Phillips in Association with Bacs & Russo is excited to announce The Hong Kong Sessions, Spring 2024, online auction, taking place from 12:00 PM HKT, Tuesday, March 19, to 2:00 PM HKT, Tuesday, March 26. Featuring more than 150 different high-end luxury wristwatches, the sale covers everything from A. Lange & Söhne and F.P. Journe to Audemars Piguet and Patek Philippe. It even includes the three complicated Jaeger-LeCoultre Reverso wristwatches featured in this article.
– By Logan Baker
The Jaeger-LeCoultre Reverso is one of the few true icons of the watch world.
It's simple dual-sided mechanism has captivated collectors and general watch collectors for decades. The history of the watch, born as a watch for British polo players in colonial India, is well-known, but here we'll delve into one of the little-studied sub-genres of Reverso history that is surpisingly modern: the complicated Reverso.
Jaeger-LeCoultre released a new version of the Reverso Chronograph last year – I praised it as one of the best JLC releases in recent memory. It was the first new Reverso Chronograph since the 2000s, featuring a brand-new manual-wind chronograph movement.
Interestingly, the first Reverso Chronograph was released in 1996, part of what was a golden age for the model following a revival of interest spearheaded by the Italian market in the 1970s. However, the first complicated Reverso didn't come until 1991, when Jaeger-LeCoultre celebrated the model's 60th birthday with the 60ème, a Grande Taille Reverso with a power reserve indicator and date that featured a gold movement.
Following its success, Jaeger-LeCoultre produced six limited-edition Reversos throughout the 1990s, dedicated to the six "traditional" complications: power reserve, tourbillon, minute repeater, chronograph, géographique (dual time), and perpetual calendar. Each was limited to 500 pieces.
Jaeger-LeCoultre embraced even higher forms of complicated watchmaking with its Hybris Mechanica and Gyrotourbillion editions of the Reverso in the 2000s and 2010s, but those halo pieces are a story for another time.
Below you'll find three complicated Jaeger-LeCoultre Reversos featured in our currently ongoing Hong Kong Sessions, Spring 2024, Online Auction – a perpetual calendar, a dual time, and a day/night.
Lot 8092: A Circa 2000 Jaeger-LeCoultre Reverso Perpetual Calendar Limited Edition In 18k Pink Gold
Estimate: HKD $80,000 - 160,000
The Jaeger-LeCoultre Reverso, first introduced in 1931, remains one of the most iconic watch designs of all time. Its legendary reversible case was originally conceived at the request of polo players, who needed a durable timepiece that could withstand the rigors of their sport. The ingenious solution was a metal frame housing the watch, which could be flipped to protect the crystal during play.
This simple yet brilliant innovation spawned countless Reverso iterations over the decades, later models featuring a second dial on the reverse side to further exploit the watch's unique flipping mechanism.
Released in 2000 as a limited edition of 500 pieces cased in the elegance of 18K pink gold, the present Reverso Quantième Perpétuel is numbered 33 of the edition. Featuring a complex dual-dial perpetual calendar design, the timepiece incorporates technical and artisanal guilloché finesse into one. Playing on a symmetrical design, the main dial features Arabic numerals, a day and night indication, and a leap year indication with a dash of red right below the small seconds.
Reversed with a slide of the dial reveals a secondary display featuring a retrograde date arching over the moon phases aperture. Balancing on each end, the wear can read the French month and day of the week with ease.
Preserved in stunning condition cherished by the original owner, the timepiece have had barely any wrist time, complete with its certificate and accessories, it is pure joy for its next owner. Please note that the proceeds of the sale of the present watch will be given by the Consignor to various charities.
Lot 8091: A Circa 2000s Jaeger-LeCoultre Jaeger-LeCoultre Reverso Day & Night In 18k White Gold
Estimate: HKD $40,000 - 65,000
With the Reverso collection being one of the flagship watches of Jaeger-LeCoultre, the lineage gradually embraced the inclusion of exquisite precious metal variations.
Distinguished by its sleek white gold case, the Reverso Night and Day timepiece exhibits a captivating black dial adorned with uniquely styled indexes. Additionally, the dial fitted the elegant moon phases, a night and day and a power reserve indicator. The manually wound calibre 823, which can be admired through the sapphire crystal exhibition case back, enhances the allure of this exceptional watch.
Complete with all its accompanying accessories, this exceptional Reverso reference hails from the early 2000s and would undoubtedly make a splendid addition to any high-end watch collection. Please note that the proceeds of the sale of the present watch will be given by the Consignor to various charities.
Lot 8093: A Circa 2000 Jaeger-LeCoultre Reverso Géographique Dual Time Limited Edition In 18k Pink Gold
Estimate: HKD $40,000 - 65,000
With the Reverso Géographique, Jaeger-LeCoultre has crafted a watch of superlative ingenuity. This exceptional dual time complication allows the wearer to consult two distant locales with unrivaled precision.
Rather than simply overlaying a second hour hand, Jaeger-LeCoultre dedicates an entire dial to the second time zone. This grants it dimensionality and detail exceeding that of conventional dual time watches.
Symmetrically arrayed at six o'clock, two arched windows adeptly display the hours in separate cities, halfway around the world from each other. Adjacent indications of night and day, along with GMT references artfully illuminate the correct time on each turn of the globe.
Complete with its full set of accessories and preserved in virtually unworn condition, the present Reverso Géographique numbered 396 of a limited edition of 500 pieces allows its wearer to master time itself, spanning the world with a glance at the wrist. Please note that the proceeds of the sale of the present watch will be given by the Consignor to various charities.
You can view the complete catalog for the Phillips Watches Hong Kong Sessions, Spring 2024, Online Auction, right here.
About Phillips In Association With Bacs & Russo
The team of specialists at PHILLIPS Watches is dedicated to an uncompromised approach to quality, transparency, and client service. Phillips in Association with Bacs & Russo holds the world record for the most successful watch auction, with its Geneva Watch Auction: XIV having realized $74.5 million in 2021. Over the course of 2021 and 2022, the company sold 100% of the watches offered, a first in the industry, resulting in the highest annual total in history across all the auction houses at $227 million.
About Logan Baker
Logan has spent the past decade reporting on every aspect of the watch business. He joined Phillips in Association with Bacs & Russo at the start of 2023 as the department's Senior Editorial Manager. He splits his time between New York and Geneva.
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