Jaeger-LeCoultre

The Jaeger LeCoultre Reverso is one of the great icons of watchmaking design. As the story goes, it was developed for polo-playing British officers so they could protect the delicate crystal of their watches while playing a match. The artistic Art Deco case and lines have remained true to the original 1930s design, and the watches do, of course, still flip over – sometimes to reveal another dial or complication in modern variants.

The blank side of the Reverso has long been favored as a place to leave a personal mark on your watch – with people like Douglas MacArthur and Amelia Earhart both personalizing their own Reversos. It is that ability which drew collector Alan Hammer to the Reverso in the first place – and this present example from 2017 is the result. Intricately engraved into the reverse side of the case, Hammer had the squad symbol of the Decima Flottiglia MAS engraved along with his name. The logo depicts the Roman numeral ‘X’ topped by a skull gripping a rose. A special keepsake from Hammer’s collection, and a merging of a love for two distinct watch brands.