Few collections manage to seamlessly bridge cultural divides while honoring both artistic legacy and watchmaking tradition. Jaeger-LeCoultre's latest offering—the Reverso Tribute Enamel 'Xu Beihong' series—achieves precisely this delicate balance, creating what may be one of 2025's most culturally significant limited releases.
As we approach the Lunar Year of the Horse in February 2026, Jaeger-LeCoultre has crafted a trilogy that speaks to collectors on multiple levels. The series pays homage to Xu Beihong (1895-1953), the visionary Chinese artist whose revolutionary approach to traditional ink-and-wash painting helped define modern Chinese art. But this isn't merely cultural appropriation dressed in precious metal—it's a thoughtful dialogue between East and West that honors the very origins of the Reverso itself.
This series will undoubtedly appeal to collectors operating at the intersection of horological appreciation and cultural sophistication. Those drawn to pieces that tell stories—whether through historical connection, artistic interpretation, or technical achievement—will find much to admire in Jaeger-LeCoultre's latest offering.
Miniaturization as High Art
Created in 1931 for polo-playing British officers in India, the Reverso was born from the need to protect timepieces during the rigorous sport of horseback polo. Nearly a century later, this connection to equestrian culture finds new expression through Xu Beihong's masterful horse paintings, creating an almost poetic circularity that serious collectors will immediately appreciate.
What sets this series apart in today's crowded luxury watch market is the extraordinary technical achievement required to translate Xu Beihong's large-format paintings—originally over one square meter—onto surfaces measuring just two square centimeters. Each case back demands 80 hours of meticulous enamel painting, executed entirely within Jaeger-LeCoultre's Métiers Rares atelier.
The three models: 'The Running Horse,' 'Two Horses,' and 'The Standing Horse'—each present distinct artistic challenges. 'The Running Horse' captures transcendent majesty against an Evergreen Pine Green dial, while 'Two Horses' explores the dynamic tension between opposing forces over Distant Mountain Blue enamel. 'The Standing Horse' perhaps achieves the most sophisticated balance, conveying latent power through stillness beneath a Crimson Dawn Orange dial.
All three watches in a limited edition of 10 pieces each, are cased in an 18K white gold case measuring 45.6 x 27.4 x 9.73 mm, delivered on black alligator straps with an interchangeable double folding clasp, they have a 30 meter water resistance, and are powered by the manual wound JLC Manufacture Calibre 822 with a power reserve of 42 hours.
Beyond their artistic merit, these timepieces showcase Jaeger-LeCoultre's mastery of three distinct decorative arts: enamel miniature painting, grand feu enameling, and guillochage. The dial-side execution is particularly noteworthy, with hand-guilloché patterns—ranging from 120-line sunray motifs to intricate herringbone designs—creating textural depth beneath translucent enamel layers.
Each color choice demonstrates remarkable cultural sensitivity. The green evokes ancient Chinese symbolism of enduring vitality, while the blue recalls the misty mountain silhouettes fundamental to Chinese landscape painting. The soft orange captures the warmth of sunrise—a motif that resonates across cultures while remaining true to Xu Beihong's original palette.
With only 10 pieces per model, these 30 total timepieces represent a particularly exclusive segment within an already rarified market. The combination of Jaeger-LeCoultre's unassailable reputation in complicated watchmaking, the growing appreciation for Chinese contemporary art, and the technical tour de force of the Métiers Rares execution suggests strong long-term collectibility.
In an era where luxury often feels manufactured rather than meaningful, the Reverso Tribute Enamel 'Xu Beihong' series stands as a reminder that the finest timepieces remain vessels for human expression, cultural bridge-building, and artistic preservation.
Jaeger-LeCoultre's Reverso Tribute Enamel 'The Running Horse' ref. Q39334B3
Captured mid-gallop, this solitary equine figure embodies pure kinetic poetry, its form suggesting movement that transcends the physical realm. The accompanying dial radiates with Evergreen Pine Green grand feu enamel—a hue deeply rooted in Chinese artistic tradition that symbolizes the unwavering strength and eternal vigor of ancient conifers. Beneath this luminous surface lies a meticulously hand-crafted sunray guilloché pattern, its 120 precisely engineered lines creating a foundation of geometric perfection before the enamel's transformative application.
Sticker Price USD 153,000. For more info on Jaeger-LeCoultre click here.
Jaeger-LeCoultre's Reverso Tribute Enamel 'Two Horses' ref. Q39334B2
This compelling composition presents a study in contrasts—one ebony steed, one alabaster—locked in synchronized motion that speaks to the fundamental forces of yin and yang. The dial beneath showcases an intricate barley-seed guilloché motif, over which flows a luminous wash of Distant Mountain Blue grand feu enamel. This ethereal shade evokes the gossamer outlines of distant peaks shrouded in morning mist, a recurring meditation on infinity and contemplation that has graced Chinese landscapes for centuries.
Sticker Price USD 153,000. For more info on Jaeger-LeCoultre click here.
Jaeger-LeCoultre's Reverso Tribute Enamel 'The Standing Horse' ref. Q39334B1
Through masterful brushwork and compositional authority, this piece reveals the paradox of stillness charged with potential energy. The horse stands as a monument to restrained power, every muscle suggesting imminent action despite its static pose. The dial presents a sophisticated herringbone guilloché pattern—120 lines of mathematical precision—beneath a wash of Crimson Dawn Orange grand feu enamel. This warm, contemplative tone mirrors the golden hours captured in Xu Beihong's original landscape, evoking the life-giving radiance and promise of each new dawn.
Sticker Price USD 153,000. For more info on Jaeger-LeCoultre click here.
