JLC Reverso

With the Reverso’s 80^th birthday being just around the corner I thought I’d share stories about the Reversos that have been a part of my life… 

The first Reverso I had was also the very first JLC watch I’ve ever owned - a Reverso Duo. The name Duo, meaning there are two faces to the watch, with each face being able to show a different time, with the hour hand being able to be set independently. A very useful watch if you happened to travel a lot, or have the need to call someone in a different timezone, or, if you were like me, I simply enjoyed the fact that I kinda have two watches in one, and depending on my mood, I’d choose once face over the other.

Mine had a little pusher on the side of the watch, and you need to use a push pin or a toothpick to change the time on the 2^nd dial. Later models would come with a proper pusher, making time zone changes a lot easier.

This watch actually came into my life quite unexpectedly. It wasn’t on my to-buy list nor did it ever appear on the horizon for me. But I was given the chance to buy one at a price too good to refuse.

So I didn’t.

Refuse, that is…

It was a great watch and I think this watch made me start to really like Reverso watches in general, but just not this one. As much as I liked it, I couldn’t get over how small it was (Men’s watches used to be smaller, but as we all grew larger, so too, did the size of watches) and ultimately, I had to let it go.

Here are some specs on that particular watch:

Case size: 42.2mm by 26mm

Manual wind movement calibre 854

21,600 vph

21 Jewels

180 parts

Front: Hour, minute, seconds

Back, 2^nd time zone, 24 hour display

Power reserve: 45 hours.

It would be a while before I wore another Reverso, and this one I thought was perfect for me size-wise. It’s the Reverso Squadra Hometime, and when it was released, a lot of people didn’t like it, as they felt the case too thick and too chunky and lacking that classic Reverso finesse. But it suited me just right, and even at retail, the price was extremely reasonable.  Then the price started to creep up year after year, until it become overpriced, but the prices have come back down to a more reasonable level.

This is powered by an automatic movement, but rather than having a second face on the back, it is see-through, and you can see the movement. To me personally, if you want to show the movement, at least make sure there’s something to see? I’d much rather a second face, or even a solid case back, which would be great for engraving, if I ever went for one.

Being automatic is great too, as at times I do get a bit lazy winding up watches in the morning, so it’s quite convenient to just put the watch on and go. Yes I realise quartz is even more convenient but then you wouldn’t really be reading this if quartz is your thang…

Even though it’s only really single-faced, it still offers the function of a second time zone, in the form of a skeleton hour hand, which you can hide under the regular hour hand if you have no need of a second time zone.

I’ve worn this watch for more than two years now, and I enjoy it just as much as the first time I put it on my wrist. I think that due to its size, it can be a bit of a scratch magnet, but I can live with that. Looks great on the chunky bracelet, but I think I’ll stick to leather straps for the time being. The only major issue I have with it is that as the case is so thick, the strap needs to be fitted to the case; otherwise it would look quite ungainly. And that means I can’t just fit any 22mm strap to it. Meaning I’m stuck with the OEM choices of black, brown or black rubber, or… I’d need to go down the custom made route…

Again, some specs on this watch:

Case size: 50.5mm x 35mm x 14mm high

Automatic movement calibre 977

28,800 vph

29 jewels

234 parts

48 hour power reserve

Hour, minute, seconds, 2^nd time zone, date display.

However, I’m very much looking forward to their new releases coming up. The Pre-SIHH 2011 shots of the Tribute to 1931, the original Reverso, already have me salivating. And I think they’ve hit the nail on the head with the size of the case. Being an “ultra thin” model as well, it would go great with a suit, and the Reverso Squadra maybe relegated to weekend jeans/ t-shirt duty…

...and yes... just so you know, I do earn my keep from JLC.

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