The Reverso Tribute Duoface Tourbillon is a glorious expression of the Calibre 847, with its iconic swivelling case and dual aesthetics. The mirror polished disc reflects light through the tourbillon, making it the ideal timepiece for our global ambassador - elegant and sophisticated.

On the verso, the gold bridges are richly textured with Clous de Paris Guilloché. This guillochage is a highly skilled operation executed on a 100-year-old hand-operated lathe where the artisan carefully engraves 6 times each of the 232 grooves resulting in this delicate pattern.

On the recto, the Reverso Tribute Duoface Tourbillon has an elegant yet highly distinctive presence allowing the tourbillon to take centre stage. Capturing the spirit of the early 1930s models, the pared-down aesthetic and signature details of the dial exude refinement.

Located at IRON 23, the exhibition will run from November 3 to November 22, 2023. The 'Reverso Stories' exhibition arrives just ahead of the grand opening of Jaeger-LeCoultre's new flagship boutique on Madison Avenue.

A fascinating retrospective that leads visitors through nine decades of timeless modernity, ‘Reverso Stories’ reveals the craftsmanship, innovation and design behind the celebrated timepiece and also explores the wider creative and cultural universe surrounding it.

Visitors will discover the Reverso story through four key themes: Story of an Icon, Style and Design, Innovation, and Craftsmanship. The experience is enhanced by an immersive digital art installation by Korean artist Yiyun Kang; a space devoted to the video series ‘In the Making’, which reveals the secrets of the 180 crafts practiced in the Manufacture; a room dedicated to Japanese artist Hokusai, whose works have been reproduced on Reverso timepieces; the 1931 Café serving an Art Deco-inspired menu; and hands-on watchmaking Discovery Workshops within the Atelier d’Antoine.

In addition to historic timepieces, the exhibits will include the 2023 Reverso models launched at Watches and Wonders, and two exceptional new Reverso Tribute Enamel models that will be launched during the New York season of ‘Reverso Stories’.

Exploring Nine Decades of Timeless Modernity through Four Stories

Since 1833, Jaeger-LeCoultre has expressed its inventive spirit through the creation of many world firsts – including the legendary, patented swivelling case of the Reverso watch. This timeless expression of Art Deco style was born in 1931 on the polo fields of India, with the idea of a case that could be flipped over to protect the watch while playing ‘the sport of kings’. With its revolutionary design and immaculate craftsmanship, the Reverso was immediately embraced by trendsetters from all walks of life, quickly transcending its original purpose and, over the decades, becoming widely recognised as an icon of 20^th-century design.

The story of Reverso is told in four chapters. The Story of an Icon, retells the tale of the Reverso’s origins through rarely seen archive materials and milestone Reverso watches from the Jaeger-LeCoultre collection. The Story of Style & Design looks at the Reverso watch as a quintessential example of Art Deco design that remains timelessly modern today, expressing the spirit of the Golden Ratio. The Story of Innovation highlights the insatiable spirit of invention that characterises the Jaeger-LeCoultre Manufacture, from the first brilliant idea for a reversible case, to the development of ground-breaking complications designed specifically for its rectangular shape. The Story of Craftsmanship pays tribute to the engravers, gem-setters, enamellers and guillochage masters of the Manufacture’s Métiers Rares™ atelier, revealing how they have unleashed the full potential of the Reverso as a canvas for artistic expression and personalised messages.

Art Meets Watchmaking

Set at the heart of the exhibition, Yiyun Kang’s multimedia installation, Origin, was specially commissioned by Jaeger-LeCoultre under its Made of Makers program; a series of artistic partnerships that expands the dialogue between watchmaking and other art forms. Recognized for her immersive audio-visual and projection-mapping installations that recast space with moving image and sound, Yiyun Kang is one of the most active and acclaimed Korean digital media artists in today’s international art scene. Projected onto a very large three-dimensional screen, Origin explores the Golden Ratio – a fundamental concept regarded as the universal signifier of aesthetic harmony in both nature and man-made design – which has been the guiding spirit of the Reverso since 1931.  

