The Jaeger LeCoultre Reverso is a legend that arose from a practical need. In the early 1930s, a group of Polo players asked César de Trey, a watch dealer, to create a timepiece robust enough to survive to the brutality of their sport; a request that César de Trey sent to Jacques-David LeCoultre. René-Alfred Chauvot, the French engineer in charge of the development of this new watchcase, didn’t use a protective grill on the top of the watch (a process used for WW1 military watches.) Instead, he designed a reversible case in order to protect the fragile dial and glass of the watch.
The Manufacture LeCoultre patented the concept of ‘a watch that is able to slide out of its frame and turn around completely’ on March 4, 1931. Using grooves, pins and a locking mechanism, the central part of the case can rotate 180 degrees. This is not only a practical construction but also an aesthetically elegant design, as it gives the watch both a very casual and dressed face and a robust, plain caseback for sport purposes.