Brandon's Pick Jaeger-LeCoultre introduced the Grande Reverso Ultra Thin Tribute to 1931 in 2011 as a tribute to the 80-year history of the iconic Reverso. The Reverso was originally produced in 1931 for British military officers in India who played polo. These polo players had complained about mallets hitting the crystals of their watches and breaking them during play. The Reverso was introduced as a sports watch that would prevent this as the watch had a special reversible case that no other watchmaker had created before. The case is able to flip over when needed in order to protect the crystal. These watches soon gained popularity with European royals. Often these watches are found with an engraving of initials or crests on the reverse side.
To announce the opening of a new boutique in New York, Jaeger-LeCoultre ran an innovative digital advertisement in print publications showing the back of a Reverso with the New York skyline engraved and enameled in black. This digital ad ran in a number of publications including the December 22/29 issue of The New Yorker. A copy of that magazine will be included with the watch. This innovative and beautiful advertisement that led to the company receiving many inquiries with people wanting to purchase the Reverso with this New York skyline engraving. To the best of our knowledge, Jaeger-LeCoultre made two of them with this skyline engraving and sold them to the public. Additionally, two clients requested that Jaeger-LeCoultre engrave their Reversos (one Ultra Thin Tribute to 1931 and one Classique) with this skyline detail after seeing the advertisement.
This watch includes a special black shell cordovan strap made by Casa Fagliano, a legendary Argentinean polo boot maker, for Jaeger-LeCoultre. These straps are highly prized by collectors.
The present watch is an exceptional opportunity to purchase a beautiful Reverso with an amazing engraving and history.
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