The New Jaeger-LeCoultre Reverso Tribute Chronograph in Pink Gold Has Us Blushing

We can safely say that every watch enthusiast has coveted a Reverso from Jaeger-LeCoultre at some point in their journey. And when you consider how diverse and eclectic collectors’ tastes can be, this fact is a testament to how important the Reverso is in the horological canon.

It is arguably the first sports watch – the Reverso’s flippable case designed to protect the mechanism for polo players. At the same time, its rectangular shape helped usher in a new language of streamlined sophistication when it was introduced in 1931. And in the intervening 93 years, it has never gone out of style.

Today, Jaeger-LeCoultre has once again reinterpreted this quintessential sports-chic watch by going for “full pink gold” with a rosy solid 18-karat case, dial, movement bridges, applied indices, and pin buckle.

Despite being invented for use while whacking a ball with a mallet as you sit astride a 900 lb. horse running at an average of 35mph, the Reverso has used all kinds of ornamentation in its 90+ year history. And while the original used sturdy Staybrite stainless steel instead of precious metal, the blank flip side has been engraved, lacquered, enameled, and set with gemstones almost since the beginning.
 

In 2023, Jaeger-LeCoultre launched two versions of the Reverso Tribute Chronograph: one in stainless steel with a gray-blue dial with a sunray-finish dial and one in 18-karat pink gold with a black sunray-finished dial. These editions proved so popular that Jaeger-LeCoultre decided to up the luxury for 2024.
 

The challenge of expressing any sports watch in full gold is that the metal is softer than steel. Hence, why Olympians bite their gold medals: if it leaves teeth marks, then it’s the real deal. (Of course, Olympic medals are not solid gold, but that’s another article.) With a full gold case, the Reverso is clearly not just for the polo fields anymore, but it is not completely impractical.

The Reverso Tribute Chronograph honors the Reverso Chronograph of 1996, which, thanks to its manual winding Calibre 829 movement, displayed the time on both the front and reverse dials.

Now, powered by the Calibre 860 (which is also manually wound), the new Reverso Tribute Chronograph retains the retrograde 30-minute chronograph display and two-time indications of the Calibre 829 while increasing the power reserve from 40 hours to 52 hours.
 

Most notably, the Calibre 860 incorporates a column wheel with a horizontal clutch, which provides a smoother and more precise operation of the chronograph features. Less resistance usually means less wear and tear on the movement. Adopting a horizontal layout also helps bring the overall thickness to 11.14 mm for a more comfortable fit.
 

Finally, for an extra touch of class, the 49.4 x 29.9 x 11.14mm Reverso Tribute Chronograph Pink Gold comes with two straps designed by the Buenos Aires atelier of the celebrated Argentinian polo bootmaker Casa Fagliano. One is a casual tan calf leather, and the other is a more formal black alligator.