Designed by René-Alfred Chauvot, the Reverso was conceived with the express purpose of being able to withstand the harsh beating a watch would endure during a game of polo by virtue of its eponymous reversible function. This was put to JLC by entrepreneur César de Trey as a challenge for the brand in 1930. Born the year following in 1931, the Reverso was a sports watch, due to its particular use case. Thanks to its now-classical aesthetic and graceful design, the Reverso has evolved into a modern dress watch. However, in the 1930s, the Reverso needed to be more durable than other available watches; hence its ingenious reversible case was born. This protected the dial from a direct hit and gave the Reverso its name. Over 90 years later and the Reverso’s design lives on as one of the most recognizable in watchmaking. Launched as a limited edition of 1500 pieces, the Reverso Grande ref. 274.8.85 that we have here was available as one of the larger Reverso variants. Indeed, it features a 32mm wide and 45mm tall stainless steel case which gives meaning to its “Grande” designation. In keeping with the Reverso’s original versions, the ref. 274.8.85 is powered by the manual-wind cal. 986 movement, and features a monochromatic silver dial with intricate guilloche throughout and a date function at 12 o’clock that is mirrored by a small seconds subdial at 6 o’clock. Additionally, it also features a black dial on the reverse side of its case that houses an AM/PM indicator and a 12-hour dial to act as a second time zone. Offering fantastic wearability on account of its twin-dial design, this Reverso will certainly be an easily fit for any collection.

An icon that requires no introduction, the Reverso has been at the forefront of the horology industry since its launch and watch collectors have been eager to add it to their collection in some form or another for almost an entire century for very good reason.