There’s no escaping Reverso’s dominance when it comes to rectangular watchmaking. Perhaps not in numbers or turnover but in our collective psyche. And by Introducing the Jaeger-LeCoultre Reverso Hybris Artistica Calibre 179 white gold this is underlined with impeccable artistry.
Or should that be the collector’s psyche? Not a single watch except the Cartier Tank has kept the same rectilinear image for nearly a century. For one thing, the Reverso has never been an everyman’s watch. And God forbid there will never be a sub-£1,000 street-cool Swatch collab. Instead, the Jaeger-LeCoultre rectangle co-exists with Genta-penned greats and the Submariner.
Since its inception in 1931, the Reverso has been one of a handful of instantly recognisable watches. The Jaeger-LeCoultre Reverso was born from a challenge: to create a sturdy watch to protect against the fierce swings of polo clubs. Its sleek Art Deco lines hid a secret, a case that flipped, shielding its delicate face. Exuding a resilient elegance through the last century, the Reverso became a timeless ode to ingenuity and grace. But the Jaeger-LeCoultre Reverso Hybris Artistica Calibre 179 is a lot more. Of everything.
This enticing concept we are having a closer look at is not new per se. Jaeger-LeCoultre introduced the grail-worthy Reverso Hybris Artistica Calibre 179 in 2023 to elevate our perception of the Reverso. With the help of the brand’s Métiers Rares (Rare Handcrafts) artisans, the iconic case shape is imbued with a crafted and complex duality. The Manufacture started challenging their watchmakers in the 1990s with new tasks. That involved the introduction of high complications into the Art Deco case, eventually including the milestone of a tourbillon. The Reverso Hybris Artistica features the latest evolution of the Calibre 179 and, within it, the fourth evolution of the JLC Gyrotourbillon. JLC’s signature multi-axis tourbillon (historical patent CH694598A5) was developed specifically for the Reverso.
There is much to unpack in the Calibre 179’s Duoface movement. It displays a different time zone on each dial. There is also a very useful, if small, 24-hour indicator for a second time zone on the reverse dial. The case is large for a Reverso, but it is a highly irrelevant observation. This is not your everyday watch but a wrist experience to savour. Its dimensions are 51.1mm x 21mm, and the thickness of 13.63mm seems substantial. But not when you include the fixed back of all Reversos, within which the case can pivot, and the marvel of a Gyrotourbillon.
Both sides of the white gold rectangle offer semi-open worked views of the movements, and about a third of the space is taken up by the Gyrotourbillon, observing it as it pirouettes around its twin axes. The structure of the tourbillon has a total of 123 components. And it is surprisingly based on the modern tech of an ultra-light titanium cage. This sits in a peripheral carriage mounted on ball bearings, and both turn perpendicularly to each other at different speeds. The inner tourbillon cage rotates 360 degrees every 16 seconds, and the peripheral carriage makes a full rotation once per minute. This doubles as a seconds indicator, a belittling task for such a tech-packed wonder.
But the jaw-dropping image of the Jaeger-LeCoultre Reverso Hybris Artistica Calibre 179 is more. It is also about the dial(s) itself, with deep blue details matched by a navy alligator strap. Within the white gold frame sits a figure-of-eight comprising a gradient blue dial at the top half and the prima ballerina Gyrotourbillon below. It is all framed by a lacquer-filled blue latticework, with triangular bridges at 3 and 9 that expose the architecture within.
Flipping the über-Reverso around will reveal the second time zone, which is set in a beautifully skeletonised dial with a small 24-hour indicator up at 2 o’clock. The deep blues are carried on from the front but only appear as lacquer-filled details in the sweeping bridgework and relief-engraved chapter ring showing hours and minutes at the top half. It offers a different, almost micro-industrial view of the Calibre 179. The metal-monochrome only enhances the twirling magic of the tourbillon, which doubles as a running seconds indicator.
This is one of the watches I am most looking forward to seeing in real life. In fact, it will be one of the main reasons to visit the JLC booth at Watches & Wonders. With only 10 pieces available in 18K white gold, its sure-fire £100K+ price is yet to be revealed. But it offers something important as a window into JLC’s mindset. It is also an intensely complex celebration of what the Reverso has achieved in its rectangular lifetime.
Price and Specs:
More details at Jaeger-LeCoultre.
