Why customers love Jaeger-LeCoultre?

I fell head over heels for this model to the point of buying two! What a thrill this watch is, which for many takes up the codes of the Patek Philippe Nautilus while the two I have date from 1972… including one from March 1972, before Basel World of the same year which will see the presentation of the Royal Oak! And yes, this Jaeger-Lecoultre Master-Quartz is equipped with the Girard Perregaux GP352 caliber, one of the two Quartz calibers developed by the Swiss watch industry with that from the BETA21 consortium. Note that Girard Perregaux was at the time one of the most innovative Swiss brands. This watch is therefore equipped with a battery and a Motorola chip allowing the watch to be dated with a number showing the date of the week and the year! This JLC therefore predates Gerald Genta's two blockbusters. Its design has everything to please me, TV box, integrated bracelet from Chatelain, absolutely fantastic striped blue dial! What is it missing? Reliability, quite simply! An electronic circuit that is over 50 years old was not designed to have such a long lifespan... So it is a capricious watch far from being able to be used as a Daily! No problemo if we have understood this paradigm.

This watch follows an unchallenged domination of my Omega Seamaster 300 that lasted almost 20 years. A sudden desire for a watch with a silver dial, rather dressy, to change from my diver with whom I shared so many moments of life. The JLC manufacture has always been one of those that make me dream, but curiously not for the Reverso, rather for its round and technical watches, with crowns called compressor... After hours of surfing the net to identify a model that speaks to me, I find this model on Chronext at a very reasonable price. A model that I did not know and on which there are few articles. The second time zone displayable by shifting one of the two hour hands, a 24-hour indicator... I tell myself that I am going to travel a little with this watch. When I received it, my first feeling was a great disappointment... The watch is 40 mm in diameter, but seems larger because the dial is relatively open, moreover its thickness is greater than I thought. The bracelet is not original and is of poor quality... in short, I don't like this JLC too much. But I'm keeping it anyway, my wife finds it very beautiful, my children too... but I will need a little time, that I discover it little by little by dint of contemplating it and dressing it as it deserves. So I observe it and gradually I fall under the charm of this dial more complex than it seems, of these very worked sub-dials (guilloché for the day display, striated for the night, in vinyl groove for the small second), its perfectly polished indexes, these alpha hands... And then this date window, which finally is well proportioned and responds to this 9 a little alone. But the little extra thing was to replace the strap with a custom-made coffee bean crocodile by Camille Fournet, it gave the watch back the little warm charm that it was missing despite everything. A sapphire caseback to admire the movement, even if I admit I never contemplate it, but when it goes back to the safe I can't help but look at it, even if it's not the most beautiful of calibers, but how reliable! Finally, I wear it quite rarely, I get tired of it quite quickly and it doesn't stay on my wrist for more than a few days. I always have the feeling that it would deserve to be a little thinner and of a slightly smaller diameter... but I always enjoy finding it again after some time spent with its little sisters.

Of my watch collection, this Reverso is the one I am most attached to because it was given to me by someone very important to me for my 30th birthday (so more than 15 years ago...). It is superb and has not aged a day. Lots of details make it superb in my eyes beyond the sentimental aspect: the blued hands, the day/night indication (useless, but very pretty), the guilloché dial, the double-window date, the curve of the sapphire... If I have to find faults with it: water resistance to 30m (not great even if I never intended to go into the water with it) and fragility (it is clearly not a watch for doing sports).

