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 in the 1990s, the Reverso Grande Tallie Steel ref. 270.8.62 that we have here was available until the mid-2000s as one of the larger Reverso variants. Indeed, it features a 26.1mm-wide and 42.2mm tall stainless steel case that almost perfectly matches the original Reverso’s golden ratio-esque 1.61 proportions, but with an enlarged footprint. As a result of this enlarged footprint, the ref. 270.8.62’s “Grande Taille” name meaning “Large Size,” makes sense. In keeping with the Reverso’s original versions, the ref. 270.8.62 is powered by the manual-wind cal. 822 movement, and features a monochromatic silver dial with a guilloche center and a satin-finished dial periphery that houses its Arabic numerals. Additionally, this example is provided on a stainless steel beads of rice bracelet instead of the Reverso’s typical leather strap, making it that bit more special.

Watch is in overall very good condition. There is wear on the case, with small dings and scratches primarily located on the polished surfaces and around the frame around the dial. There is a spot on the dial between 8 and 9 o'clock. Bracelet has 18 links total, 4 of which are removable. The band shows light stretch.

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.