Jaeger-LeCoultre has returned to one of the Reverso’s most poetic roles, using its swivelling case as a canvas for miniature enamel painting.
The new Reverso Tribute Enamel ‘Turner Series’ marks the maison’s participation in Homo Faber in Venice, translating four J.M.W. Turner paintings of the city into tiny Grand Feu enamel scenes.
For collectors who see the Reverso as more than a dress watch, this is exactly where the format becomes compelling.
At a glance
- Jaeger-LeCoultre has created four Reverso Tribute Enamel watches inspired by Turner’s Venetian paintings for Homo Faber in Venice.
- Each watch pairs a white gold Reverso case with a hand-guilloché Grand Feu enamel dial and a miniature-painted enamel caseback.
- The four editions are limited to 10 pieces each, with pricing available on request.
Turner’s Venice in miniature enamel
Homo Faber runs in Venice from September 1 to 30, celebrating craft across disciplines including watchmaking, ceramics, furniture and jewellery.
Jaeger-LeCoultre’s contribution sits naturally within that setting, particularly because the Reverso has long given the manufacture an unusually architectural surface for decoration.
The Turner Series comprises four white gold watches, each carrying a miniature enamel interpretation of a Venetian scene painted by J.M.W. Turner.
The selection begins with Venice, the Dogana and San Giorgio Maggiore, an 1834 view that carries a neat connection to Homo Faber’s setting on San Giorgio Maggiore island.
Its green tonal palette carries through to the enamel dial and matching alligator strap, giving the watch a visual continuity from front to back.
Venice, from the Porch of Madonna della Salute follows, drawing attention to Jaeger-LeCoultre’s use of paillonage beneath the enamel surface.
Fine strips of silver foil sit below the enamel to add texture and depth to the water before the painted scene is completed.
The third watch interprets Bridge of Sighs, Ducal Palace and Custom House, Venice, Turner’s first oil painting of Venice.
The fourth, Venice, the Bridge of Sighs, focuses on one of Turner’s views where the people of the city stand prominently before the architectural backdrop.
A Reverso built around craft, not complication
The technical watch beneath the enamel is deliberately restrained.
Each piece measures 45.6mm by 27.4mm and 8.51mm thick, with an 18k white gold case and the familiar reversible Reverso construction.
On one side sits a Grand Feu enamel dial over hand-guilloché, with the series using patterns including soleil croisé, rice-grain, barleycorn and wavy motifs.
On the other side, the case becomes the stage for the Turner miniature.
The movement is Jaeger-LeCoultre’s manually wound calibre 822, running at 21,600 vibrations per hour and offering a 42-hour power reserve.
It keeps the display to hours and minutes, which feels right for a watch whose real complexity lives in the Métiers d’Art work rather than in mechanical theatre.
The four references and their character
The collection is made up of four distinct references, each tied to a different Turner view of Venice.
- Q39334W1 interprets Venice, the Dogana and San Giorgio Maggiore, pairing the scene’s soft green water tones with a green dial and green alligator strap.
- Q39334W2 interprets Venice, from the Porch of Madonna della Salute, with paillonage used to enrich the surface of the water.
- Q39334W3 interprets Bridge of Sighs, Ducal Palace and Custom House, Venice, reshaped for the vertical proportions of the Reverso case.
- Q39334W4 interprets Venice, the Bridge of Sighs, a scene that places human figures in the foreground against the city beyond.
The set also continues the maison’s recent exploration of artist-led enamel Reversos, following its Hokusai Waterfalls series earlier in the year.
What makes the Turner watches notable is the change in visual language, moving from Japanese landscape composition to the atmospheric light and water of 19th-century Venice.
Details & Specifications
| Brand | Jaeger-LeCoultre |
|---|---|
| Model | Reverso Tribute Enamel ‘Turner Series’ |
| References | Q39334W1, Q39334W2, Q39334W3, Q39334W4 |
| Case size | 45.6mm x 27.4mm x 8.51mm |
| Case material | 18k white gold |
| Dial | Grand Feu enamel over hand-guilloché |
| Dial patterns | Soleil croisé, rice-grain, barleycorn or wavy |
| Caseback decoration | Miniature-painted Grand Feu enamel |
| Movement | Jaeger-LeCoultre calibre 822, manually wound |
| Frequency | 21,600 vph, 3 Hz |
| Power reserve | 42 hours |
| Functions | Hours and minutes |
| Water resistance | 30 metres, 3 bar |
| Strap | Green or blue alligator |
| Limited edition | 10 pieces per version |
| Price | Price on request |
The Reverso Tribute Enamel ‘Turner Series’ is less about adding another limited edition to the calendar and more about showing why the Reverso remains such a persuasive object for decorative watchmaking.
In these four pieces, Venice isn’t simply named on the dial or hinted at through colour, but painted into the watch with the kind of patience that makes the caseback as important as the time display.
