Saturday, April 11, 2009

The best ladies watch of 2009


German watch magazine Armbanduhren voted The Jaeger-LeCoultre Reverso Squadra Lady Duetto watch as the best ladies watch of 2009. Truly it is one of the most beautiful watches I have ever seen. The blend of rose gold and white creates a serene timepiece. The watch ,true to its Reverso title, has a watch case that flips to either side displaying two distinct faces both tell the time but are decorated differently. The one side displays the date within the six and the other side has a day/night complication indicator. The watch case is available in stainless steel or highly coveted 18k rose gold. The rose gold is set with 75 diamonds and 36 diamonds decorate the steel version. As with every watch crafted by Jaeger-LeCoultre, elegance is supreme and the movement is superb. Different straps are available for the timepiece. An articulated rubber strap is depicted in the image above blending exquisitely with the rose gold. More traditional alligator strap and metal strap are the other choices.

The originality that crafted the Jeager-LeCoultre Reverso was out of practical necessity.
In 1931, British Officers who were stationed in Colonial India would play polo in their spare time. However more often then not the crystal of the wrist watches would get damaged during the game.
Cesar de Trey, an influential businessman, who was a close associate of Jacques-David LeCoultre visited friends in India.
A polo player approached him, "Sir, I challenge you to create a timepiece that can survive a game of polo with its crystal intact."

This challenge founded the legend of the Reverso. A Patent for Reverso was filed on March 4, 1931: A watch capable of sliding in its base and of turning completely on its axis to turn the crystal inward.