The Essence of the Manufacture in the Latest Jaeger-LeCoultre Reverso

The many new models in the Reverso Tribute collection announced by Jaeger-LeCoultre became a hot topic at Watches & Wonders Geneva 2025, held in the spring of 2025. We spoke to Japanese watchmaker Naohiro Hamaguchi, director of the development department, who oversaw the development of these watches. We spoke to him about the development of these watches, visiting Japan for the first time in a while.

The struggle between designers' demands and developers is what makes Jaeger-LeCoultre unique and its strength.

　Jaeger-LeCoultre is one of Switzerland's leading watch manufacturers. The Reverso, with its reversible case, is the brand's signature collection. At the recent Watches & Wonders Geneva 2025, the new Reverso model generated a lot of buzz. While the excitement was still high, a watchmaker serving as director of Jaeger-LeCoultre's development department visited Japan in April 2025. This person is Naohiro Hamaguchi, a longtime veteran of the Swiss watch industry. Having previously worked for many famous watch houses, Hamaguchi joined Jaeger-LeCoultre in 2019 and assumed his current position. He explains the Reverso Tribute Minute Repeater, one of the highlights of the brand's many new releases, as follows:

"The Reverso is fundamentally a special watch, and the design methodology is very unusual. This is because the movement is rectangular. With a normal circular movement, you can place the gears right up to the edge of the movement, but with a rectangular movement, you can't place gears at all four corners. Therefore, we had to be creative to pack the same functions into the same area. The second problem was the double-sided display. There's a dial and hands on the back, so it's inevitably thick. So even if we tried to reduce the thickness, there was no room for ingenuity. In other words, without the know-how to make a rectangular movement, it would be impossible to make a watch that fits within the acceptable range of thickness for a comfortable wrist. Moreover, this new model is equipped with a repeater and has an enamel guilloched dial, which makes it about twice as thick as a normal dial. Including this, the challenge was to figure out how far we could reduce the overall thickness. However, the thinner it is, the less reliable the watch becomes, so it was a constant struggle."

　Regarding the other topic, the Reverso Tribute Geographic, it seems that the creation of the back of the case was not an easy task.

"The design team had very strict requirements for this model. They said, 'We want the map on the back to be visible as part of the case back.' The designers on the team proposed fitting a sapphire crystal into the case back and depositing metal from behind it, but this was rejected. So I came up with a method of carving out the sapphire crystal on the case back and fitting a map made of thin metal into it. As a result, we were able to capture the essence of the Reverso, and I think we are very satisfied with the finished product."

　While the company offers elaborate complication models that are typical of Jaeger-LeCoultre, the Reverso Tribute Monoface Small Seconds also catches the eye with its luxurious yet delicate appearance.

"This Milanese link bracelet is proof of Jaeger-LeCoultre's perfectionism. The head of design requested that the bracelet be integrated into the case, as if it were welded to it. The part where the Milanese link bracelet meets the case is very thin, so it is extremely difficult to fit it together without any gaps, but for this model we reconsidered the position of the holes into which the spring bars of the lugs fit and modified it so that the Milanese link bracelet fits perfectly. What's more, even with this hole position, it is possible to attach a leather strap without any problems."

　Indeed, the bracelet fits snugly against the case, making it appear as if it is one piece, and the extremely thin, fine mesh makes it extremely comfortable to wear.

　It has been six years since he moved to Jaeger-LeCoultre. Having worked for numerous manufactures, what does Hamaguchi consider to be the essence of Jaeger-LeCoultre?

"In a word, we have a strong foundation in movement development. Other brands are sometimes forced to compromise when developing new movements due to manufacturing constraints. For example, Jaeger-LeCoultre manufactures parts such as balance wheels and escapements in-house, so if a balance wheel with a different diameter than conventional ones is required, we can develop it from scratch. Also, Jaeger-LeCoultre employs 180 different positions under one roof, and we are probably the only manufacture with such capabilities. With this foundation, we have a high degree of freedom in design, whether it's for complications or simple models. We are probably at the top of our game in terms of technical ability."

　Hamaguchi moved to Switzerland in his teens to become a watchmaker, and this year he turns 48. Now that he has reached the peak of his career, Jaeger-LeCoultre is the perfect stage for him to turn his vision of the ideal watch into a reality.