Important Collectors Wristwatches, P...
New York - The Fuller Building, Dec 07, 2006
LOT 76
"Reverso Tourbillon Platinum No. 2" Jaeger-LeCoultre, "Reverso - Tourbillon Platinum Number Two ", No. 60/500, Ref. 270. 6.48. Made in a limited edition of 500 pieces. Sold in 2004. Very fine and rare, rectangular, platinum gentleman's reversible wristwatch with one-minute tourbillon regulator, 40-hour power reserve indication and a platinum Jaeger-LeCoultre deployant clasp. To be sold without reserve
USD 30,000 - 40,000
EUR 23,000 - 31,000
Sold: USD 36,580
C. Five-body, solid, polished, reeded bezel, transparent case back, sapphire crystals. D. Silver with painted Arabic numerals on a plain reserve, subsidiary seconds dial. On the back, the tourbillon under a polished steel bridge. Blued steel ?épée? hands. M. Cal. 848, rhodium-plated, "fausses côtes" decoration, 25 jewels, lateral lever escapement with oneminute tourbillon regulator with 3 equidistant polished steel arms, monometallic balance, shock absorber, selfcompensating Breguet balance spring. Dial, case and movement signed. Dim. 26 x 42 mm. Thickness 10 mm.
| Grading System | |
|---|---|
Grade: AAA |
Excellent |
Case: 2 |
Very good |
Movement: 1 |
As new |
Dial: 1-01 |
As new HANDS Original |
Notes
The history of the "Reverso" begins in 1930 in India. Cesar de Trey, a Swiss traveler, conceived the idea of a watch that could be turned over to protect its dial and crystal from the dangers common watches faced on the dusty polo fields in the then British colony. Back in Switzerland, he approached the LeCoultre company in Le Sentier with his ideas. The watch case was developed by the Jaeger company in France, who asked French designer and engineer, René-Alfred Chauvet, to prepare the drawings for its production. Chauvet applied for Patent No.
Today, more than 70 years later, its case has been carefully optimized, but its character remains unchanged. Embodying the style of the Art Deco period, the clean lines and the high quality of the "Reverso" watches have made it Jaeger LeCoultre's leading model and the company has carefully extended the line to offer a greater variety of one of the most characteristic and famous timepieces in the history of the wristwatch. To celebrate the 60th anniversary of the "Reverso", in 1991, Jaeger LeCoultre introduced a limited edition model of only 500 examples in 18k pink gold in a larger, "Grande Taille" case, which became the first one of 6 limited models released in the following years. Each edition featured a special complication or technical innovation, offering maximum functionality in a minimum of space that had not been realized in a "Reverso" until that time. In 2002, the "Platinum One" became the first "Reverso" realized in a platinum case and the ?Septantième? was created as the first Reverso with the larger ?XGT? case. 712868 at the French Ministry of Trade and Industry on March 4th, 1931 and finally a patent was granted for the new design of a rectangular watch case that could be swiveled around, so that the solid case back protected the delicate mineral crystal from breakage. The new "Reverso" watch was destined to be in the stores already for the Christmas business in 1931 and LeCoultre envisioned a production of 5000 timepieces altogether. This watch became one of the company's most famous models.