The Watch: The Reverso began with a bet. In 1930, businessman Cesar de Trey was challenged by British army officers in India to devise a watch that could survive a polo match, and his answer was a rectangular case that swivels in its cradle to turn the dial safely against the wrist. Jacques-David LeCoultre put it into production, and the patent filed in March 1931 described a watch capable of sliding in its support and being completely turned over. The classic reverso had a sheer metal back to protect the watch.
The modern Reverso took off in the 90's when JLC began treating the watch like the luxury object it is, now far removed from polo play, by using the reverse side for a second face
The Reverso Classic line is one of the most geometrically interesting interpretations. The obverse side is a circular subseconds seated within a rectangular dial on a brushed and wave gulloche plane. Flipped over, the reverse is a circular day-night indicator seated below a circular dial on a hobnail guilloche plane.
Reference 272.8.54 is the Medium size at 42.9mm by 25.5mm in stainless steel, arguably the sweet spot of the range.
