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Glaude

JLC Reverso Classic Automatic

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Glaude

https://i.imgur.com/EO9qgKL.png

« Reverso classic automatic »

mHzNDdwm.jpg

Click the thumbnails to open the full sizes image on this review

https://i.imgur.com/AELKwcn.pngTechnical datasheet from the TD :
In bold are the verified informations, if none, assume the info from the TD is true.

Case: 316f Stainless Steel
Band: Calfskin croc pressed design with stainless steel insignia buckle
Movement: Nickel plated Asian clone 2824 automatic movement, 25j, 28800bph, insignia rotor
Functions: Hours, minutes, secs (6.00 subdial)
Case width: 30.5mm
Case height: 49mm
Case thickness: 13.5 mm
Crown: One-piece pull-out crown with concealed pressed fit seal
Crystal: Sapphire crystal | Not sapphire crystal (tested)
Water resistance: Waterproof to 30m at factory .... :Thinking:
 

https://i.imgur.com/AELKwcn.pngA little history :

https://i.imgur.com/xqrsloob.png

JLC Reverso Quartz 4 Jewels

https://i.imgur.com/Sa1vQ2nb.jpg

JLC Reverso Handwind Calibre 822 21 Jewels

https://i.imgur.com/gK09ptkb.jpg

JLC Reverso Automatic 967b Calibre 28 Jewels


Just a few words about the JLC Reverso in general, I’m not going to enter into all the details of this watch series, pretty much everyone knows about the reason behind such a watch

(Polo players don’t want to scratch his expensive watch, so a model with a scratchable reversible back in steel is made, boom Reverso is born).

Starting with one model in 1931 the Reverso series is now populated by a lot of different models, always with the same Art Déco style but with more or fewer complications in it.
You can find them in Quartz movement, manual wind movement or automatic movement all of them are in house JLC movement, even the Quartz.
Since the Reverso is probably the most iconic and diversified piece from JLC they are also repped by our trusty factory in a lot of good and bad ways.
Mainly you will find a 1931 Classic series in quartz declined in multiple coloured faces, hand style, sometimes with a ticking small second.
You’ll also find some big piece like the Reverso Squadra series in Quartz and Handwind movement.
And some automatic one, a few, and this review is about one of them.

 

https://i.imgur.com/AELKwcn.pngThe case :

https://i.imgur.com/O9RqK8Qb.jpg

Rep : 13.5mm thick

https://i.imgur.com/0LkhY6sb.png

Gen : 12.4mm thick


Material wise without going into testing rockwell stuff & things to know whether this is indeed 316F SS. It is safe to say that side by side with a known 316F Steel it’s impossible to tell the difference. Shapewise there is no flaw, misalignment of the front grooves, dust or particles of any sort, this is a really well-made case.
Comparing it to the gen is very difficult, because to be clear this Reverso model is kind of franken watch. The closest to a real Reverso you can get is the Reverso Tribute Gyrotourbillon in terms of size. This rep is 30.5mm x 49 mm x 13.5 mm where the gen Reverso Tribute Gyrotourbillon is 51.1mm x 31.1 mm x 12.4mm. Pretty close except the gen has a Gyrotourbillon in it… the rep only a simple automatic movement, but this is not a big deal as the case looks perfectly right nothing feels “not right”.

Another difference you can tell is the end of the lugs are straight down on the rep, as slightly bent inward on the gen.


 

https://i.imgur.com/1Yk8yF0b.jpg

Reverso Wempe 100th Anniversary

https://i.imgur.com/C347GEsb.jpg

The rep backface


Reversing the watch is easy you gently but firmly push it to the right and the case pops. The sweeping motion is smooth, there’s no metal scratching noise. Once you reverse the watch you can see the movement. There’s only one Reverso known to have a visible movement to the back face and this is the biggest giveaway of this rep : the glass & steel panel is screwed in place rather than the crystal being pressed in the case.

The good thing is that you can’t see the screw but only the small gap when the watch is on the dial face, and when worn you can’t see it at all.

When the case is flipped the inside of the fix part of the watch is nicely perlée but you can see that they didn’t really care to do a great finishing job on this part at the factory, machining steps from a wobbly or non-even machine are clearly visible in the perlage.

