Created by Jacques-David LeCoultre in 1931, the Reverso was initially conceived to withstand the harsh beating a watch would endure during a game of polo. With the need for the watch to be more durable, the Reverso's genius reveals itself through its eponymous design–a reversible case. With its case able to be turned around on itself, the Reverso's dial can be protected while playing sports and returned to its natural position with a quick flick and slide. Thanks to its iconic heritage, the Reverso has evolved into one of Jaeger LeCoultre's most important design vehicles to date, with a healthy number of contemporary variations to suit the palate of modern enthusiasts and connoisseurs alike.
Presented today is a relatively rare variant of the Reverso–the Reverso Géographique World Time Duoface 270.2.58 in 18-carat rose gold. Released in 1998 with a worldwide production limited to 500 units, this Reverso features quite a distinctive aesthetic rarely seen in dial layouts of world timers.
Before we dive into what makes the 270.2.58 so special, I believe it is important for us to preface this: At the time when the 270.2.58 was released, Jaeger LeCoultre had just gone through a turbulent period known as the quartz crisis. Then-CEO Henry-John Belmont, French designer Janek Deleskiewicz, and the visionary Günter Blümlein, who oversaw Jaeger-LeCoultre’s operations at the time, recognised the Maison’s exceptional technical potential, rooted in its legacy as a premier in-house movement manufacturer.
This realisation would become instrumental in the brand’s resurgence in the post-quartz crisis era. The 270.2.58 Géographique World Time was conceived with one of Jaeger-LeCoultre’s revered movement designers at the time, Philippe Vandel and was unveiled as part of a series of six limited-edition Reverso models released between 1991 and 2000 to mark the 60th anniversary of the iconic Reverso. This included the Soixantieme, Tourbillon, Minute Repeater, Perpetual Calendar, Chronograph and the Geographique we have here. These milestones played a key role in reestablishing Jaeger-LeCoultre’s esteemed status within the watchmaking industry as we know it today.
Starting with the 270.2.58’s 18-carat rose gold ‘Grande Taille’ style case, it measures a compact 42mm x 26mm in size and has a slim case profile of only 10mm. Like many Reverso models, the case is polished entirely and reveals a beautiful perlage and its hallmarks on the inner chassis. The primary dial is crafted from galvanized silver and showcases a set of blued steel hands, along with an elegant guilloché pattern at the center and within the small seconds sub-dial at 6:00. Surrounding the guilloché center are 10 highly sober Arabic numerals marking the hours, complemented by a beautifully stylised night and day indicator at 12:00.
Flipping the watch over to its other side, we see a rich black dial adorned with understated guilloché throughout. The local hour and minutes are displayed centrally, accompanied by a GMT offset and a second day/night indicator, both set within a chapter ring featuring 12 floral Arabic numerals marking the hours. Below, a 'Géographique' selector displays three-letter airport codes on either side. Additionally, an inset pusher above the crown allows the wearer to set the home location, while a rectangular pusher below it adjusts the local time. By engaging this specific pusher, you can easily select your reference city (as indicated with the airport codes) without actually having to manually adjust the hour hand.
Powering the 270.2.58 from within is Jaeger LeCoultre’s in-house, 22-jewel, manual-winding Cal. 858, which apparently can only be found in this reference. What is cool about this movement is that it was purpose-made to fit this exact Reverso, so what you get is a proportionately perfect rectangular in-house calibre. I highly doubt many brands today would be willing to invest in such a specialised undertaking.
In my view, the Géographique Ref. 270.2.58 is perhaps the most overlooked—and to some extent, underrated—Reverso among the six limited editions released during this decade. It is not only a very practical watch but also technically impressive in the number of complications that Jaeger-LeCoultre managed to fit into a Grand Taille case. This is 90’s resurgence watchmaking at its finest.
