Shun Horiuchi, a watch writer with over 30 years of experience as a watch enthusiast, talks about a watch that he has a special attachment to. The watch he focuses on is the Jaeger-LeCoultre Reverso Moon. While searching for the perfect watch, he eventually found the "Holy Grail" that led him to delve deeper into the world of watches. From a watch geek's perspective, he reflects on this "Holy Grail."
Photographs & Text by Shun Horiuchi
[Article published on January 25, 2024]
Watch writer Shun Horiuchi's "one watch that I have a special attachment to" is the "Reverso Moon"
About 20 years ago in the summer, at a watch fair at a certain department store, a salesperson at the Jaeger-LeCoultre booth whispered to me, "We don't actually have this on display, but we do have this." There, he found one of 50 watches limited to Ginza Wako, which had been announced about six months earlier. That watch was the Reverso Moon, which I'll be talking about now.
How I Met the Jaeger-LeCoultre Reverso Moon
The story goes back a little. About a year or two before the watch fair in question, I had been pursuing my watch geek path, acquiring a Zenith Class El Primero, a Nomos Glashütte Ludwig (I'll call it that), and a Jaeger-LeCoultre Reverso Memory and Reverso Grand Sport Chronograph. One day, I happened upon a watch counter at a department store, where a salesperson with a Reverso Date strapped to his wrist said, "I have this," and presented me with the 18KPG Reverso Sun Moon. The case flipped over, revealing the divine Caliber 823, its screwed balance wheel pulsating. At the time, I truly thought it was divine.
The Reverso was revived in 1991 under the leadership of Günter Blümlein in the Grande Taille case size, and since then has released a rapid succession of models equipped with numerous complex mechanisms. Among that lineup at the time was the Reverso Sun Moon. It came in two case sizes, 18KPG and 18KWG, with the 18KPG having a white dial and the 18KWG having a black dial. It was the only regular Reverso model at the time that allowed the Cal. 823 (822) to be seen through a transparent case back. Ever since I fell in love with this movement, I just can't get the Sun Moon out of my head. I always thought, "It would be so cool if it was 18KPG with a black dial (I dreamed of someday getting both the 18KWG and 18KPG and swapping them around...where on earth did the "Agari" go?)"...
Let's go back to the summer watch fair mentioned at the beginning. "This is the Reverso Moon with an 18KPG black dial, and when you turn it over, you'll see the divine Caliber 823!"
That summer day, a watch that would grant me everything I ever dreamed of—a holy grail—appeared before my eyes. It was completely unexpected. I'm sure all watch enthusiasts can relate to this feeling of excitement. Looking back, I was searching for a solid gold watch to make my next big break, and I had the Patek Philippe Calatrava 5120 and Chopard LUC 1860 in mind, but all of that was gone in an instant. I asked them to keep it for me, and then had lunch to calm myself down, but I couldn't get that image out of my head. After I finished eating, I headed straight to the bank, then returned to the department store with a stack of bills. That was how I first became acquainted with this watch.
What is the Reverso Moon?
Now, as I love this watch with all my heart and soul, I will explain the origins and details of this watch, ignoring the imperfections and blemishes.
Side A details
The Reverso Moon was a Reverso Sun Moon with the power reserve indicator removed, and the Sun Moon's signature day/night disc placed in the center, replaced with a 24-hour hand. This ability to tell day and night was crucial. Adjusting the moon disc at night, when the gears that advance it by one day are engaged, could damage the mechanism, so the user needed a visual indicator of the time that could be adjusted. Jaeger-LeCoultre, particularly at this time, was user-friendly. For example, the Reverso Chronograph featured a unique design that allowed users to see whether the chronograph was running or stopped on the reverse side. This was a key feature of Jaeger-LeCoultre, which developed a single movement per model, a strategy unheard of today, allowing them to complete almost everything in-house, from development to production.
In fact, there is a limited edition WEMPE Reverso that precedes this model. It is limited to 125 pieces commemorating the 125th anniversary of the company's founding, with 100 in stainless steel cases and 25 in 18KPG cases. All have white dials and gothic Arabic numerals. The movement is the "Cal. 823D," a slightly modified version of the Cal. 823 from Sun and Moon, which was originally developed for this limited edition model, and of course, you can see the movement through the case back. Please search for "Reverso Wempe 125 jahre" to see photos.
At the time, Jaeger-LeCoultre was quite flexible in its response to limited edition models for its shops, and there were many other limited edition models released since then, such as the Wempe limited edition model, the Wako special edition model, and the famous Seibu exclusive "Big Reverso" and the Hourglass special edition, all of which I cannot even fathom.
