2013/04/23

Jaeger-LeCoultre the Grande Reverso Ultra Thin Duo Blue

 

Jaeger-LeCoultre further intensifies its ties with polo

In 2013, the year of its 180th anniversary, the Manufacture unveils the Grande Reverso Ultra Thin Duo Blue which celebrates the very essence of the watch with the swivelling case: aesthetic design codes loyal to the original, a new even slimmer case, and a particularly useful function appearing on the back in the shape of a dual time-zone display. With the exceptional partnership between the Manufacture Jaeger-LeCoultre and the venerable “Casa Fagliano” in Buenos Aires, the Reverso reconnects with its sporting origins and makes another indelible imprint on the polo world.

In 1930, polo players were still shattering the glass of their watch in the heat of sporting action. A year later, they wore the first reversible watch in history, of which the solid back turned upwards during the matches bore their monogram. The system was revolutionary and the timepiece was breathtakingly beautiful. Over the years, the Reverso watch has become a work of art that is interpreted in sporty, feminine, sophisticated and technical versions. In 1994, the watchmakers of the Manufacture succeeded in squaring the circle by means of the Duo concept: a single movement driving indications shown on two back-to back dials. In 2013, its 180th anniversary year, the Manufacture unveils the Grande Reverso Ultra Thin Duo Blue. This ultra-thin model reveals the watchmaking genius of Jaeger-LeCoultre by displaying a second time zone on its back, while the front dial remains dedicated to local time.

The Grande Reverso Ultra Thin Duo Blue is unique in several respects. Its extraordinary bluelacquered dial picks up the exact shade of the colour appearing on the original model and features rhodiumed dagger-type hands and baton-type hour-markers. In the upper part of the dial, the REVERSO inscription features the very same font as on the first swivelling watch in 1931.

The second velvet-finish dial with its Clous de Paris guilloche hobnail motif bears a main chapter ring with 12 subdivisions to display the second time zone, while the 24-hour indication positioned below it also adopts a circular shape and shows “NIGHT” on one side and “DAY” on the other.

The watch measures just 9.15 mm thick in all – an additional feat for the manually-wound Jaeger-LeCoultre 854/1 movement comprising 180 parts and beating at a rate of 21,600 vibrations per hour. At just 3.80 mm thick, it incorporates all Jaeger-LeCoultre’s latest developments in terms of precision and reliability.

Exclusively available from Jaeger-LeCoultre boutiques, the Grande Reverso Ultra Thin Duo Blue will be fitted with an especially rare and distinctive strap. Made from extremely refined cordovan leather, it comes from a craft workshop which, like the Grande Maison in the Vallée de Joux, is still located in the exact same spot where it was established in the 19th century. Established in Buenos Aires since 1892, “Casa Fagliano” is known the world over for its polo boots, fashioned with extraordinary concern for detail and worn by the world’s greatest players, such as Eduardo Novillo Astrada, as well as by royalty, artists and celebrities. Nonetheless, its clients, whatever their rank or fame, are requested to show patience, because “Casa Fagliano” has a workforce of just five people and produces barely more than 80 pairs of boots per year.

The master artisans of Buenos Aires were undoubtedly destined to cross paths, in the polo grandstands of Palmero, with the expertise of the Manufacture of which the destiny is closely bound up with the history of polo. The representatives of two noble traditions, respectively perpetuated on either side of the Atlantic, felt an immediate spark of kinship and their mutual understood soon led to a joint endeavour in the shape of a tribute to the legend of this prestigious sport. With its strap patiently hand-crafted in a quiet street of Buenos Aires, the Grande Reverso Ultra Thin Duo Blue will accompany polo aficionados in the tournaments in which they compete around the world.