The Jaeger-LeCoultre Reverso: A Watch Born on the Polo Field

The Reverso is one of watchmaking’s most recognisable designs, but its story began with a practical problem.

In 1930, Swiss businessman César de Trey was in India, where polo players challenged him to find a watch that could survive the impact of the sport without its crystal breaking.

His idea was simple: instead of making the glass stronger, turn the watch over.

The Birth of the Reverso

French industrial designer René-Alfred Chauvot developed the solution — a case that could slide out of its cradle, rotate 180 degrees, and lock back into place with the dial safely protected.

The design was patented in 1931, and the name Reverso, from the Latin meaning “I turn,” soon followed.

Swiss casemaker Wenger then helped refine the rectangular Art Deco case we recognise today.

Interestingly, the Reverso is actually older than the Jaeger-LeCoultre name itself. Edmond Jaeger and Jacques-David LeCoultre had been working together for years, but the company officially became Jaeger-LeCoultre in 1937.

From Sports Watch to Icon

What began as a sports watch quickly became something much more elegant.

Its blank caseback became a canvas for initials, family crests, engravings and personal messages, helping transform the Reverso into a deeply personal watch as well as a design icon.

Near Disappearance — and Revival

Then, almost unbelievably, it nearly disappeared.

As tastes changed, production slowed and the Reverso faded from fashion. Its revival came in the 1970s, when Italian distributor Giorgio Corvo discovered around 200 unused Reverso cases at the manufacture. He had movements fitted inside them, brought them back to market — and they sold.

That success helped bring the Reverso back to life.

Evolution of the Reverso

By the 1990s, its reversible case had evolved into a platform for dual-time displays, chronographs, tourbillons and other high complications.

Nearly a century later, the concept remains instantly recognisable.

A rectangular case.
Art Deco proportions.
And one ingenious flip born from a problem on a polo field.

The Reverso wasn’t designed to become an icon. It was designed to solve a problem.

Perhaps that is exactly why it became one.

Find Your Reverso

Looking for a Jaeger-LeCoultre Reverso or another exceptional timepiece? The Watch Scanner can help you source the right watch for your collection.