Which Swiss luxury watch manufacturer created the Reverso in 1931?

Jaeger-LeCoultre created the Reverso in 1931.

The watch was designed for British Army officers playing polo in India, where impacts could crack a watch crystal. Its defining innovation was a case that could slide out of its frame and swivel 180 degrees, placing the dial against the wrist and protecting it during play. The name Reverso comes from Latin for “I turn back.”

The project involved several figures: businessman César de Trey proposed the idea, Jaeger-LeCoultre developed the movement and manufacture, and engineer René-Alfred Chauvot designed the reversible case. The Art Deco watch initially used movements supplied by Tavannes because LeCoultre’s own calibres were not yet thin enough for the unusual case.

A common mix-up is assuming Cartier, Patek Philippe, or Vacheron Constantin created the model. Those houses were among companies that later received permission to use the reversible-case patent on watches, but the Reverso is identified with Jaeger-LeCoultre. The brand name itself was formally consolidated in 1937.