Alright, so, I’ve been messing around with watches lately, and I gotta tell you about this one project I’ve been working on. It’s all about the Jaeger-LeCoultre JLC Reverso Tribute Monoface, the classic style. Let me walk you through what I did.
First off, I started by digging into everything I could find about the Reverso. This watch, man, it’s got history. I mean, it was originally designed for polo players way back when. They needed a watch that could take a beating, so Jaeger-LeCoultre came up with this genius idea of a reversible case. You flip it over, and the watch face is protected. Pretty cool, huh?
So, I began to collect all sorts of data. I looked up pictures, articles, anything I could get my hands on. The original design from the 1930s, that’s what I was really interested in. This Tribute Monoface, it’s like a modern take on that classic. The dimensions are pretty close to the original – 40.1 x 24.4 mm, and it’s super slim. Feels great on the wrist.
Then, I really started to get into the details of the watch. What makes it tick? Literally. I found out that it uses the Caliber 822 movement, which is manual-wind. That means you gotta wind it yourself, which I think is pretty cool. It gives you a real connection to the watch. I spent hours looking at diagrams of the movement, trying to figure out how it all works.
- First, I tried to recreate the reversible case. That was a challenge, let me tell you. Getting the mechanism just right so it flips smoothly and securely, it took a lot of trial and error.
- Then I worked on the dial. The original Reverso had these really clean, Art Deco lines. I wanted to capture that same aesthetic. I experimented with different materials and techniques until I got something that I was happy with.
- The hands, the hour markers, the little details – I tried to make them as faithful to the original as possible.
- The strap was another thing I spent a lot of time on. Leather, of course. I experimented with different types of leather, different stitching patterns, until I found something that felt just right.
After a ton of work, I finally had something that resembled the Reverso Tribute Monoface. It wasn’t perfect, of course, but it was my own take on it. And the process, man, it was a blast. I learned so much about watchmaking, about design, about history. It is kinda fun.
Finally, the result
So that’s my story about messing with the Jaeger-LeCoultre Reverso Tribute Monoface. It was a real labor of love, and I’m pretty proud of how it turned out. I even wear my creation from time to time. It always gets compliments. Maybe someday I’ll even try to make another one, who knows? But for now, I’m just happy to share my little watch adventure with you all.
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