"We are delighted to welcome our Reverso exhibition to the heart of the Vallée de Joux, bringing back to life this unforgettable journey of watchmaking and Art Deco design. Over the years, the Reverso has become an iconic object, a symbol of style and elegance. I hope this passage through time will become an unforgettable experience for all who visit it." says Catherine Rénier, CEO of Jaeger-LeCoultre.

Created in 1931, the Reverso is a design of rare longevity – a legend born from the challenge to create a wristwatch that could withstand the rough and tumble of the polo field. Ingenious in conception and perfect in execution, the Reverso quickly transcended its original purpose and was adopted by tastemakers from all walks of life. Deftly synthesising form and function with its unique reversible case and pure Art Deco lines, it has become one of the world’s most recognisable wristwatches.

Reverso Stories explores the creative and cultural universe of this exceptional design through four themes, leading visitors on a journey through 90 years of timeless modernity. These four ‘Stories’ are supplemented by an in-depth exploration of how La Grande Maison has epitomised the spirit of the Vallée de Joux for 190 years, fuelled by boundless creativity and a relentless pursuit of innovation married to deep respect for the traditional values of high watchmaking.

The Reverso: A Timeless Story in Four Chapters

The Story of an Icon retells the tale of the Reverso’s origins through rarely seen archive materials and heritage documents from the Jaeger-LeCoultre collection, and a selection of milestone Reverso watches. A specially commissioned film transports the viewer inside the Manufacture Jaeger-LeCoultre, tracing the creation of a Reverso through the words of the artisans and watchmakers themselves.

The Story of Style & Design examines the Art Deco roots of the Reverso. Visitors will discover how, following the principles of Art Deco design, the distinctive rectangular form of the watch was dictated by the original concept – that the case should flip over. An artfully curated selection of timepieces traces the stylistic changes through which the Reverso has gained the status of a design icon.

The Story of Innovation explores how the Reverso embodies Jaeger-LeCoultre’s eternally inventive quest for technical advancement. Beginning with the revolutionary idea of a case that could be flipped over, to the ingenious design by Rene-Alfred Chauvot, patented in 1931, the story traces the introduction of high-watchmaking complications, ground-breaking mechanical inventions and the use of new materials.

The Story of Craftsmanship, the exhibition’s finale, celebrates the skills of Jaeger-LeCoultre’s enamellers, gem-setters, engravers and guillochage masters, revealing how they have unleashed the full potential of the Reverso as a canvas for artistic expression and personalised messages. A special selection of timepieces spanning nine decades provides special insight into how the Reverso has itself been telling the stories of its owners –and will continue to do so for many years to come.

Enriching the Experience with Atelier d’Antoine

To deepen their experience of the exhibition, visitors are welcome to enrol in Atelier d’Antoine, the programme of educational workshops, hands-on watchmaking experience and Manufacture visits – an unparalleled opportunity to immerse themselves in the world of fine watchmaking. Presented by Jaeger-LeCoultre in the heart of its Manufacture, the Discovery Workshops, Masterclasses and guided visits will focus on the Reverso, presenting a unique opportunity to discover the inside story of a true icon of watchmaking. Participation in the Atelier d’Antoine is by reservation only.

‘Reverso: Timeless Stories Since 1931’ Exhibition

Espace Horloger, Grande-Rue 2, CH-1347 Le Sentier

Open to the public from July 1 to September 3, from 10am to 5pm Tuesday to Sunday (closed on Mondays). Free of charge. 

More information on espacehorloger.ch 

Atelier d’Antoine

Manufacture Jaeger-LeCoultre, Rue de la Golisse 8, CH-1347 Le Sentier

Online booking mandatory on online-booking.jaeger-lecoultre.com

As the launch of the Reverso Soixantième in 1991 coincided with the rebirth of mechanical watchmaking that followed the quartz crisis, the Reverso embraced its potential to be much more than a time-only watch. It became the vehicle through which the Manufacture would redevelop its expertise in high complications, despite the added challenge that rectangular movements dictate an entirely different architecture from that of the round movements that had traditionally been used for complications.

Calibre 824, developed especially for the Reverso Soixantième, incorporated a date indicated by a central hand and a power reserve indicator. This was followed in 1993 by the Reverso Tourbillon – the Manufacture’s first wristwatch tourbillon. Then came the Reverso Répétition Minutes in 1994, the first time Jaeger-LeCoultre had miniaturised a minute repeater for a wristwatch, Calibre 943 was the world’s first rectangular minute repeater movement. In 1996, La Grande Maison introduced the Reverso Chronographe Rétrograde, with an intricate display on the reverse side that solved the problem of how to arrange the chronograph counters within a rectangular frame. This was followed two years later by the Reverso Géographique and, coinciding with the Millennium, the Reverso Quantième Perpétuel. Naturally, these pink-gold limited-edition pieces are highly sought-after by collectors.

In the years since the Millennium, innovation has continued. Developed for the Reverso Septantième and released in 2002, Calibre 879 provided an 8-day power reserve – very rare at the time. Five years later, the Reverso Grande Complication à Triptyque introduced Calibre 175: a single movement incorporating 18 different functions, including civil time, sidereal time and a perpetual calendar, displayed on three dials – the third dial being set into the carrier plate of the watch. The Reverso has also housed Jaeger-LeCoultre’s unique bi-axial flying tourbillon, first in the Reverso Gyrotourbillon of 2008 and again in the 2016 Reverso Tribute Gyrotourbillon. And in 2012, Jaeger-LeCoultre introduced the Reverso Répétition Minutes à Rideau, in which the chiming mechanism is activated by the movement of a pair of theatre-style curtains as they reveal and conceal the dial.

From its genesis, through 90 years of evolution and countless variations, the Reverso has continually reinvented itself without ever compromising its identity. Versatile and ageless, a chameleon that changes yet remains unchanged, it has become one of the world’s most recognisable wristwatches.

But it is more than simply a watch. The Reverso has rightly become recognised as an icon of 20th-century design, in the true meaning of the term.