# Jaeger Le-Coultre Reverso market value



## Ludvig Hjorth (May 23, 2017)

Hello

I'm 18 and currently owns a Speedmaster Professional Sapphire Sandwich, but i am considering trading it for a 2001 Reverso deface Day & Night with box & papers and recently serviced in the early 2017. But, i find it hard to understand the 'Reverso market' - do they hold their value like a Speedmaster does? will I sendup losing money on a Reverso? As a young watch lover, these factors are quite relevant and I would be very happy if you guys would share some thoughts.

The watch is btw in great condition as has only been worn for special occasions. There's box and paper, recently serviced and they go for around 4,500$ - 5,000$ on Chrono24.


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## Blue Note (Oct 15, 2016)

In my own experience pre-owned Reverso watches hold value reasonably well, depending of course on condition, scarcity and recent service history. Other Reverso owners may have a different POV. New ones are like buying a boat, you will rarely get back anything close to what you paid the dealer. After that initial knockdown, which is pretty big, they seem to stabilize. There is at least one exception; the resale value of pre-owned, excellent condition examples of the original ultra thin Tribute to 1931, reference 2788570 from 2011 and 2012 with a black dial has been rising. This is because it is a magical looking watch and, importantly, there were only 200 produced in two 100 sets. The buzz on these continues to grow and with it the price. I got sniped in the last 5 seconds of a recent auction where my bid was almost $2k north of what these were selling for less than 2 years ago. The guy was very good and he wanted it big time, I wondered maybe for someone else with deep pockets. Bear in mind that that is an exception and the only one to my knowledge.


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## drhr (Mar 14, 2011)

Hmmm, good to know Blue Note . . . . I don't keep up with values because it doesn't much matter to me when I buy but maybe the 2788571 Reverso US Edition will also benefit from the buzz if it ever decides it wants to move on . . .


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## Blue Note (Oct 15, 2016)

Well the US version, which you are so blessed to own and enjoy, is even more sought after than the international. That's what surprised me about that auction for the international edition going as high as it did. It's a great watch but JLC demonstrated how to better it with the US edition. The faux patina lume and the taller font for the Reverso name more effectively simulate the original. Compare yours to the original (not my image):







And even though the hypo hands were not used on the original for the 31 Tribute they add to the vintage feel and sentimental appeal. Those slight distinctions from the international really make it perfect. Very hard to do. Even though the watch came out over five years ago people are realizing that JLC nailed it and they have a chance to own a piece of history, not just a great watch. You have every reason to want to hang on to your 31 forever but if you ever wish to part with it please PM me.


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## drhr (Mar 14, 2011)

Blue Note said:


> Well the US version, which you are so blessed to own and enjoy, is even more sought after than the international. That's what surprised me about that auction for the international edition going as high as it did. It's a great watch but JLC demonstrated how to better it with the US edition. The faux patina lume and the taller font for the Reverso name more effectively simulate the original. Compare yours to the original (not my image):
> 
> And even though the hypo hands were not used on the original for the 31 Tribute they add to the vintage feel and sentimental appeal. Those slight distinctions from the international really make it perfect. Very hard to do. Even though the watch came out over five years ago people are realizing that JLC nailed it and they have a chance to own a piece of history, not just a great watch. You have every reason to want to hang on to your 31 forever but if you ever wish to part with it please PM me.


You know your Reverso tributes well, thanks for expanding on your previous comments!!


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## cfracing (Feb 21, 2015)

Blue Note said:


> Well the US version, which you are so blessed to own and enjoy, is even more sought after than the international. That's what surprised me about that auction for the international edition going as high as it did. It's a great watch but JLC demonstrated how to better it with the US edition. The faux patina lume and the taller font for the Reverso name more effectively simulate the original. Compare yours to the original (not my image):
> View attachment 12212810
> 
> And even though the hypo hands were not used on the original for the 31 Tribute they add to the vintage feel and sentimental appeal. Those slight distinctions from the international really make it perfect. Very hard to do. Even though the watch came out over five years ago people are realizing that JLC nailed it and they have a chance to own a piece of history, not just a great watch. You have every reason to want to hang on to your 31 forever but if you ever wish to part with it please PM me.


