At Watches & Wonders Geneva, held in Switzerland in April 2025, Jaeger-LeCoultre released a wide variety of new models from the Reverso collection, making it a "Reverso Festival." Among these, the "Reverso Tribute Monoface Small Second" stood out as particularly dazzling. Watch writer and Jaeger-LeCoultre enthusiast Shun Horiuchi delves into this model. Of particular note are the bracelet and the hand-wound movement.
Photographs & Text by Shun Horiuchi
[Article published on January 30, 2025]
Let's start with what the Jaeger-LeCoultre Reverso Tribute is.
The "Reverso Tribute" series is modeled after the original design of the "Reverso" produced by Jaeger-LeCoultre in the 1930s. After the Reverso was revived in the 1990s, models with Arabic numeral indices on the dial were mainstream for a while, but since around 2011, the "Tribute" series has been developed, featuring models that retain the bullet-shaped indices found on the original model. Among these Reverso Tribute models, a recent series has adopted three-sided applied indices with ridges, which have already become a standard.
The new 2025 "Reverso Tribute Monoface Small Seconds" that we will be taking a closer look at this time is not only a luxurious addition to the series' lineup, but also features a completely new Milanese mesh bracelet.It has a truly wonderful wearing experience that makes you want to wear this special solid gold watch on an everyday basis.Let's take a closer look at this model while taking a brief overview of the history of the Reverso as a whole.
Manual winding (Cal. 822). 19 jewels. 21,600 vph. 18KPG case (45.6mm x 27.4mm, 7.56mm thick). Water resistant to 3 ATM. 6.6 million yen (tax included).
The History of the Reverso (Outline)
The Reverso was released in 1931 and is a core series of Jaeger-LeCoultre with a history of over 90 years. Let's start by taking a quick look back at its history.
The original Reverso (two-hand model) was released in time for the Christmas shopping season of 1931. The patent for the inverted case (FR712 868) was granted on August 3rd of that year, just before the holiday season. The earliest movement was the Taban Caliber 064, which was used for about a year and a half before being replaced in late 1933 by the Jaeger-LeCoultre Caliber 410. This first-generation Reverso was continuously produced until the 1950s, but gradually fell out of favor with the market.
Fast forward to 1972, when Giorgio Corbo, who ran a Jaeger-LeCoultre agency in Milan, Italy, contacted Le Sentier, Switzerland, where Jaeger-LeCoultre is based, about selling the Reverso. As a result, 200 blank cases were discovered, and after combining them with oval movements, they were quickly sold out. In response, Jaeger-LeCoultre redesigned the case from scratch with an external supplier and released a new Reverso in 1979. This was the second-generation Reverso.
However, the water resistance was not sufficient, so a Reverso with a case designed and manufactured in-house was finally released in 1985. This marked the completion of the basic structure of the inverted case that remains in use today.
A little earlier, in 1978, Günter Blümlein took over as president of the German instrument manufacturer VDO, which acquired IWC and brought Jaeger-LeCoultre under its umbrella. While leading IWC, Blümlein was a leading figure who laid the foundation for the current boom in mechanical watches, including reviving A. Lange & Söhne. In 1991, he developed the Reverso's larger GT (Grand Taille) case, introducing the Reverso Soixante-Més (60th Anniversary Model), the first Reverso watch to feature complex functions. The design was then handled by Janec Dereskevics, who would go on to oversee the Reverso's design for many years.
In other words, the direct ancestor of the Reverso series, which has continued from the original to the present day, was released in 1991. The movement was the Caliber 824, the direct ancestor of the famous Caliber 822. The subsequent development of the Reverso is well known to our readers.
About the 18K pink gold case
Now, the case size of this latest Reverso model is 45.6mm high x 27.4mm wide. While it is slightly larger than the big Reverso (GT case: 42mm high x 26mm wide) of the past, it is just 7.56mm thick, more than 2mm thinner. While the Reverso is thicker due to the presence of the cradle in addition to the thickness of the watch itself, this model, even with the cradle included, is thin enough to be considered a dress watch.
The case structure has evolved to what could be called the 3.5th generation in the long history of the Reverso, and its solid construction fully demonstrates the high level of precision in the reversing action. Furthermore, the case houses the acclaimed thin hand-wound movement, Cal. 822/2, and the fact that the case is this thin even with the pink gold dial, hands, and crystal is largely due to the solid case back on side B. While I understand the desire to see the Cal. 822/2, in this case, thinness is the priority, and this watch should be a model that pursues elegance above all else.
