A Look at the JLC Reverso Tribute Chronograph

Jaeger-LeCoultre’s famous rectangular reversible-face dress watch, the Reverso, first appeared in 1931. It was supposedly made for polo players who wanted to protect their watch crystals from impact, though evidence of the Reverso actually being worn in polo matches seems nonexistent. The Reverso was discontinued after less than 20 years, and re-launched decades later. The first chronograph version appeared in 1996 sporting a unique retrograde 30-minute chrono counter. The popular JLC Reverso Tribute Chronograph, which debuted in 2023, is a tribute to that model. Here’s everything you should know about it.

Historical Context

The Reverso was strictly a time-only watch until 1991, when Jaeger-LeCoultre released the Reverso Soixantième featuring a date and power reserve indicator. The first model with two dials was 1994’s Reverso Duoface–featuring a second display on its flipside instead of just metal.

Then the Reverso Chronographe Rétrograde (JLC’s first mechanical chronograph wristwatch ever) debuted in 1996, featuring a 30-minute retrograde minutes counter on its chronograph side. The chrono side gives an impression of being skeletonized although really “open-worked” is the more accurate term here (non-skeletonized movement parts visible through a sapphire crystal). In the bottom right corner of the front face, JLC put an indicator to show if the chronograph is running (Marche) or stopped (Arrêt).

The Reverso Gran’Sport Chronographe followed in 2001, in a larger size (28.3mm wide instead of 26mm). It kept the distinctive retrograde minutes counter and chrono running indicator, but not the openworked rear dial. The automatic and even-larger Reverso Squadra Chronograph GMT (35mm) came five years later, putting the chronograph and time display all on one side along with a 24-hour subdial and a big date. Its reverse side was simply an exhibition caseback.

JLC also made a version of the Reverso Squadra Chronograph with a worldtimer display on its rear face. But by 2015, all chronograph forms of the Reverso were discontinued, and it stayed that way until the JLC Reverso Tribute Chronograph was released in 2023.

Design of the JLC Reverso Tribute Chronograph

The JLC Reverso Tribute Chronograph has a cleaner, more minimalist design than the Reverso Chronographe Rétrograde it was inspired by. It has no date, no numerals on the dial, and no Marche/Arrêt indicator. Even the word “Reverso” is gone. Initially, it was only available with solid color dials–black for the pink gold version and blue for the steel one.

In 2024, JLC added a limited-edition version of the Reverso Tribute Chronograph with a solid pink gold dial featuring a horizontal line motif. The bridges of the movement are also made of solid pink gold on this reference, which is why it lists for about $30,000 more than the black-dial pink gold model.

On the Reverso Tribute Chronograph, the openworked dial gives even more view into the movement than the 1996 version. Both feature 30-minute retrograde chronograph minute counters. And while the original only displayed the chrono seconds and minutes on its rear dial, the Tribute has regular hour and minute hands on both sides (synced, not separate time zones). All three versions come with both a brown calf leather strap and a black alligator strap with classic tang buckles.

With a width of 29.9mm and lug-to-lug measurement of 49.4mm, the Reverso Tribute Chronograph is a big watch, larger than even the Gran’Sport Reverso Chronograph. It has a reasonable thickness of 11.14mm, so it’s certainly not unwieldy, but for wrists under about 6.5″ (16.5cm) other Reversos might be worth consideration.

Movement

Inside the JLC Reverso Tribute Chronograph is an in-house integrated chronograph movement known as caliber 860. Derived from the brand’s original mechanical chronograph movement–the caliber 829 that powers the 1996 Chronographe Rétrograde–caliber 860 is only 5.44mm thick. The brand notes that it’s a “column wheel chronograph with a horizontal clutch, which was chosen over the more familiar vertical clutch to reduce the overall thickness of the movement.”

The impressively-finished manual-wind movement beats at 4 Hz (8 ticks per second) and contains over 300 parts, including 38 jewels. It hasn’t been used in any other watch.

JLC Reverso Tribute Chronograph Specs

Model name	Reverso Tribute Chronograph
Reference numbers	Q389848J (Steel, blue dial) Q389257J (Pink gold, black dial) Q389256J (Pink gold, pink gold dial/bridges)
Case material	Stainless steel or 18k pink gold
Case dimensions	49.4 x 29.9 mm
Case thickness	11.14 mm
Movement	Calibre 860 (Manual-wind, 8 beats per second)
Movement functions	Hours and minutes on both dials, chronograph with retrograde 30-minute counter
Power reserve	52 hours
Water resistance	30m
Bracelet / strap	Fagliano Collection calf leather strap, additional black alligator strap
2026 MSRP	$28,900 (Steel) $46,200 (Pink gold, black dial) ~$77,000 (Pink gold, pink gold dial/bridges)

All in all, the Reverso Tribute Chronograph has been one of Jaeger-LeCoultre’s most popular releases in recent years. Its strong resale value reflects that, with most pre-owned examples listed close to MSRP. The watch offers a lot to enjoy without looking cluttered, and the luxry watch market has noticed.