First Look: Jaeger LeCoultre Celebrates The Authentic Sports activities Watch With The Reverso Tribute Chronograph

We throw across the phrases “sports activities watch” continuously, and sometimes carelessly, to explain watches that fall in a loosely outlined class of “not costume watches,” and Jaeger-LeCoultre not often will get the credit score for establishing the section when it produced the Reverso in 1931. Whereas we aren’t fairly on the 100-year anniversary of the mannequin but, that doesn’t imply it may’t be lauded, anyway. Unveiled at Watches and Wonders 2023 is the brand new Reverso Tribute Chronograph – a watch that the majority consumers is not going to play polo with — however for those who do, please ship in a photograph.

Specs

Model: Jaeger-LeCoultre
Mannequin: Reverso Tribute Chronograph
Dimensions: 49.4 x 29.9 x 11.14 mm
Water Resistance: 30 meters
Case Materials: 18k pink gold or metal
Strap/Bracelet: Fagliano Assortment calf leather-based and leather-based/canvas hybrid
Crystal/Lens: Sapphire crystal
Motion: Manually wound Jaeger LeCoultre Manufacture Calibre 860
Energy Reserve: 52 hours
Working Frequency: 4Hz
Value & Availability: Value unavailable, TBD

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That includes a basic three-hand time-only dial on one facet and a skeletonized chronograph on the opposite, the brand new Reverso Tribute Chronograph is the most effective of each worlds and a contact extra fidgety than your barebones Reverso. Regardless of the Artwork Deco design (which has remained unchanged for the mannequin’s whole existence) the colour and end selections are decidedly trendy. The JLC Reverso Tribute Chronograph is available in a pink-gold case with a black sunburst dial and strap, or a metal case with a blue-gray sunburst dial. The blue-gray dial has a novel chilling tone achieved by means of Jaeger-LeCoultre’s modern atomic layer deposition (ALD) course of. ADL leads to an especially skinny layer of titanium oxide layered onto the dial.

Whenever you flip open the Reverso Tribute Chronograph, you get the — nicely, the chronograph a part of the watch. The Calibre 860 is on full show with solely the arms, minute monitor, and retrograde minute totalizer hindering your view. Floating type markers seemingly hover over the Côtes de Genéve embellished bridges. Blued chronograph arms and screws, violet rubies, and gold accents soar out to create a really fascinating watch face. Regardless of this ornament, the chronograph stays surprisingly legible. A black minute monitor with a silver or gold encompass supplies excessive distinction towards the motion, though the metal mannequin could have some minor legibility points with the hour and minute arms.

The Calibre 860 is an all-new manually wound chronograph motion developed and made in Vallée de Joux (the Swiss excessive watchmaking valley within the Jura Mountains). The motion elegantly packs all of the chronograph perform into an oblong form to fill the case of the Reverso. It additionally supplies the distinctive retrograde minute totalizer at 6 o’clock. Nevertheless, solely timing as much as half-hour is a bit disappointing, however it’s going to work for most individuals, and if you’re like me, you neglect what you began timing after half-hour, anyway.

The Reverso Tribute Chronograph comes with two implausible straps. The Fagliano Assortment of straps incorporates a few of my private favourite OEM straps within the watch market as a result of they’re supple and comfy. The addition of a canvas strap actually brings this watch residence and clothes it right down to a degree that I may nearly see on the wrist throughout a sport of polo — if I have been to truly watch polo.

Jaeger-LeCoultre goes by many names, a few of that are rigorously chosen to keep away from mispronouncing LeCoultre however oftentimes because of its longstanding legacy of being an outright wonderful watchmaker. You don’t get the nickname “The Watchmaker’s watchmaker” for no motive. The flexibility to offer practically infinite nuance and complication to considered one of its hottest fashions with out vital change to its design after practically 100 years proves how succesful the JLC actually is. The Reverso Tribute Chronograph delicately balances the sophistication of the unique sports activities watch that the Reverso was with the haute horlogerie prowess of Jaeger-LeCoultre. Jaeger LeCoultre was unable to offer pricing data forward of press time. You may be taught all about this watch and the model’s Watches and Wonders 2023 releases at JLC’s web site.