• The pink gold case (18 karat, 750/1000) is complemented by solid pink gold dial, movement bridges, indexes and buckle
• New dial decoration amplifies the rectilinear Art Deco geometry of the Reverso case
• Open-worked reverse dial with pink gold bridges reveals the complexity of Calibre 860

Following the launch of the Reverso Tribute Chronograph in 2023 in a steel or 18k (750/1000) pink gold case, Jaeger-LeCoultre has reinterpreted the quintessential sporting complication in a ‘full pink gold’ version for 2024. The 18k (750/1000) pink gold case is complemented by a solid 18k (750/1000) pink gold dial, movement bridges, applied indexes and pin buckle. It will be produced in a limited edition of 250 pieces.

A sporting icon inspires aesthetic beauty and constant technical innovation

Born in 1931 with a protective swivelling case designed to be worn on the polo fields, the Reverso was quickly adopted by tastemakers from all walks of life, attracted to its elegant and sporty Art Deco aesthetics. Through more than 90 years of evolution, its case has unfolded from the original Staybrite steel to precious metals, while the blank metal flip side has been decorated with engraving, lacquer, enamel or gemstones – or has become a second dial. Continually reinventing itself without ever compromising its identity, it is one of the world’s most recognisable wristwatches, acknowledged as an icon of 20^th-century design.

Celebrating the Reverso’s polo origins with a unique expression of the ultimate sporting complication, the Reverso Tribute Chronograph honours the Reverso Chronograph of 1996, which had introduced an entirely new architecture for the integrated chronograph calibre. That earlier movement has been reinvented with Calibre 860, which displays the time on both the front and reverse dials in addition to revealing the beautifully crafted chronograph mechanism on the reverse side.

A new dial design and an open-worked reverse side, both in solid pink gold

The Reverso Tribute Chronograph epitomises La Grande Maison’s core watchmaking philosophy of expressing mechanical sophistication through aesthetic creativity and fine craftsmanship. Now, the Maison’s pursuit of excellence has led it to create a new version in full pink gold.

The front dial introduces a new style of decorative finish to the Reverso Tribute line: the pink gold surface has been laser-engraved with fine horizontal lines spanning the width of the dial – a clean, elegant and contemporary aesthetic that reinforces the rectilinear geometry of the Reverso case and amplifies the three horizontal gadroons above and below the dial. Set against this background are the signature Reverso Tribute design details: applied trapezoid indexes, Dauphine hands and a chemin de fer minutes track. On the new dial, the minutes track is highlighted in black, creating a striking contrast with the pink gold.

On the reverse side, the open-worked dial reveals the complexity of the finely crafted chronograph mechanism. The 18k (750/100) pink gold bridges feature hand-bevelled edges and vertical Côtes de Genève decoration – all crafted within the Jaeger-LeCoultre Manufacture in Le Sentier. The counters, chronograph seconds and minute tracks are highlighted in black, enhancing legibility and creating contrast, while blue chronograph hands and blued screws add a dash of colour. The polished 18k (750/100) pink gold indexes are invisibly attached to the minute track and appear to float above the movement.

Calibre 860:  a new expression of the chronograph

The Reverso Tribute Chronograph is powered by Jaeger-LeCoultre Calibre 860, which revisited the ground-breaking Reverso Chronograph Retrograde of 1996. Testament to the inventiveness and technical prowess of La Grande Maison, it was one of six special Reversos developed within just ten years, each designed around an entirely new expression of the great classical watchmaking complications. Its movement, Calibre 829, was not only the first rectangular shaped chronograph movement in a rectangular case of Jaeger-LeCoultre, but also the first manually wound integrated chronograph to be developed in the post-quartz era at Jaeger-LeCoultre. Like all Jaeger-LeCoultre movements, it was designed, produced, assembled and decorated at the Manufacture.

Calibre 860 is a fully integrated hand-wound chronograph movement with start/stop and reset pushers, a retrograde 30-minute counter, central seconds, and a second indication of time. In compliance with the Manufacture’s approach to product integrity, whereby a movement should be shaped according to the case that houses it, the calibre had to be rectangular. The result is a beautifully balanced and distinctive dial layout, with a large chronograph seconds display in the upper part of the dial, and the retrograde 30-minute indicator on an arc at the base of the dial.

Beating at 28,800 vibrations per hour, 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. Calibre 860 offers 52 hours of power reserve, allowing the high energy requirement of a retrograde chronograph to be combined with two time indications. Despite this complexity and no fewer than 300 components, Calibre 860 respects Jaeger-LeCoultre’s philosophy of elegance, fitting into a case of 11.14 mm of thickness.

Fagliano Collection straps add character and style
 

The two straps offered with each watch – a signature of the Reverso Tribute line – feature a Presto quick-release system and an interchangeable buckle for easy changes. Reconnecting the Reverso to its roots in the world of polo, a tan calf leather strap designed by the Buenos Aires atelier of the celebrated Argentinian polo bootmaker Casa Fagliano, adds a dash of sporty sophistication while a black alligator lends a more classical air to the timepiece.

