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The JAEGER-LECOULTRE Reverso Tribute Chronograph revisits and reinvents the ground-breaking Reverso Chronographe of 1996. The earlier piece was one of six special Reversos developed in the space of a single decade, each of them designed around an entirely new expression of the great classical watchmaking complications. Starting in 1991, following the 60th anniversary of the Reverso, these pieces were landmarks in the revival of mechanical watchmaking after the quartz crisis.
The movement of the 1996 Reverso Chronograph, Calibre 829, was not only the first shaped chronograph movement in a rectangular case for Jaeger-LeCoultre but also the first manually-wound integrated chronograph to be developed from scratch in the post-quartz era - a remarkable testament to the Manufacture’s inventiveness and technical prowess.
Adding a fresh chapter to the rich history of complicated calibres conceived and made in the Vallée de Joux, the Reverso Tribute Chronograph is powered by the new Jaeger-LeCoultre Calibre 860, a fully integrated hand-wound chronograph movement. Entirely designed, produced and assembled within the Manufacture, it is an elegant and creative answer to the challenge of housing circular chronograph timing indications within a rectangular case, while maintaining the clarity and legibility essential for this sporty complication. Moreover, according to Jaeger-LeCoultre’s approach to product integrity, whereby a movement should be shaped according to the case that houses it, the calibre itself also had to be rectangular. The result is a beautifully balanced and highly distinctive dial layout, with a large chronograph seconds display in the upper part of the dial complemented by a retrograde 30-minute indicator on an arc at the base of the dial.
Beating at 28,800 vibrations per hour, Calibre 860 incorporates a column wheel chronograph with a horizontal clutch, which was chosen over the more familiar vertical clutch to reduce the overall thickness of the movement. To display hours and minutes on both front and reverse dials, the movement powers two sets of hands that must move in opposite directions to indicate the time in correct clockwise fashion on both faces of the watch. Calibre 860 offers a power reserve of 52 hours, even allowing for the high energy requirement of a retrograde chronograph combined with two time indications. Despite this complexity and no fewer than 300 components, the shaped rectangular movement fully respects Jaeger-LeCoultre’s philosophy of elegance, fitting into a case less than 12mm thick.
Technical Characteristics
REVERSO TRIBUTE CHRONOGRAPH
Case: Pink Gold 750/1000 (18 carats) or steel
Dimensions: 49.4 x 29.9 mm x 11.14 mm thick
Calibre: Manually-wound Jaeger-LeCoultre Calibre 860
Functions: Hours and minutes on both dials, Chronograph with retrograde 30-minute counter Power reserve: 52 hours
Front dial: Black or blue-grey sunray-brushed
Back dial: Skeletonised
Water resistance: 30m
Strap package: Fagliano Collection calf leather and canvas strap and additional calf leather strap Reference: Pink gold Q389257J; Steel Q389848J