Reverso

A Reverso can turn its face inward while remaining attached to its strap. The watch case slides to one side, pivots in its frame and returns with its metal back exposed. It was developed to protect the glass during polo, and the movement keeps running while the dial is hidden.

The design required several people. René-Alfred Chauvot filed the reversible-case patent in March 1931. César de Trey acquired the rights and worked with Jaeger and LeCoultre to bring it into production. The long rectangular case and the horizontal grooves at its ends gave the mechanism a recognizable shape.

The reverse soon became useful for something besides protection. It could carry initials, an engraving or enamel decoration. The manufacture's collection includes a 1935 watch whose enamel decoration commemorates Amelia Earhart's flight.

Later Duoface models put a second dial on the reverse, including another time-zone display. The case was still turning, but now turning revealed more information instead of hiding it.

The Tribute to 1931 returned to a single face and a plain reverse. Other Reversos became larger, more complicated or more decorated. The moving case is what allows such different uses to belong to one family.