The “real back” of the watch, the part that is on your wrist has some legitimate markings but also one that as nothing to do on this particular Reverso model : Squadra. This is nowhere close to the form factor of the squadra series of Reverso. The squadra series is hence their name : square. I don’t really know why they put this on the back.

 

To finish this part, the ball bearing mechanism feels solid, the watch case doesn’t move when you swing your arm or move around. There is a little play if you try to push it with your hand but since this is silent you won’t notice it even if you swing your arm like a Thommo lunatic.

https://i.imgur.com/xwyDCo6b.jpg   https://i.imgur.com/2Ji3unxb.jpg  https://i.imgur.com/WCKXj37b.jpg
 

https://i.imgur.com/AELKwcn.pngThe dial :

https://i.imgur.com/CIkkl1vb.jpg

The « small round second »

https://i.imgur.com/SNBbc1fb.jpg

Rep on the gen duoface


Once again, this is kind of a franken thing with this rep. The closest dial you’ll find is the gen Reverso Classic large duo face. The only thing on the rep that is not “as per gen” concerning the dial is that the round dial @6 is a small sweeping second. On the gen the @6 dial is a secondary 24h time.


The only other JLC Reverso with a sweeping second @6 is the Reverso classic small second, but the @6 dial is a rectangular one instead of round like on this rep.
Otherwise, this dial is stunning, the fine guilloche is well made, you can’t spot any flaw at first inspection. Only if you look closely at the logo and “automatic” text, you can see that the guilloche is a bit messed up by the application of the text on the dial. You can see that on the macro shot just below.

The hands are blued at first sight, but on closer inspection they seem to be only coated with blue.

A quick word on the crystal it seems that there’s no AR coating on it, it’s fine by me as this is the same thing on the gens. The crystal induces a slight deformation when viewing at certain angle, I do quite like that to be honest.
 

https://i.imgur.com/b9Txz6Tb.jpg   https://i.imgur.com/hTNONyeb.jpg
 

https://i.imgur.com/AELKwcn.pngThe movement :

https://i.imgur.com/gwtD7znb.jpg

Details off the rep engraving

https://i.imgur.com/gG3vJnMb.jpg

Details off the rep engraving


It’s impossible to make any sort of comparison between the gen and the rep, there’s nothing in common between the Asian 2824 movement and any of the JLC Reverso movement. But what is possible to say is how this Asian Clone is a fantastic workhorse. Using a simple method to time it (ie: setting it at the atomic time and checking it back in the end of the day) and using a smartphone app (WildSpectra Mobile) for 3 days now the movement is at 0 to -1s/day.

The movement rotor is engraved to what seems a totally believable Jaeger LeCoultre engraving, for non-specialists there’s nothing to notice there. The movement is perlée in every corner you can lay eyes on. Since he is visible when you reverse the watch, this make for a great effect.





 

https://i.imgur.com/AELKwcn.pngThe strap & buckle :

https://i.imgur.com/fJcfzk2b.jpg

The « small round second »

https://i.imgur.com/q88an8Gb.jpg

Rep on the gen duoface


Oh my f**king god… the strap… I have seen some shitty strap on my previous watches, I have bought some piece of crap on Amazon and send them back the same day I’ve received it. But this one, this one is the absolute worse strap ever in the history of straps !

First thing this is absolutely not leather, not calfskin, this is some camel penis skin at best ! The strap is very very fine, way too thin for a watch like this. From far away you can’t say that this is not decent leather, but to the feel, the bend, the touch this is plastic. To be sure I tested it… with FIRE and it’s indeed plastic as it melted straight away instead of slowly burning like leather would. The only positive thing about the strap is that the crocodile pattern is well made and being plastic this is comfortable to wear.
 