I guess I am confused about the difference between the U.S. Edition and the International one. What I recall was the TT1931 2011 was a limited edition (100 watches) exclusive to the US and came with the black Casa Fagliano strap - the "US Limited Edition". The TT1931 2012 was the identical watch as the 2011 LE except it came with a brown Fagliano strap with 70 offered in the US and the remaining 30 to the rest of the world. Is that what you are calling the "International Edition"? I am surprised the U.S. version is more desirable because most people I know prefer the brown strap. Please correct me if my memory is incorrect. Or are you calling the standard, non LE, TT1931 the international model?

Found a link to a Hodinkee article.
https://www.hodinkee.com/articles/introducing-the-jaeger-lecoultre-reverso-limited-edition-wit


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## Blue Note (Oct 15, 2016)

cfracing said:


> I guess I am confused about the difference between the U.S. Edition and the International one. What I recall was the TT1931 2011 was a limited edition (100 watches) exclusive to the US and came with the black Casa Fagliano strap - the "US Limited Edition". The TT1931 2012 was the identical watch as the 2011 LE except it came with a brown Fagliano strap with 70 offered in the US and the remaining 30 to the rest of the world. Is that what you are calling the "International Edition"? I am surprised the U.S. version is more desirable because most people I know prefer the brown strap. Please correct me if my memory is incorrect. Or are you calling the standard, non LE, TT1931 the international model?
> 
> Found a link to a Hodinkee article.
> https://www.hodinkee.com/articles/introducing-the-jaeger-lecoultre-reverso-limited-edition-wit


Sorry for the confusion. The "international" model I was referring to was the standard TTR 1931 that was announced at SIHH in Geneva in early 2010. Monochrome did a short review of it April 2010 https://monochrome-watches.com/jaeger-lecoultre-grande-reverso-ultra-thin-tribute-1931/

The TTR 1931 US LE was issued in 2011 and introduced at SIHH with a, as you noted, black Casa Fagliano strap. 100 pieces were to be available through the JLC Beverly Hills boutique but I too read somewhere that they split that up between US and outside US. 
WatchTime covered it: http://www.watchtime.com/wristwatch...verso-ultra-thin-tribute-to-1931-u-s-edition/

I agree with you that the additional 100 announced in 2012 on a brown CF strap is preferred. http://quillandpad.com/2015/01/14/why-i-bought-it-jaeger-lecoultre-tribute-to-reverso-1931/

My point was that as great as the standard TTR 1931 was JLC made it even better with the "US edition." With only 200 pieces it is rarer and commands a premium. JLC had indicated supposedly (according to Ben Clymer) that they would continue the production of the standard TTR 1931, they may have for a while but it has been discontinued too. So the standard TTR 1931 might not have been a LE but it is a great watch and was produced in small quantities. 
I've been tracking TTR 1931 sales for the last year and while the US LE does command a premium the sale value of that and the standard have both risen.


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## cfracing (Feb 21, 2015)

OK. I guess the confusion on my part is that I never heard of the GRUT TT1931 2012 Limited Edition referred to as the "US Limited Edition" like the 2011 LE was (all were sold in the US as I recall, hence the name) because they were not all sold in the US, 30 being allotted to the rest of the world according to the Hodinkee article I linked to. 

I would expect the 200 Limited Edition TT1931 Reversos to command a premium just because they are limited editions. Personally, the only things I prefer on the LEs are the brown Fagliano strap (I bought one directly from Casa Fagliano for my standard TT1931) and the larger "Reverso" font on the dial which is more like the original watch (haven't figured out how to do that one). OK, I like the patina on the hour markers, too.