Returning to the Reverso Moon, the case is crafted from 18KPG in Grand Taille size. Reverso cases at the time were the so-called third generation and were built with a sturdy construction, and this model is no exception. The part of the cradle that comes into contact with the wrist is meticulously brushed, and the "RVERSO" logo, the "Série Limitée" designation indicating that it was a limited edition, the reference number, and the individual number are all lightly etched, making them difficult to see unless viewed at an angle to reflect light, which I personally like. While many current Reverso models have a sunray pattern on the watch-facing side of the cradle, the standard at the time was all circular-grained.
The watch's dial is black lacquered, with charming white floral numerals. At the time, the lineup consisted mainly of black-dialed Reversos with precious metal cases and floral numerals as the base for the indices. All hands, including the 24-hour hand, are PG, and the hour and minute hands are painted white, but this is not luminous. Even if you try to swap the PG and WG Sun and Moon dials and hands, as mentioned above, you can achieve a PG black dial, but I later realized that the color of the hands would not match because they were WG.
The dark blue of the moon disc stands out against the jet black dial, and the light reflected by the plain polished moon is just like moonlight. If you look closely at the part of the moon disc where there is no moon, you will see that the arrangement of stars forms the Big Dipper, which is another one of my favorite features.
B-side details
Now let's look at side B. Following the Reverso tradition, when looking at side A, push the case from the 9 o'clock side toward 3 o'clock, flip it over, and then slide it back toward 3 o'clock on side A to return it to its original position, revealing the Cal. 823D movement, equipped with a balance wheel with a counterscrew and a TrioVis regulator. Unlike the regular Cal. 822, some parts have been replaced with blued screws, adding an accent intended for viewing.
As for the mechanism, compared to the current Cal. 822, which has the same design but a higher proportion of automated machining, the bridges have a somewhat looser and softer finish. They're by no means sharp, and the edges aren't hand-polished, but I absolutely love this mechanism. Another plus is that it beats six vibrations per second. Ah, I can't get enough of it.
Details other than the case
The buckle is of course 18K gold, and for a while this single-opening design was the standard. Being solid 18K gold it has a certain weight, but the watch itself is also heavy for its size, and it feels a bit top-heavy when worn, but that's not important. This is because, although I've owned this watch for over 20 years, I still can't wear it on a daily basis. As a result, and it may sound like I'm bragging, it's in extremely good condition, has been overhauled regularly, and the mechanism is in good working order. The current strap was replaced with a short crocodile strap by order, but the original also had a crocodile bamboo seal.
It is also worth noting that when Janek Dereskevics, who would later become the designer and head of design for the Reverso, visited Japan in later years, he was asked, "What is your favorite Reverso that you designed?" and he replied, "The Reverso Moon (it is entirely possible that he was referring to the Sun Moon)."
What happened when I actually got this watch?
Such an impactful encounter and excitement is perhaps the strongest impulse you can have in the early stages of a hobby.
At the time, when I was thinking about how to make my watch hobby a success, acquiring this watch did not mean that my interest in watches had come to an end; in fact, it accelerated it. I developed a deep love for watches in general, and Jaeger-LeCoultre in particular, and became even more absorbed in the world of watches. My collection grew, albeit small, and I gradually lost all sense of discipline, which is where I am today.
When you pursue the same hobby for a long time, it's easy to become less and less stimulating and move towards more extreme or unknown territory. And when you do it for a long time, there are ups and downs, and there are periods when I'm deeply involved in the world of watches and periods when I'm somewhat distant from it. Over time, my approach and stance towards watches have gradually changed, but I still enjoy them as a hobby. Perhaps that led to me becoming the author I am today, and considering that I'm writing about this watch and other impressions on webChronos, I think it was probably a good thing after all.
When it comes to writing articles for everyone to read, I'm always unsure of how well I've done so, but I try to write from as unbiased and original a perspective as possible. However, with this watch, there's no room for public opinion or anything like that; it's all just my feelings of love and liking for it. You could even say that I revere the phenomenon itself, the experiences and emotional changes I've had with this watch, like a kind of holy grail, even though it's a physical object called a watch.
As a result, although I thought I had acquired the Reverso Moon on a whim at the time, it was a compass that guided me through a watch-loving life that allowed me to embrace everything. Even if the moon phase was rarely synchronized during the 20-plus years we spent together,
