Jaeger-LeCoultre has presented the sixth capsule collection of The Collectibles, a curated selection of 12 museum watches that were presented in London on June 15 and will be available to collectors worldwide. The sixth capsule constitutes the first presentation of The Collectibles in London, an important hub for watch lovers and collectors.
Its June date coincides with the Season, the spring and early summer period when London traditionally hosts a large number of social, cultural, and sporting events, attracting visitors from all over the world. This capsule includes a meticulous selection of seven exceptional Reverso watches dating from 1931 to 2003. It is presented alongside five emblematic pieces from the golden age of watchmaking in the mid-20th century.
Jaeger-LeCoultre The Collectibles VI
The Collectibles is Jaeger-LeCoultre’s in-house program dedicated to the search, restoration, and offering of exclusive, museum-worthy watches from the golden age of watchmaking. These watches, presented through exclusive capsule releases worldwide, invite collectors to become the next custodians of their stories.
This commitment to heritage is made possible by Jaeger-LeCoultre’s specialized restoration workshop, one of the few maintained within a Manufacture. There, ten master watchmakers meticulously restore each piece, servicing the movements, rebuilding components by hand, and searching for historical parts in exceptional heritage archives, all while preserving the original character and patina. Once restored and certified to museum standards, each watch is ready to continue the story that began in the Vallée de Joux.
Out of the total of 12 models in the sixth The Collectibles capsule collection, seven are Reversos. They illustrate the depth and breadth of the Reverso’s evolution from its introduction in 1931 to the early 21st century. Although the Reverso was originally conceived for sport, created to withstand the impacts of the polo field, it was quickly adopted by trendsetters across many fields, continuously evolving without compromising its identity to be recognized as an icon of art déco design. In the 1930s, LeCoultre & Cie distinguished itself with its black dials, in contrast to the silver and white dials that predominated in the watchmaking industry. These black dials were introduced as “the dial of the future” in the 1934 Spécialités Horlogères catalogue, the first product catalogue from the association between Jaeger and LeCoultre. These highly legible dials, reserved for only a select number of early Reverso references, reinforced the model’s resolutely modern character and appear notably on three of the watches in this capsule collection: Reverso 1931, Reverso 1931 Dame, and the Doctor’s Reverso.
The Reverso 1931 features this aforementioned black dial with a “railway” minuterie and elongated trapezoidal indices. It is equipped with the Tavannes Calibre 063, a pragmatic early solution, while Jaeger-LeCoultre developed its own movements from 1933 onwards. This Reverso is available with a hand-crafted black calfskin strap.
A 1972 Reverso Corvo, manufactured in a limited run of only 200 pieces, marks a pivotal chapter in the history of the Reverso. When changing tastes preferred functional watches, in a post-war era that valued practicality over elegance and in the midst of the quartz crisis, Giorgio Corvo recognized the design’s timeless appeal. In 1972, he acquired the last 200 unused Reverso cases from the Maison and equipped them with the mechanical Calibre 840. Allegedly, the Reverso Corvo sold out in less than a month among Italian clients, demonstrating that enthusiasm for the model had never waned and paving the way for its relaunch. Featuring a silver dial housed in a steel case, it remains powered by the manual-winding Calibre 840. This watch is presented on a hand-crafted black calfskin strap.
Housed in an 18-carat white gold case (750/1000), a 2000 Reverso Sun Moon reflects the renewed enthusiasm for mechanical watchmaking that emerged in the ’90s, when Jaeger-LeCoultre introduced a new generation of complicated calibres for the Reverso, fitting them into cases with sapphire crystal casebacks to showcase their mechanical complexity. Equipped with the manual-winding Calibre 823, first developed in 1999, it combines technical sophistication with an elegant presentation of celestial indications. Its black dial tracks the sun’s path via a rotating 24-hour disc, complemented by a moon phase indicator at 6 o’clock and a power reserve indicator at 11 o’clock. Framed by a “railway” minuterie and Arabic numerals, the composition balances clarity and refinement, while the sapphire crystal caseback reveals the movement with its recognizable pistol-shaped bridge. This watch is paired with a hand-crafted black cordovan leather strap by the famous Argentine polo boot maker Casa Fagliano.