Epitomising the guiding forces that accompany the Manufacture in its quest for beauty and precision, the Reverso Tribute Chronograph is a magnificent new expression of tradition, craftsmanship and innovation.

TECHNICAL CHARACTERISTICS

REVERSO TRIBUTE CHRONOGRAPH 
Material: Pink Gold (18k – 750/1000)
Dimensions: 49.4 x 29.9 mm x 11.14 mm thick
Movement: Manually wound Calibre 860
Power reserve: 52 hours
Functions: Hours and Minutes (Front and Reverse), Chronograph Central seconds (Reverse), Retrograde 30-minute counter (Reverse)
Front dial: Pink gold, engraved
Reverse dial: Open-worked pink gold bridges

Strap package: Calf leather Fagliano Collection strap. Additional black alligator strap
Reference: Q389256J
Limited edition of 250 pieces

In 2013, Jaeger-LeCoultre first introduced the Master Grande Tradition Gyrotourbillon 3 to mark the Maison’s 180th anniversary. Combining a third-generation interpretation of the Gyrotourbillon with an intriguing and highly unusual instantaneous digital display chronograph, it represents mechanical sophistication of the highest order.

But still, Jaeger-LeCoultre wanted to do more. And so, this new version of Gyrotourbillon 3 harnesses the exceptional skills of the Manufacture’s Rare Handcrafts™ (Métiers Rares®) artisans to elevate the rare and precious timepiece to a new level. With various elements of the dial showcasing the traditional Rare Handcrafts™ of hand-guillochage, engraving and grand feu enamel, this new model introduces the rarely seen craft of meteorite inlay.

On the dial side, the intriguing geometric markings of the silvery-grey meteorite are complemented by the subtle glitter of deep blue aventurine and the glow of pure white grand feu enamel. This harmonious interplay of materials, colour and surface pattern is complemented by the warmth and richness of the pink gold case and dial details.

Found in Namibia, the Gibeon meteorite chosen for this watch is an iron-nickel alloy with an octahedrite crystal structure, formed by the cooling of the asteroid fragment in outer space over the course of billions of years before it crashed to earth in prehistoric times. The abstract geometric patterns of the intersecting crystal structures shimmer gently when the material catches the light, their irregular arrangement making every slice of meteorite subtly different from all others.

In addition to the meteorite inlaid on the German silver bridges, a disc of meteorite sits at the centre of the time display dial, surrounded by a ring of aventurine with applied indexes. On the chronograph display, an aventurine disc is encircled by a ring of white grand feu enamel, marked with elapsed seconds. The Day/Night display comprises a 24-hour plate on which two gold semi-circles are applied, one each for day and night. The white day section is decorated with hand-guilloché, hand-engraved sunrays and an applied polished pink gold sun; the night section features applied polished pink gold crescent moon and stars, set on a rich blue background.

Asymmetrical yet perfectly balanced, these three overlapping dials are layered, adding visual depth to the watch face – and, despite tempting glimpses of the movement, drawing the eye irresistibly to the tourbillon as it spins in space, with no immediately visible means of support.

It is on the back of the movement that the meteorite truly takes centre stage. A lively yet subtle mixture of colour and texture – blued screws, ruby jewels, the shiny aspect of the hand-chamfered and hand-polished jewel countersinks, bridges and plates, and the matt finish of the brushed borders of the German silver plates – offsets the abstract geometric patterns of the meteorite, which adorns all of the plates and bridges.

A skill mastered by very few craftsmen in the world, meteorite inlay requires a rare degree of precision and dexterity. First, the artisan must hollow out the surface of the German silver plate or bridge, to a depth that exactly matches the thickness of the meteorite fragment, leaving only a fine fillet of German silver at the borders. Once the new surface has been polished, the meteorite must be laid so that its edges fit seamlessly within the complex, curving borders and its surface lies exactly flush with them, to form a completely flat and unified plane. It is work of the utmost refinement and precision, measured in fractions of a millimetre.

Such exacting work complements the remarkable precision of the Gyrotourbillon mechanism. Exceedingly rare and complex, this multi-axis tourbillon comprises two cages, set at two different angles, turning opposite directions, at different speeds, with a blued spherical balance spring beating like a heart in their centre. In the absence of a tourbillon bridge, the cantilevered all-aluminium cages of Gyrotourbillon 3 appear to be suspended in space.

Hand-wound movement, calibre 176, incorporates a fully integrated chronograph, which displays the seconds on a traditional round dial and elapsed minutes on an instantaneously jumping digital counter.

Conceived and crafted for true connoisseurs of art and mechanics, the new Master Grande Tradition Gyrotourbillon 3 ‘Meteorite’ represents the highest expression of Jaeger-LeCoultre’s codes.

Technical characteristics:

Dimensions: 43.5 mm

Thickness: 15.8 mm

Calibre: manual mechanical movement, Jaeger-LeCoultre Caliber 176

Functions: digital instant monopusher chronograph, hours/minutes, day/night indicator, gyrotourbillon

Power reserve: 45 hours

Case: pink gold

Dial: aventurine, white enamel, meteorite, hand-guilloché day/night indicator

Caseback: open

Water resistance: 50 m

Reference: Q5032441

Limited to 8 pieces