TIME² Interviews Jaeger-LeCoultre Historian Sebastian Vivas

"The Reverso is a rich and multi-dimensional product, more than a watch. A sociologist and ethnologist could happily make an in-depth study of it," began Sebastian Vivas rather cryptically.

There is no question that the Reverso is one of the most classic and truly grown-up watches on the market. It started life as an "elegant answer to a technical challenge" said Vivas. It was a product of its time, created when British officers in India wanted a watch they could wear while playing polo.

"The origins of the Reverso’s birth; its timeless style; its in-house watchmaking excellence – with a new calibre for each model; and the manifold ways it can be personalised – via engraving, lacquering and enamelling, all contribute to rendering the Reverso both a classic watch and a cult object," said Vivas, adding that Jaeger-LeCoultre boasts the largest number of artisans available in any one manufacture.

Early wristwatches began appearing in the 1930's around the time sports such as polo and golf were becoming popular. Soldiers in the trenches in World War One had worn watches with protective coverings over their dials, but the Reverso fused extreme elegance with functionality.

"Art Deco was about expressing function in harmony with an object’s aesthetic and the epitome of this was the Reverso," said Vivas.

A new version, the Reverso Répétition Minutes à Rideau, is encased within a moving curtain or blind, with the case alone constructed of a staggering 270 components.

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