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Jaeger Le Coultre- Reverso Sport, ref. 290.8.60, 2000 — view 1 of 6
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Wristwatches · Wristwatch

Jaeger Le Coultre- Reverso Sport, ref. 290.8.60, 2000

DocumentedDocumented from a dealer's listing; attribution and date as stated by the dealer.
Maker / attribution
Jaeger-LeCoultre (maker)
Date
2000
Country of origin
Switzerland
Object type
Wristwatch
Stock no.
vws3023
Credit line
Dealer listing, Vintage Watch Specialist (vws3023)
Catalogue title (original)
Jaeger Le Coultre- Reverso Sport - Model Reference: 290.8.60 - Box and Papers - 2000 (English)

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Record summary

Catalogued by Vintage Watch Specialist (dealer), United Kingdom (stock number vws3023), this is a wristwatch by Jaeger-LeCoultre, made in Switzerland, dated 2000. The Atlas places it in the Mechanical Renaissance period (1990 – 2010) of its Wristwatches collection. The record is illustrated with 6 photographs.

Assembled from the source record's structured fields. Dates and attributions are given as the source states them; where a field is missing the Atlas leaves it blank rather than estimating.

Catalogue description

Dealer description — Vintage Watch Specialist

A Superb Jaeger Le Coultre Reverso Sport - Model Ref: 290.8.60, in Immaculate Condition on its Original Bracelet and Sold with Original Box and Paperwork, 2000. In 1833, in the heart of the Vallée de Joux in Switzerland, Antoine LeCoultre (1803–1881) transformed his family's small barn into a watchmaking atelier and began to create timepieces of great accuracy. On 4 March 1931, the Paris patent office received an application to register “a watch capable of sliding in its support and being completely turned over”; in July, César de Trey bought the rights to René-Alfred Chavot's design and in November he registered the Reverso name. Its name was inspired by the Latin “I turn around”, the Reverso was created in 1931 as a watch capable of surviving the hard knocks of a polo game: The origin of the watch creation is rooted in the early 1930s when a group of Polo players asked César de Trey, a watch dealer, to create a timepiece that could withstand the rigours of their sport. What's on Offer This stunning JLC Reverso Sport was produced in 2000 yet it has been that well looked after it looks like it was produced yesterday! This stylish Reverso watch is in beautiful condition and is sold with its original box and paperwork. The dial is very stylish in matt black with applied abstract triangular hour markers and elegant lozenge hands - all of which have luminous inserts for visibility. There is also a central seconds arrow hand with a punch of red to add a sporting pop of colour, and a subtle date aperture at 3 o'clock. As the name suggests, the watch has a Reverso design detail which means the the dial turns into the wrist to reveal a plain side - originally meant to protect the dial when playing polo, but now it simply serves as a stylish accessory (unless you are a polo player of course). This watch is stunning, it's elegant and chic, not showy but showy enough. It's the perfect watch for every occasion, it can be dressed down but it will come into its own on a more dressy occasion.

Historical context

Mechanical Renaissance (1990 – 2010)

Mechanical watches return as cultural objects; independent watchmaking flourishes.

Mechanical watches returned as cultural and luxury objects. Complications, tourbillons and new materials proliferated; independent watchmakers such as George Daniels, F.P. Journe and Philippe Dufour revived artisanal watchmaking; collecting vintage watches became a major field.

Read the period in the timelineMore wristwatches from this periodEarlier: Quartz Revolution

Atlas type guide

Wristwatches

Bracelet watches were worn by women from the early nineteenth century — Breguet made one for Caroline Murat, Queen of Naples, in 1810–12 — but the wristwatch only became a man's instrument with military use and aviation in the early twentieth century. Between the World Wars it overtook the pocket watch; the 1920s and 1930s brought rectangular Art Deco cases, water-resistant cases and the first automatic winding systems.

After 1945 the wristwatch became a carrier of identity — dress watches, sports and dive watches, chronographs, calendars — produced by Swiss, American, Japanese, German, Soviet and Chinese industries. The quartz revolution after 1969 and the mechanical renaissance since the 1990s, including the rise of independent watchmakers, complete the story.

What to look for

  • The reference number (between the lugs or inside the case back) and serial number, the starting point for dating.
  • The calibre: its maker and number are often stamped under the dial or on the bridge.
  • Originality of dial, hands and crown — refinished ('redial') dials are common.
  • Case material marks: 18K/750, 14K/585, stainless steel, gold-filled, plated.

Dating clues

  • Wire-lug cases: before c. 1925.
  • Water-resistant screw-down cases: from 1926.
  • Quartz movements: from 1969; sapphire crystals widespread after c. 1980.

General guidance written by the Atlas editors about this kind of object. It is not a statement about this particular piece; for that, rely on the source record above and on physical examination.

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