Jaeger-LeCoultre Reverso with Red Lacquered Dial fetches record price

Jaeger-LeCoultre watches hit record prices at Antiquorum auction in Geneva, that was held last week. One that particularly tickled us, is the stainless steel Reverso with red lacquer dial. It was sold for CHF 50,000 !! 

This Reverso with red lacquered dial is the predecessor of this years JLC novelty, the new Grande Reverso Tribute to 1931 Rouge. Last year the French auction house Artcurial sold a Reverso with red lacquered dial for € 28,000 Euro and another was sold for CHF 35,000 in May last year by Antoquorum.

It looks like vintage models of the JLC Reverso are seriously gaining value and I’m curious whether this rise is lasting. Of course vintage Rolex Sports models and Patek Philippe complicated watches are a sure thing for fetching extreme high prices. This seems quite restricted to these brands, like the same Antiquorum auction in Geneva proved.

At that same auction various vintage Audemars Piguet Royal Oak models didn’t beat the record price Alain Delon’s vintage Royal Oak ref. 5402 fetched. Many collectors had expected that the very rare A-series would be sold for a record prices and they hoped other vintage Royal Oaks to fetch very high prices. Maybe the prices weren’t that high, they were still very good, considering the hype around this model is relatively young. At In2watches you can check most prices.

Over the next few years we will learn if more brands join Rolex and Patek Philippe as record setting watch brands and even great investments. Until than it remains guessing and hoping, although the prices that the vintage Reverso’s with a red lacquered dial fetched at recent auctions is already high and still climbing.

This article is written by Frank Geelen, executive editor of Monochrome Watches.