Only Online Auction
Geneva, Apr 07, 2021
LOT 53
Jaeger-LeCoultre
“Reverso”, blue dial; stainless steel
CHF 13,000 - 19,500
EUR 12,000 - 18,000 / USD 14,400 - 21,500 / HKD 112,000 - 168,000
Stainless-steel, manual-winding, vertical rectangular-curved-shaped, reversible Art Deco gentleman’s wristwatch, with blue colour lacquered dial and subsidiary seconds at 6.
| Grading System | |
|---|---|
Grade: AAA |
Excellent |
Case: 3 |
Good |
Movement: 3* |
Good Overhaul recommended, at buyer's expense |
Dial: 3-53-01 |
Good Reprinted HANDS Original |
Brand Jaeger-LeCoultre, Le Sentier (Vallée de Joux)
Model “Reverso”
Reference 201
Year circa 1938
Movement No. 85 930
Case No. 40 673
Material stainless steel
Bracelet brown leather strap
Buckle stainless steel buckle
Caliber 413
Height 38.3 mm.
Width 22.7 mm.
Signature dial, case and movement
Accessories copy of the invention patent; Extract from the Archives
Notes
The Extract from the Archives, dated January 25, 2012, mentioned that this watch was manufactured in 1938.
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Case based on the French invention patent No. 712 868, delivered on March 4, 1931, to René-Alfred Chauvot, Paris, for a “Montre susceptible de coulisser dans son support et pouvant se retourner complètement sur elle-même”.
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“Reverso”
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“Reverso”
After a polo game one day in India, Swiss businessman César de Trey (1876-1953) was challenged by the British officers he had been playing with to design a watch that would resist the rough treatment inflicted on it during the practice of their favourite sport.
Upon his return to Europe, de Trey discussed the challenge with Jacques-David LeCoultre (1875-1948), director of the LeCoultre & Cie manufactory in Le Sentier (Vallée de Joux, canton de Vaud); the firm had been founded in 1833 by Antoine LeCoultre (1803-1881).
Together with the Parisian firm Jaeger, which had been founded in 1880 by Edmond Jaeger (1858-1922), they created the “Reverso” watch.
The case, designed by French engineer René-Alfred Chauvot, was first patented in France on March 4, 1931 (No. 712 868). It was reversible, and was made up of a mobile portion containing the movement that pivoted within a frame to which the bracelet was fixed. This allowed the watch’s face to be rotated, or reversed, thus protecting the glass.
In December 1931, César de Trey, who had bought the rights of Chauvot’s patent, and Jacques-David LeCoultre together founded a distribution company called “Spécialités Horlogères” (first in Lausanne and then in Geneva), to sell the “Reverso” as well as the other watches made by LeCoultre & Cie and Jaeger, Paris. The distribution house purchased the patent. In 1937, the company took the name Jaeger-LeCoultre.
By 1931, the Wenger firm of Geneva was entrusted with the production of the cases. While LeCoultre & Cie was developing several calibres destined for ladies’ and men’s “Reverso” watches, “Spécialités Horlogères” used a series of movements produced by the Tavannes Watch Co. (in the canton of Bern). Many of these watches were sold by the E. Gübelin firm in Lucerne.
CONDITIONS AND INFORMATION FOR BUYERS
The purchase price payable by a buyer will be the sum of the final bid price plus the buyer’s premium, together with any applicable sales or compensating use tax. In addition to the hammer price, the buyer’s premium is payable as follows: 25% of the hammer price on each lot.Important notice – Special conditions Please look carefully at all the photos as they are an integral part of the description. Any defect not mentioned in the descriptions but visible on the photos will be considered as described and cannot lead to any claim. The dimensions are given as an indication and may slightly differ from the measures mentioned by the manufacturers especially for contemporary watches. The photos are not retouched. Colors may differ from reality. For timepieces, we guarantee neither the functioning nor the precision of the movement, nor the water-resistance of the case. In addition, please note that movements, parts of mechanisms or cases may be incomplete. The lots are sold “as is”, described to the best of our knowledge and cannot be returned. Once the online bid is placed by the bidder, it cannot be cancelled.