The 2011 Jaeger-LeCoultre Grande Reverso Ultra Thin Special Italian Edition (ugh, so many words, so little time!) marks the 150th anniversary of the unification of Italy.
Something tells me that most (if not all) of these wristwatches will go directly to the brand’s Italian boutiques, which is a pity, because, you know: collector’s value.
Some Background First
JLC has first introduced the Grande Reverso Ultra Thin collection in the beginning of year 2011. Their earlier models weren’t too thick either, but they were chunky and heavy enough for their owners to constantly feel their presence on their wrists. Also, a lot of JLC’s competitors (and even some sister brands owned by the Richemont Group) already have ultra-thin dressy watches of their own, so it was time to make something special.
The Grande Reverso Ultra Thin arrived on the market in a compact body that measured 46 millimeters in length, 27.50 millimeters in width, and only 7.20 millimeters in height. In fact, the new Grande Reverso family is considered to be the thinnest in the whole 80-year history of the legendary two-faced model.
The impressive thinness comes courtesy of the in-house Calibre Jaeger-LeCoultre 822 hand-wound movement that JLC engineers somehow managed to squeeze into a vertical space of just 2.94 millimeters. Like, the total parts count for this tiny engine is 134, how did they do it really?
The Italy Edition
The Dial
The only thing that differentiates the limited-edition model from the standard-issue Jaeger-LeCoultre Grande Reverso Ultra Thin is the decoration of its silvered, minimalist dial.
The first thing that you will notice is lack of the Arabic numeral “8”. JLC replaced it with the red Latin letter “R” with the “Reverso” inscription being a part of the letter. The “R” also stands for the “Il Risorgimento” or “The Resurgence,” which is the name of the 19th-century movement for Italian unification led by their national heroes Giuseppe Mazzini (1805 – 1872) and Giuseppe Garibaldi (1807 – 1882).
Starting at the beginning of the 19th century, the process of unification officially ended in March 1861 when the Italian Parliament proclaimed Victor Emmanuel II King of Italy and, ten days later, declared Rome the Capital of Italy (although by that time the ancient city was still occupied by the French troops.)
The second is the chapter ring (or, rather, the chapter rectangle) with the hour markers also printed in bright red. The other elements look identical to the base model.
The Ultra-Thin Case
For obvious reasons, I didn’t have a privilege (a note to self: bruh, this is not a PR blurb!) chance to try this particular edition on my own wrist. However, I tried the original version and was pleasantly surprised how well it sat on my wrist because of its dimensions. The extremely low weight of just around 80 grams made a huge contribution to how nicely it actually feels when you put it on after a day of wearing a 44mm diver.
The only thing that i didn’t like was how short the winding crown was. Winding and setting time could probably be a nightmare if you have thicker fingers.
The Availability
The Italian Edition is available in two version: one in rose gold and the other in a more understated stainless steel. Each version will be limited to just 150 pieces.
There is still no info regarding the recommended pricing for the pieces, but it would be safe to assume that the version in stainless steel will cost around €6000. Of course, the version in rose gold will be a lot more expensive, but not prohibitively so.
See also: Vacheron Constantin Historique Aronde 1954
Photos: Jaeger-LeCoultre
Jaeger-LeCoultre Grande Reverso Ultra Thin Italian Edition specification
Movement: Hand-wound, crafted, assembled, and decorated by hand, 2.94 mm in height, 21,600 vph, 21 jewels, 134 parts, in-house, Swiss Made
Movement decoration: Decorated by hand
Functions: Hours, minutes
Power reserve: 45 hours
Case: Stainless steel or Rose gold
Shape: Rectangular
Dimensions: 46.00 mm x 27.50 mm
Case height: 7.20 mm
Dial: Silvered, red “R” letter in place of the “8” numeral
Numerals: Arabic
Hands: Blued, sword-shaped
Water resistance: 30 meters
Strap: Black alligator leather strap with pin buckle matching the material of the case
Crystal: Sapphire, anti-reflective
Back: Solid