Many brands are focusing on complications at the moment. Is this also the case for Jaeger-LeCoultre?
Catherine Rénier: Complications have always been at the heart of creation at Jaeger-LeCoultre, as we have been a calibre maker from the start, inventing and innovating with many different types of calibres, shapes, sizes, and complications. And that's why the Maison was called the Watchmaker of Watchmakers as, for many years, we were supplying calibres to the whole industry. So, for us, it is very natural to keep on inventing and bringing complications into our collections.
Part of our signature is our high watchmaking and what we call our Hybris Mechanica complications, which are really created from a blank page and are entirely created with new calibres and new associations of complications. So, this is something that makes Jaeger-LeCoultre one of only a few who can create such complications on a regular basis. As for the Reverso – our icon – it has been a while since we have had complications such as a chronograph within the Reverso line. We haven't created a chronograph in the rectangle shape since the 1990s, which was a period of complications for Reverso. So, we are coming back with a new style, a new signature, and an important moment to build the future of this collection for the Maison.
What would you say have been the major breakthroughs in the last 10 years, in terms of the Reverso’s innovation and designs?
The Reverso Hybris Mechanica Calibre 185 (Quadriptyque) is for sure one of the greatest innovative calibres from the past years. Not only it is the first watch to display complications on 4 faces, but also it combines 12 complications making it the most complex Reverso ever created. Precision being one of our core territories, we have also come with other major innovations. A Duoface with a fully flying tourbillon to be visible and see-through on both sides. But also, a flying Gyrotourbillon, the fastest we have invented so far. Another one for this year is the chronograph, which is a complication inspired by a calibre from the 1990s, which was really the decade when complications were introduced into the Reverso collection. But this year, we are coming back with a new calibre that has been totally reworked and with the same time display on each side.
You also reduced the size slightly with the Reverso Tribute Small Seconds. How did you do this?
We reduced it by choice; it was a design choice as we wanted this gold piece to be even more elegant thanks to a thinner case. This was achieved by perfecting every single detail of the Reverso case from the cradle to the swivelling part. This is only made possible thanks to the fact that we are an integrated Manufacture, we make the case ourselves and we create the calibre ourselves, so we can be smart as a manufacturer to find that one millimetre that is so precious in watchmaking.
Originally, the Reverso was a sports watch. Is this still its vocation?
So, the way we see it is twofold. The Reverso was a sports watch, as playing polo while wearing a watch was a challenge for players. It was also worn in the 1930s and was totally inspired by Art Deco design. And by the '30s it had already become as much of a style status as a sports watch. It was a watch that was worn by both men and women and had become a statement timepiece with its coloured dials. Already in the '30s, there was a brown and a red dial, and there was also a black dial back then that was called “the dial of the future”. So, there was already this attractiveness for the shape of the Reverso that made it unique. And the sports aspect was really the catalyst to make this watch appear. This year, when we launch the Reverso chronograph, we are paying tribute to the sports origin of Reverso, because of course, the chronograph has this sport dimension as a complication.
