Back in 2011, to celebrate the 80th anniversary of the Reverso, Jaeger-LeCoultre released the Grande Reverso Ultra Thin Tribute To 1931, a fake watch that has quickly become a favorite of collectors and enthusiasts. Since then, we've seen a number of updates, including a rose gold and chocolate brown edition unveiled late last year, but now Jaeger-LeCoultre is looking to another era in the Reverso's history. Here we have the Grande Reverso Ultra Thin 1948, with a bright white dial accented by blue hands that boldly flaunts its Swiss manufacture. The 1931 hasn't been abandoned, but today it is joined by the next chapter in the story.
Immediately you'll notice that the 1948 has a lighter, slightly more modern look than the original Tribute to 1931. The applied hour indexes, hands, and chapter ring are all bright blue, which stands out against the bright white dial. If you compare the dial configuration to Reverso tributes, it has the double batons at 12 o'clock seen on the original Tribute to 1931, but with the addition of the small seconds register seen on more recent tributes like the Chocolate edition. This dial is a nearly exact reproduction of the dial on a possibly unique 1948 Reverso housed in the JLC archives.
Below the Jaeger-LeCoultre signature at 12 o'clock you can see "Fabriqué en Suisse" or "Made in Switzerland," a signature required for replica watches imported to France in the middle of the twentieth century. The sentiment is reiterated by a "SWISS" signature down at 6 o'clock, outside the chapter ring. Is the double Swiss signature redundant? Maybe. But it's also something that was done on occasion historically, so it seems fitting on this vintage tribute piece.
Inside the 7.3mm Grande Reverso case is the Calibre 822/2, an manually wound movement with a 45-hour power reserve. The 822/2 is entirely in-house, and composed of 114 total parts, 19 of which are jewels.
The Jaeger-LeCoultre Grande Reverso Ultra Thin 1948 is only available through Jaeger-LeCoultre boutiques worldwide, and is priced at $9,450. For more, visit Jaeger-LeCoultre online.
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