Jaeger LeCoultre Reverso : A History

While visiting India in 1930, Cesar de Trey participated in a polo match with some friends. After the match, De Trey retired to the players lounge for a drink when he noticed that many of the player's watches had smashed glasses. This was a common problem amongst polo players, there simply wasn't a watch avaliable that could withstand a such a rugged game.

De Trey approached his friend Jacques LeCoultre with the idea of making a reversible watch which was both elegant and practical and by the end of the holiday season of 1931, the Jaeger LeCoultre Reverso was avaliable for purchase.

As well as protecting the watch from sporting activities, European high society noticed that the reverse of the watch was an ideal place to engrave family crests, titles and initials.

King Edward VIII (the King who abdicated) wore a Reverso, engraved with the crown and the inscription "Edward VIII 1937".

The Prince of Denmark wore a Reverso on expedition to Morocco and when he returned to Copenhagen he wrote a personal letter the Jaeger LeCoultre praising the Reverso's reliability on such a rough trip.

In 2011, Jaeger LeCoultre released the Reverso tribute to mark the 80th anniversary of De Trey and LeCoultre's unique watch. The watch simply bears the word REVERSO on its dial as a reminder to all of its link to the brand's history.