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## Blue Note (Oct 15, 2016)

I plan to order a Casa Fagliano strap directly as well. I recall that one could use the contact page to make a request. What specs did you give them? Or did you simply ask for a strap to fit a TTR31? They know the watch, I found a photo on their site with one of the wearing it. (scroll down) 
http://www.casafagliano.com/inheritance/


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## cfracing (Feb 21, 2015)

Blue Note said:


> I plan to order a Casa Fagliano strap directly as well. I recall that one could use the contact page to make a request. What specs did you give them? Or did you simply ask for a strap to fit a TTR31? They know the watch, I found a photo on their site with one of the wearing it. (scroll down)
> Inheritance - Values transferred from parents to children - Casa Fagliano


Yes you can send them a message in the Contact section telling them what you want. Germán Fagliano told me that the Brown color was the same as the 2012 TT1931 Limited Edition strap although others were told it was the Dark Brown. I have smallish wrists and they have a shorter option that was 110mm x 65mm, which is the one I ordered. Casa Fagliano used to use Horween shell cordovan but about 2 years ago when I bought mine, they had begun sourcing their shell cordovan in Argentina. I had a wait of almost 6 months, but I hear lead time is now around one month or less. Be prepared for sticker shock.

Yes, that is Eduardo, Germán's father, wearing the Reverso. Eduardo seems to be the face of Casa Fagliano to the outside world as he was the one who appeared to attend all of the JLC events where the Limited Edition Reversos were featured.


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## Blue Note (Oct 15, 2016)

cfracing said:


> Yes you can send them a message in the Contact section telling them what you want. Germán Fagliano told me that the Brown color was the same as the 2012 TT1931 Limited Edition strap although others were told it was the Dark Brown. I have smallish wrists and they have a shorter option that was 110mm x 65mm, which is the one I ordered. Casa Fagliano used to use Horween shell cordovan but about 2 years ago when I bought mine, they had begun sourcing their shell cordovan in Argentina. I had a wait of almost 6 months, but I hear lead time is now around one month or less. Be prepared for sticker shock.
> 
> Yes, that is Eduardo, Germán's father, wearing the Reverso. Eduardo seems to be the face of Casa Fagliano to the outside world as he was the one who appeared to attend all of the JLC events where the Limited Edition Reversos were featured.


Thanks for the insights. When ordering the Casa Fagliano strap how did you handle the tang buckle? Do they supply a third party buckle? Did you send them your original JLC buckle? Or is it to be applied locally?


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## cfracing (Feb 21, 2015)

Blue Note said:


> Thanks for the insights. When ordering the Casa Fagliano strap how did you handle the tang buckle? Do they supply a third party buckle? Did you send them your original JLC buckle? Or is it to be applied locally?


The Fagliano strap does not come with a buckle. I first used the JLC buckle that came with my Reverso. However, I purchased an aftermarket butterfly deployant clasp to try and it has been on the strap ever since. I like the deployant clasp because it is easier on the strap when putting it on and taking it off so I hope to extend the life of the strap.


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## Blue Note (Oct 15, 2016)

Good idea. Think I'll try a deployant. Thanks.


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## cfracing (Feb 21, 2015)

Sincerest apologies to the OP for my gross hijack of your thread. I am not very knowledgeable about Speedmaster values, but I will give you my opinion in general terms. I believe Omega and JLC as brands hold their value about the same, but less than Rolex and Patek. The Speedmaster and Reverso, to me, are the iconic model lines of their respective brands. The manual hesalite Pro Moonwatch and the TT1931 are the most popular of each of their product lines (*my opinion*). Your sapphire sandwich Speedy and the Reverso Duoface are less popular (*again my opinion*), but probably fewer in numbers so I would expect their retention of value to be about the same although I think the original price of the Reverso Duoface was higher.


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## Gillgs (Jul 5, 2017)

Intrigued by the comments regarding valuation fluctuations/desirability of different models of the Reverso range.

Where would you place a JLC Grande Reverso 210.218 model (purchased circa 2008) in these parameters? Don't think it's in the same category as some of the limited edition models. If you have a value range within which it would fall that would be very helpful.

Thanks.


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## Blue Note (Oct 15, 2016)

I haven't followed gold Reverso sales or listings because I was interested in SS models. There are plenty of Grande Reversos on Chrono24 but it has no current listings for reference #210218. That suggests it is a less common model unless some listings do not use the ref # or people confuse it the case number which happens.

