Stéphane Belmont, Jaeger-LeCoultre Patrimony Director (Le Sentier, Switzerland)
December 6, 2021
A technical issue caused the video recording of this lecture to be lost. We sincerely apologize for this happening.
For the final Horological Society of New York (HSNY) lecture of 2021, Stéphane Belmont, the Patrimony Director of Jaeger-LeCoultre, gave a lecture on the legacy of one of the brand’s most iconic watches: the Reverso.
Belmont started the lecture with two questions: Which activity was the Reverso invented for 90 years ago? And which majestic art deco building in New York was also born in 1931? He revealed the answers and went on to share that the name Reverso is Latin for “I turn on myself”. The timepiece was patented on March 4, 1931.
The Reverso timepiece was inspired by the Art Deco style of the day with its order, geometry and pure lines. Designed with the golden ratio, the Reverso’s rectangular case illustrated the proportion of balance inspired by creatives within architecture and design. Such was reflected in the cordonnet, small seconds, central second and their calibers 411, 410 and 404. To allow creativity within the designs, assorted colors of the Reverso dials and graphics were used. For example, the black design for the gentlemen’s model and the dark red dial for the ladies' model.
In the 1980s, the Reverso was modernized to improve the functioning of the swiveling case, etc. Originally, the case was made of 22 parts – it has now increased to 55 parts. To reflect the changes, new calibers such as Calibre 846 for smaller versions and the Calibre 822 for the larger versions. Jaeger-LeCoultre produced the Grand Taille in 1992 and the Minute Repeater in 1994. Finally, for the 90th anniversary in 2021, the Reverso Quadtriptyque made its debut and combined all the traditions of watchmaking. Only one crown is needed to power all four sides of the timepiece.
Throughout the lecture, short films were presented to illustrate the Reverso’s story, its design, the making of the leather wrist strap, the minute repeater, and the enameling artwork on the dials.
HSNY thanks Stéphane Belmont for his fascinating lecture!
Submitted by Melody Benloss, Recording Secretary