Not many watch models endure for 90 years, but Jaeger-LeCoultre’s iconic Reverso, famously developed for polo players in 1931, is a significant exception. The model’s clean Art Deco lines and pivoting rectangular case ? originally designed so the watch?s front side could be flipped over to protect the crystal from being shattered by an errant polo ball ? have remained popular into the modern era, helping the Reverso grow into the Swiss maison’s flagship collection, incorporating numerous materials, colors, and complications. At Watches & Wonders 2021, Jaeger-LeCoultre kicked off the anniversary year with several all-new variations on the Reverso, including some intriguing complications that we’ll visit in detail in the coming days. Today, we’ll look at the relatively simple but undeniably attractive Reverso Tribute Small Seconds in a new green colorway.
The watch’s sunray-brushed green lacquer dial takes its inspiration, the watchmaker says, from the verdant pine forests that surround its manufacture in Switzerland’s Vallée de Joux. It continues the Reverso’s tradition of using vibrant colors on its dials, which we’ve seen most recently in the burgundy-accented edition released ahead of the anniversary in late 2020. Following the design codes of the Tribute editions, the reversible steel case is a 45.6-mm x 27.4 mm rectangle with the hallmark Art Deco-derived gadroons at the top and bottom. it frames the emer...