In a move that feels more like it came from the playbook of a street-style fashion brand than a heritage marque from Geneva, Jaeger-LeCoultre has turned to the world of graphic novels to retell the story of its most famous timepiece in a refreshingly new way. JLC has partnered with Olivecoat, a rising webcomic artist, to reveal the journey of the Reverso over five digitalized chapters.
Revealed in pastel cartoons and speech bubbles, the narrative begins in 1930s India, where businessman César de Trey, inspired by British officers playing polo, was challenged to design a watch that could endure the sport without getting smashed by the ball. He brings the idea of a watch with a reversible dial back to Geneva, and approaches Jacques-David LeCoultre who, with the help of industrial designer René-Alfred Chauvot, creates the original rectangular, steel-coated model, birthing one of Jaeger-LeCoultre’s most recognizable designs.
“I was approached [by Jaeger-LeCoultre] out of the blue and wondered if it was even real,” says Olivecoat about the unexpected commission. “I didn’t know anything about Jaeger-LeCoultre or the Made of Makers program – it was just not in my field of awareness.”
“I wondered what they could want from a webcomic creator like me. When they explained that they wanted a comic about the Reverso watch and its origins I found it a really interesting premise – to learn the history as well as adapt it my way.”
Aesthetic variations appeared soon after the Reverso’s launch, with bright red, chocolate brown, burgundy and blue lacquer dials. The swiveling case also brought a happy accident: over the years the blank metal flip side, originally just meant to protect the dial, became a canvas for personalization, with opportunity for monograms, emblems or little messages and paintings, made using lacquer, hand engraving and enamel.
Later, the back offered the option of a second dial, a different time zone (Duoface) or an alternate display of the same time (Duetto), giving wearers the freedom to change their look to match an outfit or occasion.
Several new models were unveiled at this year’s Watches and Wonders in Geneva, and the design has never felt more relevant. Its Art Deco geometry, with clean lines and a golden-ratio-inspired rectangular shape, resonates with the revival of 1920s aesthetics and the movement’s centenary. While the model is no stranger to popular culture, recently seen on the red-carpet wrists of Lenny Kravitz and Andrew Garfield, choosing someone outside the horological world to tell its story marks a subtle but meaningful shift toward broader outreach and inclusivity, one that other traditional Swiss icons may well follow.
Most notably, the cartoon is vertical scroll-friendly and optimized specifically for smartphones, again a move that suggests a new, younger generation of consumers is on Jaeger-LeCoultre’s radar. The heritage watchmaker can’t meet all of Gen Z in Geneva, but is innovating to find them where they are – online, scrolling for storytelling that’s visually engaging.
While this is the first webcomic from La Grande Maison, it is not the first time the manufacturer has looked beyond horology to celebrate its legacy. The partnership with Olivecoat is the most recent chapter in Jaeger-LeCoultre’s Made of Makers program, an ongoing initiative that brings its collections into dialogue with international artisans outside the watchmaking world.
When identifying artists, the house has focused on those who utilize unique forms of expression, with previous collaborators including French perfumer Nicolas Bonneville, lettering artist Alex Trochut and Chinese street-light painter Roy Wang, each of whom have used their own understanding of Jaeger-LeCoultre, paired with their culture and artistic expertise, to create something unique.
“With all the collaborations, it seems that there’s this desire from Jaeger-LeCoultre to truly support the creator, to really let the artist express himself or herself,” says Olivecoat.
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This year, the Richemont-owned watchmaker has also worked with Jackie Wang, an animation film director from Beijing, on Drawn in Time, an homage to the Maison’s Rendez-Vous collection; Mathieu Davoice, a chocolatier from Geneva, who created four chocolates inspired by the world of polo and incorporating ingredients from the Vallée de Joux in tribute to the Reverso; and Khalid Shafar, an Emirati designer who designed the installation Crescent to Crescent, depicting the moon cycle inspired by his visit to the Manufacture in Le Sentier.
jaeger-lecoultre.com