Hands-On With The Steel Midsize Jaeger-LeCoultre Reverso Classic Monoface Small Seconds — A Surprisingly Unsurprising Novelty

Take a good look at the steel Jaeger-LeCoultre Reverso Classic Monoface Small Seconds in the pictures. What do you see? Exactly — a watch you didn’t think was a novelty. But it is. This medium-sized Reverso has all the trademarks of a traditional Reverso, along with a couple of updated tweaks. We go hands-on to find out what exactly those updates are and how this reversible icon wears.

The steel Jaeger-LeCoultre Reverso Classic Monoface Small Seconds is a classic in every sense. The dial decoration, small seconds, Arabic numerals, and, of course, the sword hands in blued steel, are trademarks of a traditional Reverso. However, the watch might appear to have always been here, but it hasn’t. The familiar-looking dial, for instance, shows a new guilloché pattern. In the dial’s center, the delicate guilloché motif shows the ridged edges of stacked coins that inspired it. It’s an intricate relief that delicately plays with the light as the watch moves. This pattern continues into the small seconds counter at 6 o’clock, encircled by vertically brushed hour and minute tracks. The dial designers at Jaeger-LeCoultre have been busy lately creating plenty of multitextured dials, such as those in the different Polaris executions. In the new Reverso, the interplay of textures creates contrast, depth, and legibility.

Looking for updates in the steel Jaeger-LeCoultre Reverso Classic Monoface Small Seconds

The dial pattern might be new, but the applied Arabic numerals and blued sword hands retain the Reverso’s enduring elegance. The result is a watch face that shows a most subtle cosmetic correction. It’s so slight that you can’t even call it a facelift. Still, the steel Reverso Classic Monoface Small Seconds is unmistakably classic but executed with a distinctly modern sensibility.

The case is (relatively) new too. At first glance, the Classic Monoface Small Seconds stays true to the original proportions that have long defined the Reverso’s adaptable design. Its polished stainless steel case, framed by the signature triple gadroons, measures 40.1mm long, 24.4mm wide, and 7.56mm thick. These proportions were introduced last year in the Reverso Tribute Monoface, which led Fratello to qualify it as a midsize watch.

Every tenth of a millimeter counts in this case

In the case of a rectangular watch, every tenth of a millimeter counts even more than when dealing with a round watch. The angular nature of the Reverso, in a way, collides with the organic shape of the human wrist. Only when the two shapes overlap in an imaginary matrix do you get a perfect fit. If you have ever tried to find the perfect Reverso for your wrist but couldn’t, no matter how hard you tried, you know exactly what I mean. The smaller the case, the easier it is to fit it on the wrist, but a tiny Reverso on a large wrist is not a desirable look for most. The smaller Reverso Classic Monoface Origin, with its 32.5mm length and 16.3mm diameter, is tiny, and to make matters “worse,” it’s outfitted with a quartz movement.

The larger Classic cases measure 45.6mm long and 27.4mm wide, which can be challenging to wear on the wrist. But the circumference of the wrist is not the only significant factor in whether the watch fits or not. The shape of the wrist also matters. The good news is that the 40.1 × 24.4mm medium size seems to hit the sweet spot.

Wearing the medium Reverso Classic Monoface Small Seconds in steel

One of the nice things about a Reverso is that it’s such a tactile watch. Yes, I mean you can play with the case endlessly, and it never gets old. JLC updated the shape and construction a while back. The 50-part case feels solid, and the way it flips feels fluid and robust at the same time. Just make sure to flip and slide, not flip and push down, as many people do. You have to respect the mechanism that debuted in 1931 and handle it with care.

The case back is a canvas that the wearer can fill in. Lacquered initials are my favorite, but JLC no longer offers that standard option. Instead, you can have a range of engravings available in the online configurator. Prices for a simple engraving, such as initials, start at CHF 360. An engraved monument, like the Eiffel Tower or the Los Angeles skyline, will cost CHF 720. If you want something bespoke, you must contact JLC, and the folks there will inform you of the cost.

The Classic Monoface Small Seconds comes on a supple black calfskin strap designed by Casa Fagliano. It’s interchangeable and features a sober yet functional and elegant pin buckle. I reckon a polo player prefers a pin buckle over a folding clasp, and although I don’t dabble in polo, so do I. A pin buckle does justice to the rugged origins and functionality of the watch.

Another notable tactile feature of this Reverso is the hand-winding caliber 822. It’s a tonneau-shaped movement comprising 108 components, and it’s just 2.94mm thick. The steady beat rate of 21,600 vibrations per hour yields a 42-hour power reserve, meaning you will need to touch and turn the small crown regularly.

Final words on the Jaeger-LeCoultre Classic Monoface Small Seconds

My “struggles” with the Reverso are well documented. Four years ago, I wrote about my Reverso Wearing Experiment. After wearing a 45.6 × 27.4mm Reverso Classic Large Small Seconds, I concluded that I needed to view the watch as a sports watch and wear it with everything to dispel the notion that I was wearing a dress watch. It worked. The watch was rather big, but it did change my feelings towards the Reverso. The new midsize watch is a slimmed-down and aesthetically updated version of the watch I went hands-on with in 2021. The “old” watch cost €6,550 back then, but the recently introduced updated version goes for €8,050 / US$8,000 / £6,750 / CHF 6,800. That’s a reality we have to deal with, but coming to terms with it is still a bit difficult for me.

There’s also a strong competitor to the Classic Monoface in the JLC collection — the Reverso Tribute Monoface. This hours-and-minutes-only watch comes in the same 40.1 × 24.4mm steel case and features the same caliber 822 inside. You do get large dauphine hands instead of the smaller traditional blued steel ones, and the dials show applied indexes instead of Arabic numerals. You also get a strap with a folding clasp. The price of that Reverso is €9,700, though. Based on the specs, I conclude that you pay €1,650 more for the folding clasp. And with that in mind, the Classic Monoface Small Seconds is the better choice if you prefer the traditional look over the more powerful and contemporary Tribute look. What are your thoughts? Classic or Tribute? And what about the pricing: are you okay with it? Please let me know in the comments section below.