Jaeger-LeCoultre Reverso Duoface Day&Night dial detail

The journal of a young collector: Jaeger-LeCoultre Reverso Duoface Night&Day

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Why do I love Reverso? It’s hard to tell. Maybe it has to do with the big impact that “The Thomas Crown Affair” had on me twenty years ago. Or the fact that it is one of the favourite timepieces of my better half. I particularly like the Reverso Duoface version, more precise, the older Ref. 270.8.54. Here are some of my thoughts about it.

Jaeger-LeCoultre Reverso Duoface Day&Night landscape
Jaeger-LeCoultre Reverso Duoface Night&Day Ref. 270.8.54  – the beauty of the Reverso is combined with the useful second-time-zone and packed in an extremely versatile overall piece.

The mighty Reverso

It makes no sense to narrate the story of the Reverso once again. There is a plenitude of articles regarding this topic. I will add some links at the end of this article. If you are not in the mood for a big reading session, here are a few facts:

Do you know its legendary story, the origin of its reversing case? At the beginning of the 1930s, the watch was born of a challenge, that of designing a model that could withstand the polo matches of the British Army officers in India. Its dial smoothly concealed by reversing the case, to reveal a back that fully protects the face from possible mallet strokes. It’s worth thinking about… Timeless in its face surrounded by its three emblematic gadroons, the Reverso has been enchanting both men and women with an eye for beauty since its creation. Often androgynous, it knows how to show off its femininity in jewelled models or affirm its masculinity by pronounced complexities and a marked Art Déco aesthetic. – Jaeger-LeCoultre Website

Jaeger-LeCoultre Reverso Duoface Day&Night open
The legends say that you can flip a Reverso forever. Leaving the joke aside, the Reverso system is practical. Its robustness is certified by years of success.

The Jaeger-LeCoultre Reverso Duoface was released in 1994. Little I knew about watches back then. I was just a kid. I was wearing, most probably, the cheapest version of Casio available. Back then I was amazed by the light existent in those watches. The minute-repeater were words unavailable in dictionaries, let alone in my mind.

Jaeger-LeCoultre Reverso Duoface Day&Night oblique crown view
The rectangular steel case measures 42mm x 26mm. The case is polished and no extra decorations are available, other than the lines present on the mobile part of the watch.

You’re not boring, I’ll give you that.” – Catherine Banning in The Thomas Crown Affair movie

But later I began to be impressed by watches I saw in the movies. So is the case of the Reverso Duoface from the “The Thomas Crown Affair” movie. I was almost eighteen, the world started to open up, the internet was becoming available. It was a revelation, it was the first time when a watch left such a big impression. So the Duoface of those years remained in some corners of my mind and heart.

Jaeger-LeCoultre Reverso Duoface Day&Night oblique crown view
The Jaeger-LeCoultre Reverso Duoface Night&Day comes with a small pusher to set the second-time-zone. The Duoface watches were delivered with a special stylus. The newer Duoface comes with a different layout design and colours. Instead of the small, integrated into the case pusher, the present Duoface comes with a rectangular large button. I am not saying that the newer versions are not pretty with the large push button. Definitively more comfy to use. Or, that the large pusher is brutal, that it takes from the Reverso’s finesse. I say just that I enjoy this version more. The crown is partly integrated into the case, therefore a smaller footprint. Helpful, especially if worn reversed. Despite that, the Jaeger-LeCoultre embossed logo crown is easy to use.

Later I discovered the legend of the Reverso. Almost 90 years of history, with ups and downs. It’s a design that entered the history of watches as one of the pieces worn by a large variety of prominent personalities.  The watch is delicate enough to pass as a superb lady’s piece but bold enough to go as a classic man’s watch.

Jaeger-LeCoultre Reverso Duoface Day&Night dial detail
The beauty of the dial is indisputable. The white dial is split between three main areas: the black Arabic numeral indexes, the guilloche centre and the small seconds’ guilloche subdial. I particularly love the blued steel slender sword hands

For me, the Reverso seemed to pop up in key moments of my life. To remind me of my dream. So, how to describe the Reverso? It is one of those masterpieces, that just like the Cartier Santos and Tank, or the Patek Philippe Calatrava remained as a symbol of elegance for decades. These watches form a constellation that, I consider, must be part of a traditional watch collection.

