This morning before 6 am as I was reaching consciousness, I was thinking about which watch to wear. I don't normally sleep with a watch, although I know plenty of people who do.
Because I have many watches, it can take me a while to make up my mind. Today I chose the Reverso - the watch for the man who can't make up his mind.
For those of you who don't know this watch, it's built by Swiss watchmakers Jaeger-LeCoultre. Various models have been in production for about 75 years. It has one movement that can be turned over, either to expose a bare metal back (originally to protect the crystal while playing polo), a view of the movement, or a second dial.
I have only owned 2 Reversos. The first was called the Grande Date. It has an 8-day power reserve, which is a very long time for a watch to run on one winding. The power reserve is shown at the top left corner of the dial. A small seconds hand appears at the lower right corner. The date is shown in big numerals at the lower left corner, hence the name Grande Date. [click on any image to enlarge it]
You can see the movement through a transparent sapphire glass window on the back. I took these photos almost 5 years ago when I wanted to sell the watch. For symmetry's sake, I grabbed that dusty copper dish full of pennies and took another set of photos a few moments ago. My current JLC Reverso is called the Grande GMT.
The Grande GMT is more complex and expensive than the Grande Date. The front looks similar with small seconds at bottom right, and large date at bottom left. Instead of a power reserve at top left it has a day-night indicator at top right. This is necessary for the traveler, to know if it's day or night "back home." The Grande GMT has a second dial on the back side of the watch, with 4 functions.
The large center dial shows time in any time zone you wish. By pressing a button on the side, the hour hand is shifted ahead (top button) or back (bottom button) an hour at a time.
The smaller dial on the left displays the HOME location of the watch and how many hours that location is east or west of GMT (Greenwich, England). The bottom right dial is another day-night indicator for your second location. The power reserve indication is at the top right of this back dial. The hands and the 3, 6, 9 and 12 are luminous so you can check it in the dark in that strange hotel room...
I got both a strap and a bracelet with this watch, but I didn't like either very much. When I saw this custom strap that a friend had ordered (but didn't like) I knew I'd found the right one.
It is black water buffalo with white double-stitching, held closed by the JLC deployant (quick-release) buckle.
I don't know what led me to using this dressy watch as a prop in the garden rather than in an office situation, but I like the contrast and resulting photos. What do you think?
In case the reversing part isn't clear to you, consider this pair of images. You slide the watch to one side, flip it over, and slide it back.
A few months ago I made this video, put it up on YouTube, and it's been viewed over 4200 times.