The story begins a long time ago. My father received a classic Reverso from my mother for his 50th birthday (25 years ago). I think that my love for watches began at that moment. Although I now have a well-stocked collection, the Reverso has always remained present but distant, perhaps I was aware of the fact that I would rarely wear it. But after giving one to my wife for the birth of our daughter, I started to take an interest in the model again. But there are so many... The choice would certainly have been more difficult if I had not attended a masterclass on watchmaking at the famous Jaeger boutique on Place Vendôme in Paris during which I fell in love with this duoface model with moon phase. It was a few years ago now, but when I had the opportunity to get my hands on this model, I jumped at the chance. It is too recent for my opinion to be final, however I remain captivated by the level of details and finishes that undoubtedly make it a watch for "big boys" to "Frenchify" the Anglo-Saxon expression. Of course, the moon phase is not the most useful complication nor is it used the most, but what a pleasure for the eyes, especially when there are 2 in the same watch. A detail that has its importance: the different sets of bracelets provided with the watch. I think that is what I particularly like in current fashion trends: we allow ourselves to wear it whenever we want, when we want, even a Reverso so dressed with jeans and a t-shirt. This approach speaks to me a lot.

I have always been seduced by the Jaeger-LeCoultre Reverso and yet it took me years to decide. I tried it dozens of times in different configurations, with or without a second hand, Reverso Night&Day, Reverso Tribute to Small Seconds... but each time I said to myself: "It's a beautiful watch but it doesn't suit me! » And then I offered a large Cartier Tank to my wife... and I had the opportunity to wear her watch on a few occasions both to try it out and to question myself concretely about my ability to wear a rectangular timepiece. Bingo! Something unlocked and I felt more confident about wearing a rectangular watch and I decided to take the plunge with this Reverso, in the simplest version. I could have gone for a more “fun” model like the green or red Reverso Tribute Small Seconds but my goal was to have this classic icon and in this sense the simplest model, with a silver dial, was the best solution for me.

What a beauty, I love it a little more every day. I find it so classy and simple. I was looking for a 3-hand watch, steel or gold. A thin and discreet watch for a first “luxury” watch. Getting into the habit of strolling in front of the windows I come across it and after hesitation push open the door to a second-hand store to touch it, look at it, see the light slide on this blued second hand, the shine on the indexes. I like everything, but I tell myself “don’t rush, think, calm down” And then 1 week later when I went back in front of the window I saw that it was still there… I couldn’t resist any longer, I decided to take it. I am very happy and do not regret my purchase.

Created in 1931, the Reverso was presented at the time as a sports watch that responded to the problem of robustness by offering a reversible case to protect the dial as desired. Nowadays, the Reverso belongs more to the category of dress watches, although by changing the strap (equipped with quick releases) it adapts to all outfits with disconcerting ease. The Art Deco style highlighted by the gadroons and the work done on the dial won me over: alternating vertically brushed surfaces and guilloché, flame-blued hands and small seconds at six o'clock. The most attentive will notice the railroad track which is here replaced by a fine guilloché going around the dial. One last detail that I love: the "1" which from afar seem to be only batons when they are not! The manual movement that equips this model is a real treat to wind and allows the watch to slip under all sleeves. One question remains: what should be written on the back of this icon?

A little gem from the 70s, this quartz Jaeger is very charming with its linen dial on a silver-colored background that contrasts with its polished baton indexes and the applied JLC logo. A diameter that fits perfectly on my 17.5cm wrist. In a condition close to New from Stock, it is a real pleasure to wear this beauty that has a crazy charm ☺️

Watch that marked the end of a chapter in my life journey. A discreet and versatile watch. The work on the case, especially the gadroons, is remarkable because they capture the light, allowing the eye to naturally rest on the center of the dial to read the time. The drilling work on the stretcher really brings an extra soul when you turn the case over. A side with a silver dial and small seconds for traditional use and a black side with a second time zone if you travel or for more discretion. The pusher at 2 o'clock brings a break in symmetry which gives the watch a little extra twist. I changed the pin buckle for a folding clasp. Chic without being ostentatious, this is a watch that will be passed on and will retain its timeless character.

I acquired this reverso (ref: 270.8.62) a few months ago, I had been dreaming of it for a long time, why? I like its sobriety, its timeless design which is different for me from the usual codes found in watchmaking. A real pleasure to wear, light, discreet and what class! In addition, these blue hands offer a very nice contrast with the white dial and therefore a beautiful readability. In short, I am won over and if there were to be only one left, maybe...