Jaeger-LeCoultre Reverso Tribute Burgundy Red Hands-on Review

I’m quite sure that we all know the story of how the Reverso came about quite well by now. If not, where have you been the last couple of decades? Even though it has been around since 1931, the watch did disappear from the range for a little while, before being resurrected in 1972 by an Italian watch dealer, Giorgio Corvo, who bought up the remaining Reverso cases (around 200) and sold them all in Italy after fitting them with a movement. Convinced that the range will sell, he persuaded Jaeger-LeCoultre to revive the range in the 80s.

Fast forward to 1991, on the 60th anniversary of the Reverso, various complications were introduced in the watch. This was no small feat as there is a lot less room inside the rectangular case, and therefore being able to squeeze in complications meant that Jaeger-LeCoultre has had to overcome many obstacles. We may take a two-faced Reverso for granted these days, but even that requires years of development to achieve.

This brings us to the watch today, one of the 90th-anniversary models, and quite possibly one of the prettiest, most elegant and stunning Reverso ever to grace my wrist: The Reverso Tribute Duoface Small Seconds in pink gold, a limited edition of only 190 pieces worldwide.

To be honest I think the Reverso Duoface in general is one of the most interesting complications there is in the watch world, simply because you’re basically getting two watches in one. Simply flip the case and you have a different watch on the wrist. And now, with the addition of a quick-change strap system, you could even change up the look of the watch even more and very quickly.

Something that might be easily overlooked (and it was designed to be that way) is that you do also get a second-time zone on the reverse dial if you wish, with a lever cleverly hidden in the top of the swivelling case, so you could only see it when you are in the process of “reversing” the watch. The reverse white dial is has a gorgeous cloud de Paris finishing with recessed time and day and night indicator, and fine contrasting gold indices and hands.

Generally speaking, I’m not a big fan of precious metal. I prefer to have a more interesting movement with complications rather than material. However, this watch really has me convinced otherwise. Yes, there is the burgundy dial in a steel case available as well, but the colour just matches the tone of the rose gold case so well that after spending some time with the gold, the steel case just doesn’t do it for me anymore. Paired with the matching Casa Fagliano burgundy strap, the whole look just screams elegance and class.

The dial is really the star of the watch. It’s a deep shade of burgundy but it also changes colour quite dramatically under different lighting conditions, and the way the light playfully bounces off the dial makes you want to stare at the watch all day (and not even realise the shown).

I guess the main sticking point is how the rectangular case fits on the wrist. As most of us are used to the sizing of the round watch, it can be quite difficult to work out what size fits best. Well, for starters, to help with comfort, the case back is gently curved to match the curvature of the wrist. The next step is really just to measure the lug-to-lug length as that is still possibly the best indication of how a watch will fit. In this case, 47mm, meaning the watch will sit quite nicely on most wrists, and you’ll just have to get used to the case width of 28.3mm.

But trust me. Once you have this watch on, it will be very difficult to take it off again.

Reference: 398256J

Specification:

• Case:  47mm x 28.3mm, 10.3mm thick
• Case material: Pink Gold
• Dial: Burgundy Red and Silvered grey dials
• Crystal: Sapphire, domed on both sides, anti-reflective coating inside
• Water resistance: 30 meters
• Movement: Calibre 854A/2 Manual Wind
• Power reserve: 42 hours

Availability: Now, Limited to 190 pieces worldwide

Australian Retail Pricing: $35,900.00