A Celebration of Craftsmanship

Showcasing the 180 crafts housed under one roof at the Manufacture Jaeger-LeCoultre, two spaces are dedicated to particular aspects of the craft and art of watchmaking.  One room, ‘In the Making’ is devoted to a series of short films that take viewers behind the scenes, each focusing on a single craft, including rarely seen stages of the watchmaking process, with voiceovers that explain the artisans’ processes in their own words. The ‘Hokusai’ room celebrates the master enamellers of the Manufacture’s Métiers Rares™ atelier and pays homage to the 19^th-century Japanese artist Katsushika Hokusai, whose works have been reproduced as enamelled miniatures on the case-backs of a series of Reverso watches.

An Educational Journey

'Reverso Stories' offers visitors a deeper exploration of watchmaking through the Atelier d'Antoine, a hands-on educational workshop that focuses on the Reverso. This Discovery Workshop is available to all visitors by appointment.

Indulge in Pastries Inspired by the Golden Ratio

Completing visitors’ immersion into the spirit of Art Deco, the 1931 Café is an invitation to guests to pause and enjoy a choice of crafted pastries designed by award-winning French pastry chef Nina Metayer, a collaboration under the ‘Made of Makers’ program, inspired by the principles of the Golden Ratio and ingredients from the Vallée de Joux.

The ‘Reverso Stories’ Exhibition will take place from November 3 to November 22, 2023 at IRON 23, located at 29 W 23rd Street, NY 10010. Entry is open to the public and free of charge.

Opening hours and admission:

Tuesday to Thursday 11am until 7pm

Friday and Saturday 10am to 7pm

Sunday 11am to 6pm

Closed on Monday

Guests will be able to walk in or book guided visits online at: Jaeger-LeCoultre - Theme - THE REVERSO STORIES EXHIBITION 

An immersive retrospective that leads visitors on a journey through nine decades of timeless modernity, Reverso Stories has previously welcomed thousands of visitors in Shanghai and Paris. It explores the creative and cultural universe of this exceptional timepiece and features a specially commissioned art installation by the American artist Michael Murphy, as well as many historic artefacts and a selection of milestone Reverso watches from the earliest time-only models to the ground-breaking Reverso Hybris Mechanica Calibre 185. The exhibition invites visitors to experience the story of Reverso through four different themes: its origins; style and design; innovation and craftsmanship.

After touring the exhibition, Kim Woo-Bin said: “It’s a great pleasure to discover the Reverso Stories exhibition in Seoul. It is a unique cultural experience and the way the story is told through four different themes brings it to life in a fascinating way. It’s very impressive to see so many archive materials and heritage documents that are rarely shown in public, as well as historic and modern Reverso watches.”

Seen in Korea for the first time, Michael Murphy’s installation Space Time is an enthralling rendition of the Reverso Nonantième that transports visitors through the three physical dimensions of space and the fourth dimension of time. Another highlight of the exhibition is the 1931 Café, a chic setting designed in homage to the Art Deco origins of Reverso, which offers a special menu of sweets and cakes created exclusively for Jaeger-LeCoultre by the Parisian pastry chef Nina Métayer.

The “Reverso: Timeless Stories Since 1931” exhibition and the 1931 Café will be open from May 25^th to June 12^th on Monday through Friday from 11:30am to 8:30pm and on the weekend from 11:00am to 9:00pm at S FACTORY, 11 Yeonmujang 15-gil, Seongdong-gu, Seoul, Republic of Korea. 

The exhibition is free to the public, booking is recommended at THE REVERSO STORIES 전시회 서울 | Jaeger-LeCoultre (thereversostoriesseoul.com). Audio guides are available for the exhibition. 

A unique and timeless expression of the Art Deco movement, the legend of the Reverso began on the polo fields of India, where the idea of a case that could be flipped over was born. With its revolutionary design and immaculate craftsmanship, the Reverso was immediately embraced by trendsetters from all walks of life, quickly transcending its original purpose. Deftly combining form and function, it is one of the most recognisable watches in the world.

