Jaeger-LeCoultre Reverso Duetto Yellow Gold and Diamonds, 2000s

Price upon request

Identity

Jaeger-LeCoultre Reverso Duetto, 2000s. Mechanical manual-winding movement. 18-carat yellow gold reversible pivoting case, 20 × 33 mm, signed Jaeger-LeCoultre crown set with a pointed diamond. Front face: sunburst silver dial, black painted Arabic numerals, chevron railway track, small seconds at 6 o'clock, flame-blued glaive hands, Jaeger-LeCoultre signature. Reverse face: mother-of-pearl dial, black painted Arabic numerals, black dauphine hands, Duetto marking, frame set with 32 brilliant-cut diamonds in two rows. Sapphire crystal. Leather strap and signed Jaeger-LeCoultre yellow gold deployment buckle.

Horological context

The Reverso was born in 1931 of a twofold demand: aesthetic and sporting. British officers stationed in India, polo players among them, wanted a watch whose crystal — mineral at the time — could be protected against the shocks and breakages occurring during collisions between riders in the course of matches. César de Trey, a Swiss watch merchant, was challenged to find a solution. The LeCoultre manufacture then commissioned the Parisian designer René-Alfred Chauvot to draw a rectangular case pivoting on two side rails, in the Art Deco style then at its peak. The patent was filed the same year. The LeCoultre manufacture — future Jaeger-LeCoultre — launched its production. The Art Deco signature has remained the model's indelible mark, instantly recognisable nearly a century later. After a first period of active production lasting until the 1940s, the model lay somewhat dormant before being progressively reintroduced from the 1970s onwards, notably with the introduction of quartz movements. The Grande Reverso of 1991 marked the return to series mechanical production. The Reverso Duoface, launched in 1994, used the pivoting reverse for the first time to display a second time zone on the back, turning the case's historical constraint into a horological complication. The line has since been declined in several configurations: Classique, Lady, Monoface, Duoface, Duetto, Grande Taille.

Character

The Duetto configuration — the Reverso's one of the most accomplished variations. Where the classical Reverso conceals its case back for protection and possibly for engraving, the Duetto reverses the logic by offering a complete second dial on the back, synchronised with the first through an internal transmission mechanism. One time, two aesthetics: the sober and classical front face, with blued hands and railway track, for the day; the dressed reverse face, with mother-of-pearl dial framed by 32 diamonds and dauphine hands, for the evening. Crown set with a pointed diamond.

Watch serviced. Very good condition. Delivered with a brand box and the Contre-Temps 24-month warranty certificate.

Delivered, serviced, 2-year warranty.