REF. 270.1.54; "REVERSO" "DUO FACE" "NIGHT & DAY"; 18K YELLOW GOLD
Important Modern & Vintage Timepieces, , Monaco, Jul 25, 2023, , , TO BE SOLD WITHOUT RESERVE, , Very fine, 18K yellow gold, manual-winding, vertical rectangular-shaped, reversible, double-face, gentleman's wristwatch, silver guilloché (engine-turned) dial with subsidiary seconds at 6, second dial with two-time-zone and AM-PM indication., , Very good, Good, Slightly scratched, Good, Overhaul recommended, at buyer's expense, Very good, HANDS Original, Brand Jaeger-LeCoultre, Switzerland, Model "Reverso" "Duo Face" "Night & Day", Reference 270.1.54, Year Circa 2000, Case No. 1747086, Material 18K yellow gold, Bracelet Leather, Buckle JLC 18K yellow gold buckle, Caliber 854, 21 jewels, Dimensions 26 X 42 mm., Weight 62.5 gr. (approx.), Signature Dial, case and movement, Accessories Box, outer box, pushpin, guarantee and instruction booklets, “Reverso” ,
, After a polo game one day in India, Swiss businessman César de Trey (1876-1953) was challenged by the British officers he had been playing with to design a watch that would resist the rough treatment inflicted on it during the practice of their favourite sport.,
, Upon his return to Europe, de Trey discussed the challenge with Jacques-David LeCoultre (1875-1948), director of the LeCoultre & Cie manufactory in Le Sentier (Vallée de Joux, canton de Vaud); the firm had been founded in 1833 by Antoine LeCoultre (1803-1881).,
, Together with the Parisian firm Jaeger, which had been founded in 1880 by Edmond Jaeger (1858-1922), they created the “Reverso” watch.,
, The case, designed by French engineer René-Alfred Chauvot, was first patented in France on March 4, 1931 (No. 712 868). It was reversible, and was made up of a mobile portion containing the movement that pivoted within a frame to which the bracelet was fixed. This allowed the watch’s face to be rotated, or reversed, thus protecting the glass.,
, In December 1931, César de Trey, who had bought the rights of Chauvot’s patent, and Jacques-David LeCoultre together founded a distribution company called “Spécialités Horlogères” (first in Lausanne and then in Geneva), to sell the “Reverso” as well as the other watches made by LeCoultre & Cie and Jaeger, Paris. The distribution house purchased the patent. In 1937, the company took the name Jaeger-LeCoultre.,
, By 1931, the Wenger firm of Geneva was entrusted with the production of the cases. While LeCoultre & Cie was developing several calibres destined for ladies’ and men’s “Reverso” watches, “Spécialités Horlogères” used a series of movements produced by the Tavannes Watch Co. (in the canton of Bern). Many of these watches were sold by the E. Gübelin firm in Lucerne.