There's one on the market now that a jeweler is listing which, please note, would include their markup in the price. A rose gold GMT, take a look:
https://shop.burdeens.com/products/jaeger-lecoultre-reverso-grande-gmt-18k-rose-gold-210-218
The same watch is listed also on the Bay and a sales aggregator site.

One listing is not enough to suggest a value range which WUS discourages anyway. If you're interested in flipping it I suggest tracking listings over a period using WUS, the other sales forums, Chrono24, the Bay, etc. to get additional data. To the OP - this method may also be of use to you in valuing your Reverso.


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## Gillgs (Jul 5, 2017)

Thank you for your input, Blue Note.

I actually really like the look and feel of this watch, and the fact that one can choose a black or silver dial background helps too. Would be a difficult piece to give up....

Currently looking into a Lange 1, so just idly wondering if I should 'slim' down on any watch..... This was part of the 'investigative' work.

Actually leaning towards idea that they're all different in their own way... ;-)


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## scjones88 (Dec 12, 2014)

FWIW I saw the TT1931 non-limited black dial (full set) listed for $7,300 and sold almost immediately (https://www.watchuseek.com/f29/fs-jlc-reverso-tribute-1931-full-set-4451834.html). The watch was originally at Analog Shift in NYC 6 months ago for $5,700. No idea what the final purchase prices were on these transactions, but this somewhat indicates that this particular model is increasing in value for now. Glad I have mine


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## nine7one (Jun 7, 2016)

I'm a Rolex guy because my watches take a beating on my wrist and they are ultra-durable. But I do have two JLC Reversos for when I need a nice dress watch. As for your question, I would go with the JLC for a couple of reasons. First, while you may not make any money, you certainly won't lose any either when you sell. (that, of course is if you keep it in good shape) But what really won me over to being a Reverso fan was an article I read a while back. It listed the Reverso as the most iconic watch of all time. This intrigued me and the more I looked into it and the more information I learned, the more I loved the watch. Aesthetically, what other product can you think of that is almost virtually identical in design as it was more than eighty-five years ago when it was introduced? Whatever you choose, good luck. David


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## RossFraney (Mar 2, 2017)

JLC doesn't seem to hold its value as well at the moment as say a Rolex would. That being said Omega is in a similar position being heavily discounted on the used market. As far as JLC goes, the reverso is definitely the best bet in terms of market value retention though.


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## IGotId (Feb 14, 2012)

Interesting thread...I may try flipping my Reverso Duo so I'll get to see for myself!


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## Icycas (Feb 1, 2017)

You may get it for less. 3500-4000 USD in Singapore. Good condition.


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## V10K+ (Jul 8, 2012)

I just bought a BRAND NEW lady Reverso Squadra Quartz with white articulating rubber bracelet for $2100. MSRP $7350

The Brand new lady Reverso Squadra automatic just sold this morning for $3300 on ebay, MSRP $10,000. I was going to bid up to $2800 for it. I would have spent more if it had the GMT function. 


Personally I like the idea of having an open back so I can engrave/lacquer. Seeing the inside of the watch is cool but would get boring after awhile.


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## sonofeve (Oct 16, 2016)

IGotId said:


> Interesting thread...I may try flipping my Reverso Duo so I'll get to see for myself!


keep us updated pls! im curious


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## erhein (Jul 14, 2016)

IGotId said:


> Interesting thread.


Very interesting thread. I'm really on the fence about whether to keep or sell my Gran'Sport Automatique. I've also got a MC Geographic which is my favorite watch and I think I'm just a round watch type of guy. On the other hand, the Reverso is so subtle and light and easy to fit under a cuff, it certainly serves a purpose. I just don't wear cuffs very often anymore. OTOH, I just had it serviced and it's running like a top and is trouble free. As problems go, this is a pretty good type of problem to have. I just keep going around and around about it. One minute, I'm absolutely sure I'm going to sell it and the next, I'm absolutely sure I'm not. It's really good to see a thread like this, though, to be able to gauge what the demand might be. Thanks to all for the contributions.


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