The “Reverso: Timeless Stories Since 1931” exhibition is an opportunity to explore the cultural and creative universe of this design icon, through an immersive sensory experience that embraces a pop-up boutique, a fascinating retrospective, an Art Deco café and a hands-on workshop. Featuring a specially commissioned art installation by the American artist Michael Murphy, and a selection of famous Reverso watches, from the earliest time-only models to the new Reverso Hybris Mechanica Calibre 185, this original concept tells the story of Reverso through four key themes.

The Reverso, in four chapters – and a new art commission

The journey begins with the Story of an Icon, retelling the tale of the Reverso’s origins through rarely seen archive materials and heritage documents from the Jaeger-LeCoultre collection, as well as a selection of milestone Reverso watches, from the first 1931 model to the latest Reverso Tribute piece. A specially commissioned film transports the viewer inside the Manufacture Jaeger-LeCoultre, tracing each step in the creation of a Reverso through the words of the artisans and watchmakers themselves.

The Story of Style & Design looks at the Reverso watch from an aesthetic perspective. A quintessential example of Art Deco design, the rectangular shape of the reversible case is accentuated by clean lines and elegant curves; its dimensions determined by the rules of the golden ratio. To illustrate the stylistic evolution of the Reverso, examples for men and women are presented, each embodying its distinctive style in bold and often unexpected ways.

A Story of Innovation highlights the insatiable spirit of invention that characterises the Jaeger-LeCoultre Manufacture. The Reverso was the result of a brilliant idea that took shape in the hands of French engineer René-Alfred Chauvot, whose design was submitted to the Paris patent office on 4 March 1931. Since the 1990s, the legendary Art Deco watch has welcomed emblematic complications, including the first rectangular minute repeater, the retrograde chronograph and the Gyrotourbillon, as well as the double-dial Duoface and Duetto models. Enhanced over the years by new materials and numerous interpretations, this technical creativity has culminated in the extraordinary four-face Reverso Quadriptyque in 2021.

The Story of Craftsmanship pays tribute to the engravers, gem-setters, enamellers and guillochage masters of the Manufacture, revealing how they have unleashed the full potential of the Reverso as a canvas for artistic expression and personalised messages. From historic timepieces, such as those belonging to Amelia Earhart and General Douglas MacArthur, to modern-day High Jewellery and miniature-painted models, these pieces provide 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.

A special highlight of the exhibition, the Spacetime art installation makes its European debut in Paris. Commissioned by Jaeger-LeCoultre from the American artist Michael Murphy to coincide with the 90th year of Reverso, it transports visitors through the three physical dimensions of space and the fourth dimension of time. Viewing the installation is a bewitching and multifaceted experience that, in the words of the artist: “explodes into myriad elements that tell the story of the Reverso Tribute Nonantième and its inner workings”.

The 1931 Café

Before or after the exhibition, visitors can enjoy a delicious break at the 1931 Café, an elegant and welcoming Art Deco setting. The elegant black and white décor, reminiscent of the 1930s, is a feast for the eyes, while a special menu created by the young Parisian pastry chef Nina Métayer will delight the taste buds. Designed to evoke the aesthetic codes of Art Deco, these exceptional sweet treats are an invitation to travel through the aromas and flavours of the Vallée de Joux: mountain berries, nuts, honey, herbs and chocolate.

The Atelier d’Antoine

To complete the exhibition, the Atelier d’Antoine – named after the Manufacture’s founder – has been specially relocated to Paris, giving visitors the opportunity to enjoy a unique, hands-on adventure with the Reverso. Together with a watchmaker and instructor, this workshop combines interactive theoretical learning with practical training.

The “Reverso: Timeless Stories Since 1931” exhibition and the 1931 Café will be open Tuesday to Saturday from 21 October to 24 December at 15 rue du Faubourg Saint-Honoré in the 8^th arrondissement of Paris. The exhibition is free to the public, but booking is recommended at www.exposition-reverso.com

Audio guides are available for the exhibition. 

The Atelier d’Antoine workshops can be accessed for a fee (pre-reservation at www.exposition-reverso.com or with the following QR code)