Few timepieces can claim an origin story quite as cinematic—or as effortlessly chic—as Jaeger-LeCoultre’s Reverso. Conceived on the polo fields of 1930s India, its swivelling case was born from a practical dilemma: how to spare a gentleman’s watch from an errant mallet. Nearly a century later, the maison revisits that tale of sport and sophistication through an unlikely new lens—the webcomic.
The latest chapter in Made of Makers—Jaeger-LeCoultre’s ongoing series of creative cross-pollinations—introduces Filipino artist Olivecoat, whose pastel-hued worlds blend wistfulness with wit. Together, they’ve created Reverso, a digital retelling of the watch’s beginnings, proof that even the most storied icons can learn to speak the language of Gen Z without losing their accent.
Comics, or what French critics fondly call the Ninth Art, have long bridged high and low culture—from Rodolphe Töpfer’s 19th-century sketches to today’s scrollable webtoons. Olivecoat’s take slips seamlessly into that lineage, merging manga’s emotional rhythm with the maison’s quiet precision.
At its heart, Made of Makers is a conversation between disciplines: craft and creativity, savoir-faire and the spark of the new. Since its inception, the initiative has courted artists, perfumers, and even chefs to reinterpret Jaeger-LeCoultre’s codes of artistry.
“Just as today’s classics were once considered radical,” the maison notes, “Made of Makers explores how tradition evolves through new materials and media.”
Based in Cebu, Olivecoat has built a cult following for her delicate yet disarming narratives—hand-drawn tales that balance introspection with humour. “When someone tells me a story I’ve done felt real, that it made them feel seen—that’s what keeps me going,” she says.
Her Reverso world toggles between the dusty polo fields of India and the workshops of Le Sentier, where César de Trey’s idea found its mechanical muse in Jacques-David LeCoultre. The resulting story is both an origin myth and a meditation on legacy, rendered in gauzy pastels and animated by a distinctly human pulse.
“We are delighted to collaborate with the webcomic designer Olivecoat,” says Jérôme Lambert, CEO of Jaeger-LeCoultre. “Her instinctive mastery and contemporary lens bring a refreshing new perspective to classical artistry—a vision that aligns perfectly with our values of craftsmanship and innovation.”
Unveiled online in October 2025, with a printed collector’s edition to follow, Reverso reminds us that some stories—like some watches—are built to turn over time and again.
This story first appeared on GRAZIA Singapore.
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