Hands-On: Jaeger-LeCoultre Reverso Tribute Geographic
If I had to give out my picks for best slate of releases at Watches and Wonders, Jaeger-LeCoultre would certainly be in the running for the top prize. From more entry-level Reverso Tribute Duoface to the incredible high-end Tribute Minute Repeater and Hybris Artistica (and some enamel pieces) and a few things in between, there’s plenty to talk about. While a certain pink-gold Reverso Monoface was maybe the star of the show, I wanted to start with something that I feel was overlooked but struck me as a quiet, strong reinterpretation of the Reverso Tribute Geographic in a more elegant fashion.
The Reverso Tribute Geographic has all the hallmarks of the Reverso Tribute design language that harkens back to the originals, with gadroons, applied hour-markers, Dauphine hands, and small seconds on the front dial. But as a travel watch, JLC has also included a useful large date complication with two windows over the top of the signature and brand emblem on the front dial. But as for the “Geographic” label, let’s just glance back in time to the 2000s limited edition pink gold Reverso Geographique ref. 270.2.58 shown below.
I know there are some people who might like the design language of the 25-year-old Geographique, but the dial layouts (front and back) feel a bit disjointed and anachronistic to me. There’s some quirky character, especially on the more complicated rear black dial, but it seems like brands are (thankfully, in my opinion) settling in on a more timeless design, something easily seen on the new rear of the Reverso Tribute Geographic.
The stainless steel case (or pink gold case on the 150-piece pink gold limited edition) measures 49.4mm by 29.9mm and a comfortable 11.4mm thick, which is quite compact for a dual-dialed watch. It might look a bit bigger (as it does in the picture below), but it seems like a watch that’s more than practical for daily wear.
I like the view from the rear of the watch, with a beautiful hand-lacquered ocean view surrounding the northern hemisphere’s continents. To set the world time, you set the time to your local time zone, then use a secret slider in the case (you can see lower in the story, at the top edge of the reversible case) to advance the world time to match the hour to your local time zone. It’s simple, elegant, and you don’t need much more. While the caseback doesn’t leave as much room for engraving as a monoface Reverso, it feels like a fair tradeoff.
The sunburst finish (blue in steel and a soft brown in pink gold) on the dial is just another little touch of added attention from JLC that really doesn’t necessarily jump out from a distance, but was nice to look at and watch dance in the light. Combined with the black lacquer and black and grey day/night indicator combination on the caseback of the pink gold case, if money were no option, it’s the watch I’d be aiming to pick up from the two.
The complication of the JLC Reverso Tribute Geographic doesn’t come cheap, however. At $21,200 in steel and $34,900 in pink gold, its far from an entry-level option in the Reverso line, but my gut says there’s a solid amount of bang for your buck to make it worth the while for a Reverso lover looking for a modern travel watch.
For more information read our Introducing story or visit Jaeger-LeCoultre.
Hodinkee