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How a Jaeger-LeCoultre watch became a mirror to art and culture of the times
Jaeger-LeCoultre’s Xu Beihong Trilogy unites fine watchmaking with the Chinese artist’s iconic horses, capturing motion and eternity within the refined geometry of the Reverso
- PUBLISHED: Fri 19 Sept 2025, 2:37 PM
Nestled in the Vallée de Joux since 1833, Jaeger-LeCoultre has long been celebrated as the “watchmaker’s watchmaker”, crafting horological milestones that are also poetic objects of beauty. Among its many creations, none resonate more deeply with collectors than the Reverso. Conceived in 1931 to withstand the bruising elegance of polo, its swivelling Art Deco case is an icon and has since evolved into a canvas that blends mechanical ingenuity and artistry.
Since polo first gave the Reverso its reason for being, the model has always had the horse in its soul. And in Chinese culture, the horse has for centuries embodied power, nobility, and vitality, and has been celebrated in mythical creatures such as longma (dragon horse) and Tianma (flying horse). How fitting, then, that the horse returns to the Reverso stage with the brand’s latest releases. With the approaching Chinese Year of the Horse, Jaeger-LeCoultre unveils a trilogy of Reverso Tribute Enamel timepieces that unite both histories in an act of cultural and artistic alchemy.
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At the heart of the Reverso Tribute Enamel ‘Xu Beihong’ lies the spirit of the pioneering Chinese artist, whose brushwork revolutionised modern Chinese painting in the early 20th century. Xu is known to have needed only the simplest of lines to summon horses that pulsed with power and spirit – so alive they seemed ready to gallop straight into the real world.
To transpose these monumental works, often larger than life, onto a surface scarcely two centimetres across is an audacious undertaking. Yet Jaeger-LeCoultre’s Métiers Rares atelier rises to the challenge, each enamel miniature requiring 80 painstaking hours to capture the sweep of ink and the depth of expression through grand feu enamelling and guillochage.
On the reverse of each watch, the horse appears in three guises. The Running Horse streaks across white gold with unrestrained majesty, while its dial glows in Evergreen Pine Green enamel over a radiant sunray guilloche – echoing vitality and resilience. Two Horses conjures the harmony of contrasting spirits, black and white, galloping in unison, paired with a barley-grain motif beneath translucent Distant Mountain Blue. Finally, The Standing Horse denotes quiet strength, its poised stillness alive with latent power, fronted by a herringbone guilloché dial washed in Crimson Dawn Orange, warm and evocative like sunrise over an endless plain.
These timepieces are not mere ornaments, but fine examples of high watchmaking from a master watchmaker, powered by the hand-wound Calibre 822, a movement as discreet as it is reliable. The white gold case retains the timeless Reverso proportions, its swivelling architecture preserving the artwork until the wearer chooses to reveal it — either in a quiet moment alone or shared in conversation.
Only 10 examples of each reference will be made. Such scarcity is expected, for these are not watches designed to be plentiful; each carrying within it a dialogue between East and West, between tradition and reinvention, between utility and art.
The Reverso has always been more than a watch — it has served as a mirror of eras, passions, and cultures. In the Xu Beihong trilogy, Jaeger-LeCoultre demonstrates that true horology goes beyond counting hours, capturing the spirit of art and culture within the precise geometry of a golden rectangle. For those who wear it, this Reverso will stand as a reminder that time, like Xu Beihong’s horses, is both fleeting and eternal.