Horses have always been part of Jaeger-LeCoultre’s Reverso story. Introduced in 1931 as a pragmatic solution for British military officers stationed in India, the swivelling case of the Reverso was engineered to protect the watch during polo matches on horseback—a sport defined by speed, impact, and rhythmic force.
Over the decades, the Reverso has lived many lives, evolving far beyond its sporting origins. This time, it returns with ink-stained hooves and a cultural lineage grounded in modern Chinese art. Created to mark the Lunar Year of the Horse, this trio of white-gold Reverso Tribute Enamel timepieces honours Xu Beihong—one of China’s most influential artists—while circling back to the very essence of the Reverso itself. Horses, after all, are where this story begins, and where it finds its most eloquent expression.
The choice of subject feels entirely fitting. Horses are inseparable from the Reverso’s history, yet in Chinese culture they carry far deeper resonance. Revered for millennia as symbols of strength, courage, loyalty, and grace, horses appear throughout mythology and history—from the celestial tianma (flying horse) to the longma, the mythical dragon-horse associated with wisdom and power.
As the seventh sign of the Chinese zodiac, the horse returns in the Lunar New Year this February. Jaeger-LeCoultre’s tribute, however, resists the obvious festive shorthand.
Instead of leaning on overt zodiac symbolism, it opts for cultural depth—drawing on the work of Xu Beihong (1895–1953), the Chinese artist who arguably gave the horse its most enduring modern expression. Often described as the father of modern Chinese painting, Xu challenged the conventions of traditional ink painting at a time when the discipline risked becoming formulaic. After studying at the École des BeauxArts in Paris and travelling extensively across Europe between 1919 and 1927, he absorbed Western principles of realism, anatomy, and perspective. He championed drawing from life and introduced oil painting techniques into Chinese art education.
Yet his most iconic works remained ink-and-wash paintings—particularly his horses. With decisive brushstrokes, Xu captured muscle, tension, movement, and spirit. His horses are never decorative. They are charged with symbolism: resilience in wartime, moral integrity, unyielding vitality. In many ways, they mirror his belief that art should reflect both national identity and contemporary life.
Translating Xu’s large-scale ink paintings—some exceeding one square metre—onto a surface measuring just two square centimetres is no small feat. Each Reverso Tribute Enamel caseback features a handpainted enamel miniature that demands not only technical mastery, but interpretive sensitivity.
Executed entirely within Jaeger-LeCoultre’s Métiers Rares atelier, each caseback requires approximately 80 hours of work. The process combines three rare crafts: miniature enamel painting, grand feu enamelling, and hand guillochage. The result is not a literal reproduction, but a faithful reimagining—one that preserves the energy of Xu’s brushwork and the emotional weight of the original compositions.
Each of the three Reverso Tribute Enamel ‘Xu Beihong’ models interprets a different aspect of the horse’s character, paired with a dial colour that echoes the tonal language of traditional Chinese landscape painting.
The Running Horse draws from Xu’s dynamic compositions of galloping steeds. A single horse surges forward, embodying majesty and grace in motion. The dial is finished in Evergreen Pine Green grand feu enamel laid over a sunray guilloché pattern of 120 finely engraved lines. In Chinese visual culture, pine trees symbolise endurance and moral strength—an apt parallel to the horse in motion.
Two Horses presents a study in contrast and harmony. Inspired by Xu’s Six Galloping Horses from 1942, the scene depicts two horses—one black, one white—moving in unison. The work itself was Xu’s homage to the Six Steeds of the Zhao Mausoleum, the Tang dynasty stone reliefs commemorating Emperor Taizong’s warhorses. On the reverse, the dial’s Distant Mountain Blue grand feu enamel overlays a barley-seed guilloché pattern, evoking mist-shrouded peaks receding into the distance.
Rounding out the trio, The Standing Horse offers a quieter, more contemplative energy. Based on Xu’s 1939 Standing Horse, the composition conveys nobility through restraint. The horse is still, yet charged with latent power through its poised stance and taut musculature. The dial features a herringbone guilloché pattern beneath a Crimson Dawn Orange enamel—a shade that recalls sunrise warmth and the earthy tones of the original landscape.
All three models are powered by the manually wound Jaeger-LeCoultre manufacture calibre 822, offering a 42-hour power reserve. Slim, reliable, and deliberately understated, the movement reinforces the Reverso’s design philosophy: precision without excess, mechanics that support the story rather than compete with it. Each reference is produced in a strictly limited edition of just 10 pieces, underscoring the rarity of the craftsmanship involved—and the intimacy of owning a watch that is, in effect, also a work of art.
This story first appeared on GRAZIA Singapore.
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