About this watch

In 1931, British officers playing polo in India kept smashing the crystals of their wristwatches. Jaeger-LeCoultre's answer was not a tougher glass but a piece of pure mechanical theatre: a case that slides free of its cradle and flips over, turning a solid slab of metal to the world. Nearly a century later the Reverso remains one of the most elegant ideas watchmaking has ever had, and that swivel is still as satisfying as it must have been on the very first day. The Reverso Tribute Monoface Small Seconds reference Q713216J is that idea cast in solid 18k rose gold. The grained gold dial glows with exactly the same warmth as the case that frames it, while applied indexes and slim Dauphine hands echo the restraint of the 1931 original, with small seconds turning quietly at six. At 45.6mm by 27.4mm and a mere 7.56mm thick, it wears with true Art Deco proportions and slips under a cuff the way a dress watch should. The hand-wound movement is made in-house and shaped specifically to fill the rectangular case rather than hide within it. Being a Monoface, the reverse stays a blank gold canvas, waiting for an engraving should you want to make it truly yours. What lifts this example above t…