The Reverso Art Déco illustrates how the introduction of the sapphire crystal caseback animated a new expression of decorative craftsmanship in the collection: skeletonization. This 2003 example, first introduced in 1995, combines an intricate skeletonized interpretation of Calibre 822 with an elegant art déco aesthetic. Visible through the open caseback, the iconic calibre is distinguished by its blued screws and hand-engraved bridges decorated with a refined barleycorn pattern. Its 18-carat white gold case (750/1000) frames a solid salmon-colored silver dial, where hand-guilloché patterns contrast with vertical brushing, complemented by Dauphine hands and applied trapezoidal indices. Archival records indicate that no more than ten pieces were made per month, reflecting the exceptional level of craftsmanship required for each watch. This watch is paired with a hand-crafted black cordovan leather strap by the famous Argentine polo boot maker Casa Fagliano.
This singular 1946 Triple Calendar with moon phases is presented in a 35 mm 18-carat yellow gold case (750/1000) produced in Paris by the Jaeger workshop and stamped Edmond Jaeger. Manufactured exclusively for the French market, it features a highly legible dial designed for maximum readability, in keeping with the spirit of the military-inspired watches of the era. Powered by the manual-winding Calibre 494, the watch combines calendar indications with a moon phase indicator integrated into the small seconds subdial. It is presented on a hand-crafted blue grained calfskin strap.
Extreme miniaturization without compromising precision: the 1956 Duoplan Coulissante secret watch embodies the technical ingenuity of Jaeger-LeCoultre. Its sliding element, set with an 18-carat yellow gold bracelet (750/1000), conceals the dial at will, revealing the secret nature of the piece. The case and bracelet are finished with a wavy, textured pattern reminiscent of the Clous de Paris motif.
A 1958 Memovox Parking embodies a seemingly incompatible duality: the elegance of 18-carat rose gold (750/1000) combined with purposeful functionality. Equipped with the manual-winding Jaeger-LeCoultre Calibre 814, it turns a refined dress watch into a discreet urban companion, thanks to its alarm function. The case bears the Edmond Jaeger (EJ) stamp, attesting to its Paris hand-craftsmanship in the Maison’s workshops. It features a hand-crafted brown calfskin strap.
A rare 1970 Geomatic E560, manufactured in a limited series of only 200 pieces, is presented in a cushion-shaped 18-carat yellow gold case (750/1000). Equipped with the automatic Calibre K883S, chronometer-certified and tested for 360 hours, it features a stop-seconds mechanism for precise time setting and an instantaneous date change. This highly technical construction reflects the pursuit of precision at the heart of the Geomatic line. It is fitted with a hand-crafted taupe calfskin strap.
Each watch available in The Collectibles program is presented with an extract from the Jaeger-LeCoultre archives and a complimentary copy of The Collectibles book, as well as a new hand-crafted leather strap, selected to complement the style of each watch, except in cases where the model has a metal bracelet. Additionally, whenever possible, the original box, documentation, and strap or bracelet will be included.
London: Host to the Presentation of the Sixth The Collectibles Capsule
The sixth capsule of The Collectibles will be presented on June 15 at the Jaeger-LeCoultre flagship store in London, located at 13 Old Bond Street, London W1, and will remain on display to the public until July 18. Opening hours are from 10:00 to 18:00, Monday to Saturday. The watches from The Collectibles collection will be available for purchase worldwide via jaeger-lecoultre.com starting June 15, as well as at the London flagship store during the exhibition period. The Collectibles book will also be available via jaeger-lecoultre.com and in all Jaeger-LeCoultre boutiques.