The buckle is nice with an elegant JLC logo engraved on it “as per gen”. I am debating if I should change it for the Deployment JLC clasp or keeping this one. The clasp is convenient but add some thickness to the strap. The buckle keeps things elegant and flush with the skin. Your suggestions and thought on this are welcome in this review.
 

https://i.imgur.com/AELKwcn.png My overall impression & Some beauty shots :

Overall I’m very pleased with this watch, she feels right on the wrist, not too heavy (heavier than my Navitimer). I have approx. 8” wrist so the size is not an issue, on the contrary I’m pleased to find a watch that take pretty much my whole wrist. The two complain that I have are the screwed back case and the squadra engraving, for the rest I’ve been with some watches enthusiast (not die-hard fan, but some connoisseur) they haven’t noticed anything wrong with the watch until me saying this is a rep (reaction was priceless). Unless you know every special Reverso edition, you can’t tell this is a rep just by looking at it on someone’s wrist.

WJF2JoGb.jpg  b81ASzEb.jpg  wBTv4rKb.jpg  6gQeLmRb.jpg

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Thommo82

Awesome review buddy!

Love the decorated movement

Wear this watch whilst drinking straight bourbon with a twist of blood orange 

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McGilli

Dude! I thought this was a cut and paste job from a magazine or online publication! I didn't realize you did this. If every review was like this - this place would be classy! Finally! ;) Top job!

Also - love the idea of fire testing straps... just to be sure... It must be fun to review reps of gens you are familiar with. I see that a lot on this site. I don't have any gens of any 'famous' watches so I'm always just like "yeah it's awesome - looks good" haha.

Review format looks excellent, as noted above. Now hurry and review something else! Good reading!

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goodjack

Great job with the review!  :thumbsup:  If you have time I would love to see a wrist shot.  I could only find quartz reps in the past.  Which TD did you get it from?

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GC

Bravo sir, on a spectacular review and write up... 200w.gif

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deju

Brilliant in-depth review and photos mate :clap: 

For case size I’ve heard that quartz is the way to go for closeness to the gen. 

very classy watches, good to see factories doing such complex designs! 

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Glaude
On 09/12/2017 at 04:58, Thommo82 said:

Awesome review buddy!

Love the decorated movement

Wear this watch whilst drinking straight bourbon with a twist of blood orange 

I'm more a Port wine kind of guy ! Or Chouchen (google it) ! Thank you Thommo

On 09/12/2017 at 07:39, goodjack said:

Great job with the review!  :thumbsup:  If you have time I would love to see a wrist shot.  I could only find quartz reps in the past.  Which TD did you get it from?

I got it from Perfect Clone, but other TD has it, Mary if you ask her could certainly have it, If I remember Kurvasit also have a great selection.

Here you go for the wrist shot (crappy photo from my phone) :

YoMFHPqm.jpg

On 09/12/2017 at 08:46, GC said:

Bravo sir, on a spectacular review and write up... 200w.gif

Thank you GC !

On 09/12/2017 at 09:21, deju said:

Brilliant in-depth review and photos mate :clap: 

For case size I’ve heard that quartz is the way to go for closeness to the gen. 

very classy watches, good to see factories doing such complex designs! 

They are indeed the closest to a "classic" reverso you can find, very slim on the wrist.
I'm pretty sure I'll go for a quartz and a hand wind squadra some time :p 

On 09/12/2017 at 06:43, McGilli said:

Dude! I thought this was a cut and paste job from a magazine or online publication! I didn't realize you did this. If every review was like this - this place would be classy! Finally! ;) Top job!

Also - love the idea of fire testing straps... just to be sure... It must be fun to review reps of gens you are familiar with. I see that a lot on this site. I don't have any gens of any 'famous' watches so I'm always just like "yeah it's awesome - looks good" haha.

Review format looks excellent, as noted above. Now hurry and review something else! Good reading!

Thank you friend !

I used pretty much every inch of liberty the forum editor gave me to write this up. You can't do everything you want directly from the post editor itself but since he accepts the format known as "Rich text" you can find online editor to do your review and then you only have to copy/paste and correct some misalignment.
My next review will be in the supporter section, I'll try to go further.

The fire test is not the only test possible to check for leather, but it is quick and if you don't want to damage the strap too much you can use a red-hot needle.
I have never seen a gen in real life of a Reverso, but I've done a lot of research on it, I wanted this review to be informative for people.

For the photography geeks : most of the pics are taken with a Canon EOS 7D and a Canon 17-55 IS Lens, macro are done with a Canon 28-80 Lens with two macro lens filter everything under a studio flash with an octogonal softbox.