Jaeger-LeCoultre Reverso Duoface Day&Night dial details
The brand’s name is “elevated” on the upper side of the dial. The “Reverso” name is also present in a similar way, just above the small seconds’ sub-dial

That time when Reverso was not Jaeger-LeCoultre

One of the most interesting facts in the history of the Reverso is the Ref. 106. Eight Reverso cases were sold to Patek Philippe. To have one of those pieces in my hands will be as ultimate as owning the fabulous Reverso Tribute Gyrotourbillon®. I have no idea if I will even get the chance to play with the Reverso Tribute Gyrotourbillon®, not saying to own it. By the way, the Tribute is one of my grails.

Jaeger-LeCoultre Reverso Duoface Night&day portait
Flipping the Duoface will reveal one of my favourite Reverso faces – the grey guilloche dial

The same, but different! Different, but the same!

The design of the Reverso was not unique in its launch era. In 1931, Cartier created its own version of “Reverso” – the lovely Cartier Tank Basculante. Based on a similar idea of a reversible case. Check this article of Geo Cramer for Revolution: 100 Years of the Cartier Tank. There is also a more modern version of the Basculante, which I find extremely cute and lovable. It’s on my list of future acquisitions. I guess, if Cartier will relaunch Basculante, it will be a major success between collectors. But for the masses, Reverso remains much more recognisable.

Jaeger-LeCoultre Reverso Duoface Night&day grey dial detail
The second face of the Reverso Duoface features several guilloche patterns. The indexes are placed in a circular area with Arabic luminescent numerals and steel pyramidal indexes. The Night&Day indicator uses its own subdial.

An interesting characteristic of the watch is the transformation, over the years, from a sporty, robust watch into a classic dress watch. Now, when a watch is not a tool anymore, but a piece of jewellery. The Ref 270.8.54 is powered by the manual wound Jaeger-LeCoultre Calibre  854. This movement proved its robustness for more than a decade. This calibre was replaced, in the later versions of Duoface, with an improved version, the 854/1 (rectangular button version).

Jaeger-LeCoultre Reverso Duoface Night&day grey dial detail 2
The Clou de Paris pattern guilloche is one of the characteristics I love at this face of the Duoface.

Some final considerations

The Duoface is a two-in-one watches. The Jaeger-LeCoultre Reverso Duoface Night&Day offers you two very different dials that can be available with a flip anytime. And I love that. I can “change” my watch without even remove it from my wrist.

Jaeger-LeCoultre Reverso Duoface Night&day grey dial lume
The low light view of the grey face is lovely. The legibility is excellent. The age of the watch and the ageing of the luminescent does not permit a long and stable sparkle.

Any collector has its preferences. Some say Rolex is a must, others say independents are a must. I say you must just follow your heart and enjoy your favourite piece, or pieces. I enjoy my Duo, it makes me feel complete.

The history of Jaeger-LeCoultre Reverso

Every article has its own pluses and minuses, but all are interesting and deserve the time:

For the news version of Reverso, please check the Jaeger-LeCoultre Website.

6 Comments

  1. Nice well written article.

    1. Author

      Hi Peter,
      Thank you for your kind words. Much appreciated! ??

      1. If you don’t mind me asking, what sort of accuracy can one expect from the hand wound caliber in the Duo. It truly is a beautiful watch and totally iconic!

        1. Author

          Hi Peter,
          Hard to tell, it depends on the movement’s state. If it is serviced correctly, you will have quite a spectacular piece. Mine was not serviced recently, so I cannot tell you how much it costs now a complete service. I am not a precision freak and mine was quite ok so I didn’t try to find out exactly how many seconds it handles + or –

  2. Great article and useful in my own research into the various Reverso variations available. Ultimately I bought this reference because of the incredible detail in the dials. Such intricacy on such a small scale never fails to amaze. I’m convinced that with the variety in Reverso models one will never be enough!

    1. Author

      Dear James,
      Thank you for your kind words. Glad it was helpful.
      Cheers,
      Andrei

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