THE ESSENTIALS
MAKE: JAEGER-LECOULTRE
MODEL: 270.2.58
YEAR: 1999
BOX/PAPERS: YES/YES
CASE DIAMETER: 26x42MM
CASE MATERIAL: 18K ROSE GOLD
BRACELET MATERIAL: LEATHER
MOVEMENT: MANUAL WIND
The JLC Reverso is easily one of the most iconic and recognisable watch designs in the history of horology. Born in the 1930s thanks to Jacques-David LeCoultre, the Reverso was initially crafted to endure the impacts of a game of polo, by implementing a case whereby the dial can turn around on itself after a (hugely satisfying) slide, flip, and click action.
Nearly a century later, however, there are probably as many JLC owners playing polo as there are Submariner owners diving... In the meantime, the Reverso line has also grown extensively to include numerous variations in size, construction, design, and complications.
The present example, ref. 270.2.58, is anything but an average Reverso. Born in the late 1990s thanks to Philippe Vandel, the model was part of a series of six complicated and limited-edition Reversos created to celebrate the 60th anniversary of the iconic design. The other five (quite the mouthful) were the Tourbillon, Minute Repeater, Perpetual Calendar, Chronograph, and Soixantième. Looking back, this was one of the most exciting periods in JLC’s history, with the brand heavily leaning on its unmatched expertise in technical problem-solving and the pure art of movement making.
The World Time “Géographique” is nothing short of a show-off. The main dial features a simple galvanised silver background, with central guilloché finishing, blued steel hands, simple Arabic numerals, a sub-seconds register at 6 o’clock, and a day-night indicator at 12. The magic happens when you turn the case around. Firstly, we’d recommend against playing polo in this: instead of the simple stainless steel caseback found on the original Reverso, the reverse side features a black dial with more guilloché finishing, local hours and minutes, a day-night indicator, GMT offset function, and the Géographique selector, which displays three-letter airport codes on either side.
Amazingly, all of this fits within an 18k rose gold Grand Taille case measuring just 26 x 42 mm, thanks to JLC’s in-house manual-winding cal. 858 movement. And in case you’re wondering, yes, this movement was used for this model alone, of which only 500 examples were made. I must admit, this was the very first time I’ve handled one of these, and it’s simply a work of art.
The watch comes with all of its original boxes, booklets, guarantee papers, and the original pusher. They so rarely come up for sale, and we are proud to present this one to the world.