Many brands have an iconic model at the forefront of their portfolio: few, however, hold the key to such a storied history as the Jaeger-LeCoultre Reverso. No wonder, then, that the brand used this year’s Watches and Wonders trade fair to bestow several creative new pieces upon us, drawing up on the horology house’s own heritage as well as culture and history from around the world. With that in mind, it only makes sense to dedicate an entire article to what are surely the stars of the show for JLC this year: the Reverso Metiers Rares models.
The thrill of these four models is undoubtedly their heritage: what an incredibly original and meaningful idea to dedicate four limited watches to the Persian epic poem, Shahnameh. Aimed at aesthetes and erudite individuals alike, these phenomenally detailed watches pay tribute to the history of miniature painting itself, which originated in Persia. Fittingly, you might also hazard a guess at where polo, aka the sport that inspired the invention of the Jaeger-LeCoultre Reverso, first appeared over 2,000 years ago: Persia.
You would be forgiven for not being well-versed with the Shahnameh, so I’ll treat you to a very brief summary. Also known as the Book of Kings, this epic poem was written by the poet Ferdowsi, and took over two decades to complete. Comprising over 50,000 rhyming couplets and displaying 258 miniature paintings created by Persia’s greatest artists, it tells the history of Persia’s rulers, from the country’s mythical beginnings to conquest by the Arabs in 642 AD.
The four stories depicted on this watch series are as follows: ‘Faridun in the guide of a dragon tests his sons’, ‘Saam comes to Mount Alburz’, ‘Rustam pursues Akvan, the Onager-Div’, and ‘Siyavush plays polo before Afrasiyab’.
Jaeger-LeCoultre decided to take four Tribute models as its canvas, reinterpreting the Book of Kings through four exceptional crafts: enamel miniature painting, Grand Feu enamelling, paillonage and guilloché, all of which are skills housed at the manufacture’s Metier’s Rares atelier – and you can journey with us to the manufacture here.
While the Shanameh divides into three main cycles – myth, legends, history – the four watches chosen by the manufacture depict stories from the ‘legends’ cycle, which fittingly frequently features horses as a motif. On each of the front watch dials, the watches showcase Grand Feu enamel, applied over a hand-guilloche base executed on a century-old, hand-operated lathe.
The version in blue with uses sunray hand-guilloche and blue Grand Feu enamel, while its counterpart in a lighter shade of blue Grand Feu enamel uses herringbone hand guilloche. The lighter green Grand Feu enamel dial uses waves, while the final model in a darker green uses lozenge hand-guilloche.
Turning the watch over to the artworks, the miniature paintings also use Grand Feu enamel, while paillonage endows each dial with gold leaf embellishments. Each of these dials takes over 100 hours of work – so no wonder these four new watches are limited to 10 pieces each.
Each of these Reverso Tribute models is in white gold, with dimensions of 45.6 mm x 27.4 mm alongside a thickness of 9.73 mm. Within each model ticks the manual-winding calibre 822, offering only hours and minutes, alongside a 42-hour power reserve. Each watch is accompanied by a handsome alligator strap.
Jaeger-LeCoultre’s Precious Flowers series began back in 2021, and combines the art of enamel painting with gem setting. These two new models are succinctly named ‘Green Arums’ and ‘Purple Arums’; pretty self-explanatory. Limited to 10 pieces each, both appear in warm yet opulent pink-gold cases.
In order to create these very special editions, Jaeger-LeCoultre’s craftsmen commence with work on the bouquets of arums, using the Grand Feu champleve enamelling technique. This involves hollowing out the metal surface to create an outline, before filling the space with up to ten coats of powdered glass enamel and heating at around 800 Centigrade.
Only when this work is complete can the gem setting begin, with the watches showcasing grain- and snow-setting, using an array of different sized diamonds. The green edition plays host to no fewer than 409 diamonds, amounting to 2.59 carats, while its counterpart showcases 637 brilliant-cut diamonds, amounting to 2.12 carats and requiring 95 hours of work for the craftsmen. While the solid caseback of the Reverso One Precious Flowers is reserved exclusively for enamel and gem-setting to shine in all their glory, the dial side shimmers with a mother-of-pearl dial indicating hours and minutes, indicated via Arabic transferred numerals and dauphine hands. Art-Deco brackets add yet another authentic touch.
This time, Jaeger-LeCoultre powers this hour-and-minute-only watch with the manual-winding calibre 846. Offering a solid 50-hour power reserve, the movement is housed in a 40 x 20 mm case with a height of 9.09 mm, offering water-resistance to 3 bar despite its many artistic and precious stone embellishments. The watches are paired with smart alligator leather straps matching to their respective green and purple colour schemes.
We round off with a jazzy yet contemporary piece. The Reverso One Precious Colours is a relatively new watch, with the first iteration having appeared in 2023. Once again, this white-gold watch is a limited edition of 10 pieces.
Ever meticulous in the field of gem-setting, the maison adorn this model with 277 diamonds (1.59 carats) amounting to 40 hours of work. In addition, the watch works with no fewer than six different Grand Feu enamel colours, with 15 firings (over 60 hours’ work) required to meet the correct colours for the design. Hand-drawn lines create the geometric pattern.
Again, this model opts for a mother-of-pearl dial matching to the white leather strap, displaying only hours and minutes and exuding a more contemporary vibe. These simple functions are indicated thanks to the calibre 846 – also manual winding, with a 50-hour power reserve. The watch’s water resistance is likewise to 3 bar.
