It was 1931 when Jaeger-LeCoultre launched the “Reverso” watch. Next month in Geneva, Antiquorum will auction off 30 of the timepieces, including this steel Reverso with red lacquered dial, to mark the model’s eight decades of manufacture.

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Geneva—Antiquorum is marking the 80th anniversary of the “Reverso” watch by putting 30 of the timepieces up on the block at its May 15 sale in Geneva.

Jaeger-LeCoultre Manufacture originally created the Reverso in 1931 for British army officers stationed in India who requested a watch that could survive a polo match. Jaeger-LeCoultre is partnering with Antiquorum for this special “Reverso Chapter,” providing an extract from its archives, free of charge, for each timepiece made prior to 1950.

The more than two-dozen watches being sold include original pieces from 1931, rare versions with colored dials, limited editions with complications and watches with enamel-decorated case backs.

The highlights of the sale include a very early steel Reverso with a red lacquered dial and a 1930s Staybrite watch with chocolate colored dial and small seconds at 6 o’clock (below) that was one of the first Reversos to bear the LeCoultre name. Both are estimated to bring between $5,700 and $9,100. 
 

Also at Antiquorum on May 15, a Rolex Oyster Perpetual Date, Explorer II, Ref. 1655 “Spade of Oman” watch (below) will come to auction for the first time.

The timepiece, crafted in 1974 and sold by Asprey of London, the official Rolex retailer in the Arab world, was one of few Rolex models to bear the “Spade of Oman” logo. It also has the name “Asprey” engraved on the outside case back, another rarity.

The Rolex Spade of Oman watch is expected to fetch between $113,500 and $170,300.

Antiquorum’s Important Modern and Vintage Timepieces is slated to take place at the Mandarin Oriental Geneva in the Salon Saint-Gervais. Previews are scheduled for May 3 in Hangzhou China, May 5 in Shanghai, May 7 in Beijing and May 9 in Hong Kong.

The timepieces also will be display May 12 to 15 in Geneva ahead of the auction.