men, with enamel-painted backs and with two dials, one on each side, showing two time zones.