Jaeger-LeCoultre Reverso Classique Limited Edition 'Swiss Coat of Arms'

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Few watches have a backstory as good as the Jaeger-LeCoultre Reverso. Born in 1931 from a decidedly practical request, the watch was developed for polo players in British India who needed a way to protect their watch crystals during play. The solution was ingenious: create a rectangular watch case that could slide and rotate within its carriage, flipping the delicate dial inward and exposing a solid metal caseback to the action.

What began as sporting equipment became one of the great achievements of 20th-century watch design.

This Reverso Classique Reference 250.3.86 LE beautifully captures the original idea, but with a fun twist. Its white gold case measures approximately 23mm by 38mm and quite slim, giving it the wonderfully elongated proportions that have defined the Reverso for nearly a century. The signature horizontal gadroons above and below the dial provide just enough Art Deco ornamentation, while the ingenious swiveling construction remains as satisfying to operate today as it must have been in 1931.

The black dial is pure Reverso: stylized numerals, an outer railroad minute track, and slender dauphine hands. There’s no date, seconds display, or unnecessary complication to interrupt the geometry. Inside is a manually wound mechanical movement, an appropriately traditional choice for a watch whose appeal has always been as much rooted in ritual as in utility.

Flip the case over, and the dial disappears entirely, replaced by a polished white gold surface bearing the Swiss coat of arms. Originally conceived as protection, that blank canvas eventually became another Reverso signature, lending itself to everything from engraved initials and family crests to elaborate enamel work. This Swiss Coat of Arms was engraved in a limited edition of 150 pieces in this configuration.

The Reverso is one of those rare designs that has survived largely because nobody ever needed to fix it. More than 90 years after its debut, the combination of Art Deco geometry, mechanical ingenuity, and that wonderfully tactile flipping case still feels entirely its own.

Few watchmaking concerns are as storied as Jaeger-LeCoultre. Though the maison is not technically a member of the “Holy Trinity” of Patek Philippe, Audemars Piguet, and Vacheron Constantin, one could easily make the argument that it should be: After all, it was JLC that supplied movements to Patek from the beginning of the 20th century through the early 30s.

Founded in 1833 by Antoine LeCoutlre in Le Sentier, Switzerland, the firm became the Jaeger-LeCoultre we know today when it merged with Parisian watchmaker Edmond Jaeger’s business in 1937. The two horological concerns collaborated on numerous projects before cementing their partnership, the most important of which was no doubt the Reverso. A sport watch with a reversible case, this ingenious timepiece was designed to offer protection to the watch dial — when engaged in sport or otherwise dangerous activity, the wearer would simply flip the case over, exposing its back to the world, rather than the vulnerable crystal.

But the Reverso is far from the only significant timepiece brought to market by JLC: The firm also produced the world’s thinnest pocket watch in 1907, powered by the Caliber 145. In 1929, the maison released the Caliber 101, still today the smallest mechanical movement. (Queen Elizabeth II wore a Caliber 101-equipped wristwatch to her coronation in 1953.) And perhaps no other watchmaker is world-renowned for their production of a clock in the way that JLC is famous for the Atmos. Invented by Jean-Léon Reutter, it’s powered by miniscule changes in atmospheric pressure — Edmon Jaeger acquired the patent and licensed it beginning in 1936. The Atmos is still produced in numerous forms today, and remains the Swiss government’s foremost diplomatic gift.

From classic, near-centuries old designs like the Reverso and the Atmos to modern über-complications such as the brilliant Master Gyrotourbillon, Jaeger-LeCoultre remains on the cutting edge of horological technology nearly two centuries after its founding.

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Most of our products are on hand and will ship directly from our headquarters in New York City. In some cases, watches will be shipped directly from one of our authorized partners.

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