The Breitling Watch Blog

Jaeger Le-Coultre, or JLC for short, is one of those brands that is held in high esteem in the Horological community for their innovative and vast array of in-house movements, yet are able to produce several models that are very affordable for the majority of luxury watch collectors. One of their most popular, and enduring designs is the Reverso, created in 1931, and now over 80 years old. One of the attempts to “sportify” the Reverso is the Reverso Squadra which I am reviewing today!

This model is the Jaeger Le-Coultre Squadra Hometime, which is a somewhat more sophisticated version of a GMT. Instead of having the standard 24-hour GMT hand that moves around the watch face once every 24 hours, the JLC Squadra Hometime uses a second standard 12hr that is tied to an AM/PM indicator located at 9 o’clock. This relieves the need to add a 24hr bezel or chapter ring and adds a little extra level of complication to the watch. The second hour hand can be hidden completely behind the main hour hand.

This is the black dialed model, which I believe is now discontinued. Only the white dialed version is available now. This version also has a Black PVD coated crown. The Squadra differs from the standard Reverso in that it is a square shape, and larger.

JLC does a good job with the case, mostly polished but with some brushed facets on the side. The case that the Squadra head is mounted into, is made of three pieces, held together by hidden screws inside the mechanism.

The back of the case is wonderfully JLC, with the 1000 hours master control stamp, water resistance, serial and model numbers.

The Integrated Rubber bracelet is a work of art, wonderful in its comfort as well as sporty in its look without being too sporty. The perfect Rubber bracelet in my opinion. The clasp is double butterfly, button-locked and brushed stainless steel. It also has two micro-adjustments on each side, allowing you to enlarge it slightly by releasing a mini clasp inside, similar to most diver extensions.

And here’s my favourite shot of this beautiful watch – the Reverso in action, revealing the wonderfully jeweled inside of the case. The exhibition view of the movement reveals its basic, but attractive finish. The movement is signed with the JLC logo, and the 1000 hours control as well as a few other movement features.

All in all I am very happy with my Jaeger LeCoultre Reverso Squadra Hometime. It has been a mini-grail for me for some time, and I finally took the plunge and picked it up, very happy I did. I think the integrated rubber bracelet looks fantastic, and tones down the dressiness of the watch which is what I was looking for, while going with the Crocodile or Stainless bracelet would make it a great gents watch. The Reverso feature, which on this model is more of a gimmick, is still great, since its a gimmick that is rooted in 80+ years of heritage, and allows me to see the movement without taking the watch off.