Jaeger-LeCoultre

Ruckdee
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Unboxing an icon

I cannot remember with any level of precision the year I first came to know Jaeger-LeCoultre. It was a few years after I developed my interest in watches so that should put it around 2001. At that time, I was researching IWC and their products. The name JLC was referred to many times, occasionally as a sister company, and I wondered why some IWC watches used JLC movements. The more I read, the more I became intrigued by Jaeger-LeCoultre as a respected brand with products I would be proud to own. That led to the eventual first purchase of my Master Moon in 2005 after a year or two of savings. It was round, seemed nice to wear and featured a satisfying level of sophistication as far as displays were concerned.

But there was a specific JLC model that caught my attention even before that. The reasons I took a pass on it were the lack of moonphase which I like and its rectangular shape which I was not accustomed to at the time. Later, I went on to buy three other Reverso watches but none of them is as iconic as that reversible watch with two dials.

My situation is corrected this year with the arrival of this box.



No surprise here. I welcomed the 2013 Grande Reverso Ultra Thin Duoface to my small and hopefully growing collection.



When I first saw the photographs of this watch from SIHH 2013, I said to myself, this is it. This is something I have always been waiting for. I did not by the Reverso Duo in GT case size because I was saving up for my Reverso Grande Sun Moon. Later, the Grande Reverso Duo's arched date window also proved to be a dealbreaker for me. Life went on without a two-dialed Reverso until last week when the watch I ordered arrived at my AD.



The use of blackened markers and blackish gray hands gives this watch a very sober character which I feel is quite cool.



I really like this clean and resolute dial. I find it to be very inconspicuous, especially more so with the Reverso inscription instead of the brand's name.



As you will agree, this Duoface is not an ultra thin watch in the strictest sense of the term. But still it is reasonably slim and the leather strap integrated to it has also been designed to offer an enhanced sense of thinness. One matter of note is the crown which is not on the same axis as the second timezone setting button but nearer to the plane of the silver dial side than the black one. This may or may not be the same as the Reverso Duo and the Grande Reverso Duo. Owners of those models are welcome to shed some light for me.



On the black dial side, the rectangularity and boldness of the silver dial are contrasted or should I say complemented by the roundness of the dial frames. Second hand is replaced completely by the 24-hour hand.



I have no idea how JLC decides to give deployant clasp to one model and tang-type buckle to another. This one comes with the latter which happens to be a sensible choice as the deployant clasp would have rendered the watch somewhat more bulky while it should concentrate on being ultra thin.



This case dimension feels right at home on my small and flat wrist. There is plenty of meat space left for the strap to wrap around, unlike my Grande Reverso Calendar where the lugs of the case threatens to protrude pass the edge of my wrist at certain angles when taking photographs.



For the first time in my JLC ownership experience, there is another dial on the other side which also gives a completely different feeling on the wrist. I do not believe turning the case every time one wants to check time in another country is practical though. I fear it may take too long and generate unnecessary wear. But of course that is only one person's opinion.



Grande Reverso Ultra Thin Duoface appears to be a nice daily wearer. It looks like it can readily go with more formal and also more casual attires, as long as one puts on a pair of proper shoes that match the watch strap's execution. Will I wear it to work? Certainly. Will I wear it when traveling? Probably not because I prefer the water resistance of the metal bracelet.

This may or may not be the watch for you. But I hope you enjoyed the photographs as I do not foresee a new JLC for me this year and the next. I have been too aggressive with my watch purchases in the past two years that I am experiencing financial discomfort already. The fact that two watches I ordered (an Omega and this Reverso) and expected in August or September did arrive in May does not help either. The only consolation I have at this moment is the smooth transaction I have selling my Grande Reverso 976 in black to help pay for the new watches. If that did not go through, I would be in a very bad shape no kidding!

Okay. So enough with my rambling. Here's one last shot for those who are considering the GRUT Duoface. Thanks for bearing with me this far down the page. Thank you.



Ruckdee