Amazing Milanese mesh bracelets and "plate items"
When you pick up this Reverso, you'll be amazed by the craftsmanship of its Milanese mesh bracelet. It's incredibly supple, not at all aggressive to the skin, and simply elegant. The bracelet is made up of over 100 gold threads, stretching a whopping 16 meters. All of the ends are hand-welded together and finished.
Generally, gold bracelet watches tend to be very heavy due to the specific gravity of gold, but this Milanese bracelet is just the right amount of thin, and combined with the thinness of the watch itself, it doesn't feel unsettlingly heavy.
What is particularly noteworthy is the joint between the watch body and the cradle, which is a perfect flush fit from the lug part of the cradle to the watch cradle, without any gaps. This completely changes the impression of the Reverso.
This model is positioned alongside the thin, gold-bracelet dress watches that were popular in the 1970s (such as the Patek Philippe Golden Ellipse and Audemars Piguet Cobra, commonly known as "plate watches"). However, this model offers advantages that those bracelet watches of the past did not have.
This is because many solid gold bracelets from the 1970s were "cut" to adjust the length to fit the wearer's wrist. Therefore, once it was shortened, it could not be worn by people with thicker wrists. From the perspective of making it more personal, it could be said that this was appropriate for the nature of such an ultra-luxury watch, but there must have been some people who were reluctant to "cut" it. If anything, I have heard that the watchmakers in charge of this "cutting" were the ones who were most nervous about the task, lest they cause irreparable damage.
On the other hand, the Milanese mesh bracelet of this Reverso does not need to be cut. The buckle structure allows it to be fastened at any position on the bracelet, eliminating the need to shorten links to fit the wrist. This is a major advantage, allowing couples to use different watches. In fact, it is more flexible than a typical bracelet watch. Of course, the buckle is also exquisitely finished and feels great to operate. This Milanese bracelet is a great value, and although the watch is priced at 660 million yen (tax included), which is expensive in absolute terms, it is well worth it.
I mentioned the bracelet earlier because it is the Reverso's greatest feature, but let's take a closer look at the watch itself.
What catches the eye is that the entire watch is a single pink gold color. What's more, it's not at all gaudy, and it looks elegant.
The case is of current Jaeger-LeCoultre standard, with a precise shape and a well-polished surface. The gadroons pattern is clear and well-defined. The dial is blasted 18K pink gold, and the applied gold indexes create a sparkling, beautiful contrast. The hands also have two polished facets, and despite being a single tone of pink gold, the time is highly legible.
The track and brand logo on the outer periphery are printed in black, giving it a sharp look. A distinctive feature is that the JL logo is an applied logo, which has become popular in recent years. Previously, this design was only available on limited special models. The cradle has lugs lowered toward the wrist for a better fit, which, combined with the Milanese bracelet, contributes to a comfortable fit. The surface of the cradle does not have the perlage pattern that has been used in the past, but rather has the sunray pattern that has become more common in recent years.
The movement is the famous Cal.822/2
The movement is the renowned hand-wound Cal. 822/2. Changes from the Cal. 822 include a change from a balance screw to a smooth balance, a free-sprung system, and a reduction of two jewels to 19. It's a long-lasting movement with roots in the long-produced Cal. 818, and even Jaeger-LeCoultre watchmakers have commented that it's "a robust movement that continues to run even when out of oil, and is easy to achieve accuracy." In my own experience using the watch, I've found it to be highly accurate, resistant to position and temperature changes, and stable, with little difference in speed or timing even with everyday use.
The ease of winding the mainspring is also highly acclaimed. Since the debut of the Caliber 824, the ancestor of this movement, in 1990, the Reverso has almost always been powered by the Caliber 822, despite some twists and turns. Around 2016, there was the foolish idea of making the Reverso automatic, but the Reverso remains primarily a hand-wound movement, and it is no exaggeration to say that the Caliber 822 is the backbone of Jaeger-LeCoultre today.
Summary
The Reverso Tribute Monoface Small Seconds, which we delve into in this article, is a Reverso never before seen, almost entirely made of pink gold. It's a solid gold watch, and while it feels heavy, its understated color sets it apart from so-called "gold-plated" watches, making it extremely elegant. While the price of 660 million yen (including tax) is high in absolute terms, considering the quality of a solid gold bracelet watch from a prestigious brand like Jaeger-LeCoultre, it doesn't feel too expensive. The Reverso with the Caliber 822 movement and magical bracelet is undoubtedly one of the finest watches, and anyone interested should definitely get their hands on one.
