In spite of the yearly St. Moritz Polo World Cup on Snow, Polo is not the first thing that comes to mind when thinking of Switzerland. You probably rather think of chocolate, mountains, watches and banks.
However, one specific Switch watch is totally related to Polo. Bear with us for a minute.
The history of Polo
The United Kingdom is famous for Polo and even some members of the royal family are engaging in this sport. Although Polo has been invented some hundred years ago in Persia from where it spread to Arabia and India, it only arrived in the UK in the 19th century. This was the Victorian age and Victoria herself was not only the Queen of the United Kingdom but also the Empress of India. For this reason Great Britain sent business men and military personnel to India. The military officers apparently took pleasure in this sport and brought it to Great Britain.
It also looks as if Polo was and is to this day quite an expensive sport since the rules require that each player has at least two horses in order to protect the animals from harm. Wealth could be one of the reason our today’s watch story.
Reverso
The British officers that were based in India were the reason for the invention of the watch model «Reverso» by Jaeger-LeCoultre.
Polo is a fast equestrian sport and the watches’ glasses were frequently broken in the course of the games.
In the 1930s, the Swiss watch manufacturer Jaeger-LeCoultre developed the «self-protecting» model «Reverso».
The watch itself sits in a cradle and can be turned to either side. One can wear the clock’s face on the upper side or the steel bottom. The latter is strong enough to withstand a strike by a club. Moreover, it allows a high degree of personalisation. There are models that bear the owners initials while others are enamelled.
What was invented for a practical – maybe a bit snobby – reason became the epitome of ultimate elegance.
More Insights
The following video clip explains the history of Jaeger-LeCoultre as well as some details on the Reverso.
