Jaeger-LeCoultre Reverso Classique

Utterly unique and elegant

Words - Taj Hayer 

Photography - Nicholas Andrews

Shot on location at Watchfinder, Royal Exchange London 

If on the market for a new, luxury time-piece, it would make sense to consider an entry level watch. The words “entry-level” do not inspire images of luxury, but the Jaeger-LeCoultre Reverso Classique is a beautiful watch, that does not cost the earth.

The watch has a legendary story, which began in the Thirties, out of a challenge to design a model that could be worn by the British Army officers in India whilst playing polo (oh, the lifestyles of the rich and famous). The solution to breaking every watch that they wore was to design a dial smoothly concealed by reversing the case, to reveal a full back which would fully protect the watch face from vigorous mallet strokes. It is the timeless face with its unique design that sets the watch apart from its competitors. The watch also benefits from being gender-neutral, and has typically been glammed up with jewelled models or made more vintage, with an Art Deco aesthetic, as superbly illustrated by the images within this article. We think it may be the ideal men’s dress watch and would look superb with a tailored tuxedo.

From £5,750.00 and available from Jaeger-LeCoultre at Watchfinder.

With a price point that wavers around the £5,000 mark, the Reverso Classique is a genuine way of entering the luxury watch market. Of course, this could lead you to concerns that its simply not as good as other, more expensive brands. This is not the case. The brand has a long and impressive history and this model represents all of the key plus points – modest dimensions, a vintage aesthetic and a pivoting case, which makes it really unique. The movement is not complex, but that does not make the watch any less reliable and precise, which made it perfect for those British army officers in India.