While the Reverso was originally conceived as a practical sports watch, its reversible case has always provided Jaeger-LeCoultre with an unusual canvas for decoration. Over the years, the reverse has been used for everything from personal engravings and enamel miniature paintings to some remarkably obscure limited editions.
The Reverso Geneva Fountain is perhaps one of the least known examples. Released in 1995, the watch was produced in a total of just 50 pieces, comprising 30 examples in yellow gold and a further 20 in white gold. With such small production numbers and relatively little documentation surrounding the reference today, it has become one of those unusual Reversos that even seasoned collectors rarely come across.
Here, we have the yellow gold reference 275.1.62 / 275.142.626, one of just 30 pieces made. At first glance, there is little to suggest how unusual the watch actually is. The front is a beautifully classical Grande Taille Reverso, with a silver guilloché dial, applied Arabic numerals and hour markers, dauphine hands and a square subsidiary seconds register at 6 o'clock. The 18-carat yellow gold case measures approximately 42mm by 26mm, giving it the compact proportions characteristic of Reversos from this period.
It is only when the case is reversed that the purpose of the limited edition becomes apparent. Rather than the conventional plain caseback, Jaeger-LeCoultre engraved a detailed view of Geneva, depicting the Jet d'Eau rising above Lake Geneva with the Cathedral of Saint-Pierre and the surrounding city in the background.
Most interestingly, the water of the Jet d'Eau is represented using diamonds. A total of 40 diamonds weighing approximately 0.16 carats are individually set into the engraving, tracing the spray of the fountain as it rises from the lake. It is an unusual use of gem-setting, not simply added as decoration but incorporated directly into the image itself. Against the yellow gold engraving, the diamonds give the fountain a sense of movement and immediately draw the eye towards what would otherwise be a relatively subtle cityscape.
Powering the watch is the manually wound Jaeger-LeCoultre Calibre 822, a rectangular movement designed specifically around the proportions of the Reverso. Its simplicity suits the watch particularly well, allowing the focus to remain on the case, engraving and the unusual execution of the reverse.
The Reverso Geneva Fountain 275.1.62 is one of the more obscure limited editions from an especially interesting period of Jaeger-LeCoultre. With only 30 examples produced in yellow gold, this is a Reverso variant that you just won't see very often.
