The Grande Reverso 1931 Rouge pays tribute to the many artists and intellectuals who, during the period of intense effervescence surrounding the birth of the Reverso, proudly wore a red dial on their version of this model, thereby asserting their dandyism and their uncompromising liberty of style.
Since 1931, the Reverso watch has consistently reinvented itself, while never betraying its identity. Interpreted through classic, sporting, Grande Complication and jewellery versions, it has housed over 50 in-housed made calibres. It has also featured several hundred dials displaying a wealth of nuances that continue to stir the passions of collectors and devotees of fine objects.
The Grande Reverso 1931 Rouge pays tribute to one of the rarest and most sought-after historical Reversos. In the 1930s, the Manufacture offered a broad palette of dial colours. The vast majority of those acquiring a Reverso opted for white, cream-coloured, black or gold-toned dials. The reversible nature of their watch, its instantly recognisable Art deco aesthetic, and its personalised back, all vividly expressed the elegance tinged with originality that such individuals were seeking.
Even during this period referred to in French as the “Années Folles” (Crazy Years), it took a distinctly non-conformist attitude to add a colourful dial. Whereas only a very small number of people chose chestnut brown or blue, those who opted for red displayed an exacerbated dandyism, thereby asserting their pioneering nature and their sense of well-assumed elegance tinged with a hint of casual charm and freedom – because red is a definite eye-catcher. Positioned at the far end of the colour spectrum, it conveys powerful symbolism embodying life, blood, desire, power, danger, love and fire.
The Grande Reverso 1931 Rouge reinterprets the red dials of the 1930s. Equipped with manually-wound Jaeger-LeCoultre Calibre 822, it features an extremely large yet extremely slender case, and offers an unprecedented blend of passion, classicism and originality. Just as in the 1930s, it expresses uncompromising stylistic liberty.