By Maria Doulton in London
If you are set on giving the lady in your life a watch as a gift this Christmas, waste no more precious time with models that will be passé by New Year's day. Jaeger-LeCoultre comes to the rescue with two classic families that will provide style and precision for years to come.
Swiss watchmaker Jaeger-LeCoultre has a knack for making watches with imperishable style. Classics that look as good today as the day they were born, like the Jaeger-LeCoultre Reverso watch, which has remained unwaveringly popular since it was first launched in 1931. In a similar stroke of design genius, Jaeger-LeCoultre launched the Rendez-Vous collection in 2006, conceived exclusively for women.
The round feminine silhouette of the Rendez-Vous Night & Day watch has been revisited this year with a smaller 29mm case size and a lovely mother-of-pearl dial. Like its predecessor, the Night & Day model is equipped with a day/night indicator in an arched window at 6 o'clock. The large black numerals, crowned with a diamond chaton and set against a glowing mother-of-pearl dial, can be easily read. Available in rich pink gold with a beige alligator strap or practical stainless steel, this is a watch for women that she will be happy to wear throughout the night and day.
Even more feminine in its dimensions, the Rendez-Vous Date watch has been reduced to a dainty 27.5mm diameter. The warm pink gold case has a diamond-set bezel for additional light, which brings out the beautiful striated texture of the dial, reminiscent of raw silk. Like its sister, the Date model features the 1930s-inspired numerals that facilitate legibility and incorporates a convenient date window at 6 o'clock.
Inside the case, a tiny mechanical movement keeps perfect time. One of the smallest mechanical movements in the field, calibre 966 is the rightful heir to Jaeger-LeCoultre's miniature masterpiece known as calibre 101, first introduced in 1929.
Just two years after the release of calibre 101, Jaeger-LeCoultre came up with yet another watchmaking breakthrough with its Reverso watch. Safely occupying a podium in the history of watchmaking design, the Jaeger-LeCoultre Reverso watch is a quintessential piece of Art Deco styling. Its pivoting reversible case was originally designed to protect the glass from getting smashed during polo matches in India. But it also offers a distinct advantage of allowing the wearer to decide which of the two faces to wear.
The Reverso Duetto Classique is a true chameleon, allowing her to change from a daytime-inspired dial to a more elegant black and diamond-studded dial for evenings by simply flipping the swivel case. Available in four different finishes, from a fully diamond pavéd model in rose gold to stainless steel, the beauty of this watch is more than skin deep as two back-to-back dials with two sets of hands turning in opposite directions are kept in perfect synch by Jaeger-LeCoultre's hand-winding calibre 865.
The Reverso Squadra Lady Duetto is just that: a square rendition of the classic rectangular Reverso. As with all Reversos, the Squadra has multiple personalities and invites you to swivel the case according to your mood. The front dial of the beautiful pink gold model features a diamond-set bezel, a silver guillochéd dial, golden numerals, a date display and a day/night indicator, while the back in black indicates that it's time to get dressed up and enjoy your evening.
