Jaeger-LeCoultre

AFTER 90 YEARS and countless iterations both straightforward and complicated, it hardly seems possible that Jaeger-LeCoultre could conceive yet another compelling chapter in the history of the Reverso. Yet it has flipped the script again to deliver its magnum opus. This swivel-dial watch now comes with not two, not three but four dials in the new 18-carat white-gold Reverso Hybris Mechanica Calibre 185. The world-first involves 12 patents and 11 complications.

The mechanical wizardry whips up a flying tourbillon, a minute repeater, an instantaneous perpetual calendar, jumping hours and several indications of the lunar cycle into just 800 parts in a case measuring 51.2mm by 31mm with a thickness of 15.15mm. Dial one features the first three functions of that list, along with a day/ night indicator, while dial two plays host to the jumping digital hours display, a minutes indicator and a minute repeater. The interior cradle, or third dial, indicates the northern hemisphere moonphase, month and year. It also reads the draconic lunar cycle, or the position of the moon relative to the ecliptic plane, and the anomalistic lunar cycle, indicating the apogee (when the moon is furthest from the Earth on its elliptical cycle) and the perigee (when the moon is nearest to the Earth). Finally, the back of the cradle, or dial four, displays the moonphase indicator for the southern hemisphere. Rather than end up in vaults around the world, at least one of the 10 pieces available worldwide should, someday, be destined for a museum. What will you do with yours?