Review
Ed. W continues his 'Journey through Reversos' series with a review of the Jaeger-LeCoultre Reverso Grande Taille. Following his previous assessment of the Squadra Hometime, Ed. W shares his personal experience and insights into why the Grande Taille offers a more suitable and classic fit for his wrist, providing valuable comparisons for collectors considering different Reverso models.
Before I start this review, I think it's best to review some comparison shots from the last reverso I reviewed.
Size comparison between the GT and the Squadra
After deciding that the squadra was perhaps not the best fit for my 6.5 inch wrist, I moved onto a Reverso GT with a ostrich strap. I had always liked the idea of a classic and constrained Reverso with slightly modern proportions.
The current JLC Reverso GT
Basic specs:
42.2 x 26 mm x 9.5 mm
Water resistant to 3 atm
Time only
Caliber 822, manually wound, 134 parts, 21,600 VPH, 45 hr power reserve, 21 jewels, KIF shock protection (2), flat hairspring. Introduced in 1992, 22.6 mm x 17.2 mm x 2.3 mm.
Current materials: 18K pink gold, stainless steel (both on strap or respective bracelet)
MSRP (USD): 7,150 (Steel on Alligator), 8,100 (Steel on steel), 15,900 (pink gold on alligator), 30,300 (pink gold on pink gold) (Current as of Aug 31)
The version I purchased at the time was not the current version, although it uses the same movement and has the same case dimensions, there are two key differences: The dial does not have the wave guilloche, and it is not water resistant.
I think as a dress watch, this is the pinnacle. I used to consider the Reverso Tribute to 1931 the best but after trying it on and loving the watch as just a watch, I decided it was too large to serve it's correct purpose at 46 mm x 27 mm. Both watches use the same movement and are somewhat similarly thin (2.5 mm difference). There's not much to talk about regarding the movement, it's modestly finished, reliable, and has been in production for 20 years and used in a variety of watches from JLC reversos and also some Dunhill watches.
The older "pre harmonized" GT
In some ways, perhaps more ways than one, this is a particularly boring watch. It's definitely a staple watch and a classic dress watch which is exactly what makes it quite boring. The dial of this vintage version is plain silver with printed numerals, the back is plain steel, and the clasp was a single deloyant clasp which made the standard length strap terrible for small wrists. The current version has a wavy guilloche dial, and a double deployant but despite the new deployant, the standard strap is still too long for a balanced fit (this is one of the reasons I prefer tang buckles).
Overall, it's a boringly well proportioned watch (as dress watches should be) housing a modest movement, but despite these characteristics, I have no qualms recommending this to anyone with nearly any wrist size. Strap problems can be overcome and nothing can beat the reverso for aesthetically perfect proportions (1:1.618).
And I still have severa, in my wish list, such as this highly mesmerizing Tourbillon Skeleton. But if you wrist can stand it, a TTR 1931 is far from being a bad choice. It is a matter of wrist size, here. But with the GT, you can't go wrong, indeed. Best, Nicolas
Which is unfortunate. I wish they had made it in the GT size case, but still just as thin.
I went for the Reverso GT too, after initially contemplating the Squadra Home Time on the rubber strap for exactly the same reasons. Its a beautiful watch that suits pretty much any occasion except the construction yard and the ocean. Richard
Hi Ed, Nice post. I agree with the boring description. I think all my watches fall under this category which people would like to call as "classics" :p Mine is the harmonized version. I think both have their own charm. The "pre" blends with the rectangular design. The other, probably to gently go against it and make it a bit more "exciting". Hahaha!!! Still boring, I know :) But one can't argue with these kinds of watches. They're the springboard after all for all the fancy iterations and become
can't go out of fashion. Thanks for this unusual review and thoughts Ed ;) Cheers, Mark
As much as I have always admired the Squadras, I can easily see that the GT looks perfect on your wrist. You ended up in a good place. :-) The beautiful thing about Reversos is that there is variety and the perfect Reverso exists for every wrist. Thanks for the review and comparison. -- respo
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