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Lot Essay
This extremely rare and glamorous Reverso à Éclipses was part of a series of eight very special watches titled ‘Nus Célébres’ or ‘Famous Nudes’. Each watch features an exquisitely hand painted Grand Feu enamel reproduction of a well known painting from classical European art, including works by Renoir, Klimt, Botticelli, Ingres, and even a scene from the Kama Sutra. Only three examples of each design were made in platinum. The present watch, part of the ‘Champion Collection’ is number 2 of 3 and is offered in superb like new condition and is accompanied by the full set of accessories.
Jaeger-LeCoultre’s famous Reverso celebrated its 91st birthday in 2022. The design has barely changed since it was first tested in 1931. Created as an ingenious solution to protecting the glass of a watch from getting smashed on the polo field, it allowed the players to turn or ‘reverse’ the dial side to the back so the glass was not exposed.
The form of the Reverso provides a natural canvas for decoration with its usually empty rectangular case back and therefore the company offers a multitude of personalization options for that reason. However, the Reverso à Éclipses is much more complex and exclusive, instead it is enamelled on the dial which can be hidden by a rolling shutter. Whilst still functioning as a Reverso in the traditional sense with swiveling case, the shutter mechanism allows the wearer three different views of the hand-painted dial. Jaeger LeCoultre is one of the few Swiss manufacturers with their own in-house enamel workshop. Each painting is a unique and an entirely hand-painted work of art which was painstakingly reproduced using the technique of miniature enamel painting which is fired at high temperatures, a technique perfected at Jaeger-LeCoultre by its master enameller Miklos Merczel.
Jaeger-LeCoultre said of this series: “The Reverso à Éclipses is in harmony with the grand tradition of ‘secret’ watches. It is the first watch to have a truly twin-level dial, one composed of shutters that can be viewed at any time, and the other which is enamelled and may remain the owner’s personal secret.”
Jaeger-LeCoultre’s famous Reverso celebrated its 91st birthday in 2022. The design has barely changed since it was first tested in 1931. Created as an ingenious solution to protecting the glass of a watch from getting smashed on the polo field, it allowed the players to turn or ‘reverse’ the dial side to the back so the glass was not exposed.
The form of the Reverso provides a natural canvas for decoration with its usually empty rectangular case back and therefore the company offers a multitude of personalization options for that reason. However, the Reverso à Éclipses is much more complex and exclusive, instead it is enamelled on the dial which can be hidden by a rolling shutter. Whilst still functioning as a Reverso in the traditional sense with swiveling case, the shutter mechanism allows the wearer three different views of the hand-painted dial. Jaeger LeCoultre is one of the few Swiss manufacturers with their own in-house enamel workshop. Each painting is a unique and an entirely hand-painted work of art which was painstakingly reproduced using the technique of miniature enamel painting which is fired at high temperatures, a technique perfected at Jaeger-LeCoultre by its master enameller Miklos Merczel.
Jaeger-LeCoultre said of this series: “The Reverso à Éclipses is in harmony with the grand tradition of ‘secret’ watches. It is the first watch to have a truly twin-level dial, one composed of shutters that can be viewed at any time, and the other which is enamelled and may remain the owner’s personal secret.”