The new Jaeger-LeCoultre Reverso Tribute Chronograph pays tribute to the origins of the Reverso watch. Inside it beats a newly developed movement that is perfectly in line with the sporty nature of this dual face watch.
Inspired by the first Reverso Chronograph of 1996, the new JLC Calibre 860 unites a chronograph with a double-sided display of the time.
The front dial has a sunray-brushed surface. It bears all of the hallmarks of the Reverso Tribute line, with its baton hour markers, Dauphine hands and peripheral chemin de fer minutes track.
The reverse side has an open-worked dial layout that showcases the highly complex yet beautifully crafted chronograph movement. This entirely skeletonised dial offers the view of Côtes de Genève decorated movement bridges. The chronograph seconds and minute tracks are in black to maximise legibility.
The chronograph employs a seconds hand at the centre and a retrograde 30 minute register at 6 o’clock. To harmonize with the blue screws of the movement, the chronograph hands also appear in blue.
The reverse dial also indicates the second time display with the faceted baton indexes, Dauphine hands, and chemin de fer minutes track.
The JLC Reverso Tribute Chronograph is available in both steel and pink gold, complemented by dark blue and black straps respectively. The steel version has a blue-grey dial and the pink gold model comes with a black dial.
This new JLC watch revisits and reinvents the Reverso Chronographe of 1996, one of six special Reversos developed in the space of a single decade. Each of them was designed around an entirely new expression of the great classical watchmaking complications. Starting in 1991, following the 60th anniversary of the Reverso, these pieces were landmarks in the revival of mechanical watchmaking after the quartz crisis.
The 1996 Reverso Chronograph came with the JLC Calibre 829. It was not only the first shaped chronograph movement in a rectangular case for Jaeger-LeCoultre but also the first manually-wound integrated chronograph to be developed from scratch in the post-quartz era.
The Reverso Tribute Chronograph houses the new Calibre 860, a fully integrated hand-wound chronograph movement, entirely designed, produced and assembled within the Manufacture.
This four-sided mechanical movement brilliantly houses circular chronograph timing indications within a rectangular casing, while maintaining the clarity and legibility. It allows to have a beautifully balanced and highly distinctive dial layout. It comes with a large chronograph seconds display in the upper part of the dial complemented by a retrograde 30-minute indicator on an arc at the base of the dial.
Calibre 860 incorporates a column wheel chronograph with a horizontal clutch, which was chosen over the more familiar vertical clutch to reduce the overall thickness of the movement. To display hours and minutes on both front and reverse dials, the movement powers two sets of hands that must move in opposite directions to indicate the time in correct clockwise fashion on both faces of the watch.
Beating at 28,800 vibrations per hour, Calibre 860 offers a power reserve of 52 hours. Despite the complexity and no fewer than 300 components, the shaped rectangular movement fits into a case less than 12mm thick.
Each watch comes with two straps, a signature of the Reverso Tribute line. Each of them also features an interchangeable buckle for easy strap changes. The canvas-and-leather and all-leather straps are designed by the celebrated Argentinian polo bootmaker Casa Fagliano.
Technical details
Model: Jaeger-LeCoultre Reverso Tribute Chronograph
References
Pink gold: Q389257J
Steel: Q389848J
Case
Pink Gold 750/1000 (18 carats) or steel
Dimensions: 49.4 x 29.9 mm x 11.14 mm thick
Water resistance: 30m
Movement
Manually-wound Jaeger-LeCoultre Calibre 860
Power reserve: 52 hours
Functions
Hours and minutes on both dials, Chronograph with retrograde 30-minute counter
Dial
Front dial: Black or blue-grey sunray-brushed
Back dial: Skeletonised
Straps
Fagliano Collection calf leather and canvas strap and additional calf leather strap