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paccbet

Wow AWESOME!

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omegex

As others have said, outstanding review and superb photography. Well done sir!!

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Glaude
48 minutes ago, paccbet said:

Wow AWESOME!

Thank you for this comment :) 

25 minutes ago, omegex said:

As others have said, outstanding review and superb photography. Well done sir!!

Thank you very much for these compliments :) 

I still don't really know what to do about the clasp : buckle or deployment ? I'll try both since I've finally managed to source the deployment clasp on the gate, I'll keep you posted about that but your thought about it are welcome !

I've also made a tiny pic update in the history section with a view of a JLC Quartz gen movement (really beautiful for a quartz !) a gen automatic JLC Reverso movement and a manual wind gen movement.

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lliu31
13 minutes ago, Glaude said:

Yes this is the good link for this watch

Thank you!

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lliu31

Just bought it. Will upload pics of my own when received. First purchase with Perfect clones too. How long was the QC and shipment?

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lliu31

Have you noticed that the 10 and 2 are a bit slanted or is that the curve of the glass creating a distortion? Got my QC pics and it looks the same as yours. But the stock photos of it online show it lined up perfectly. 

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Glaude
20 hours ago, lliu31 said:

Just bought it. Will upload pics of my own when received. First purchase with Perfect clones too. How long was the QC and shipment?

You can check the whole process in here : 

4 hours ago, lliu31 said:

Have you noticed that the 10 and 2 are a bit slanted or is that the curve of the glass creating a distortion? Got my QC pics and it looks the same as yours. But the stock photos of it online show it lined up perfectly. 

Only the effect of the glass, they are perfectly straight in real, don't worry

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lliu31
51 minutes ago, Glaude said:

You can check the whole process in here : 

Only the effect of the glass, they are perfectly straight in real, don't worry

Oh thank god. Btw, josh is a stand up guy. QC pics within 12 hours wow! 

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lliu31

@Glaude got mine in the mail today. Looks just like yours. There was a bit of tension with the flip so I used mineral oil and cotton balls to smooth it out. Helped a bit. The 2,3,and 4 is not lined up horizontally with the 10,9 and 8 no matter how I look at it.

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Glaude
45 minutes ago, lliu31 said:

@Glaude got mine in the mail today. Looks just like yours. There was a bit of tension with the flip so I used mineral oil and cotton balls to smooth it out. Helped a bit. The 2,3,and 4 is not lined up horizontally with the 10,9 and 8 no matter how I look at it.

Oh now I see what you are talking about, yes there's a tad bit misalignment of the number from the opposite side. But see, I have taken pictures of it in macro and didn't even notice it before, so I hope you'll be able to live with it. I certainly do ;) 

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GingerApple

This is an excellent review OP, one of the best I have ever read. Unfortunately it does not comply with the new 100 point S.H.I.T rating system and so is utterly confusing to those of us au fait with the new standard. Could you update the review to reflect current best practice please?

 

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Glaude
4 minutes ago, GingerBubba said:

This is an excellent review OP, one of the best I have ever read. Unfortunately it does not comply with the new 100 point S.H.I.T rating system and so is utterly confusing to those of us au fait with the new standard. Could you update the review to reflect current best practice please?

 

:D 

Man, shit, I miss that the new rules were retroactive ! 

100 points on the SHIT is for the best sub or 0/100 is for the best lume ? I'm kind of lost and I don't even know who the best TD is... hmmm maybe I'll start a topic and ask in the shoutybox 

PS : Thank you and glad that you liked my review !

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lliu31

@Glaude still an awesome piece and an awesome write up from you. in all honesty i purchased because of this thread haha

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JLCgeo

very nice review! thanks!

I don't understand why makers are using a screw back ... the Tribute to 1931 (with quartz) have a nice back so it should be possible to have more models with a correct back !

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MAJ75

@Glaude A little late to the party as I don't venture into this sub-forum much, but I just wanted to send some belated props your way for an excellent piece of work.

To produce the copy & images takes a lot of time & commitment (also gives something for fellow members to aspire to).....

Keep up the good work & forum content!

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Glaude
4 hours ago, JLCgeo said:

very nice review! thanks!

I don't understand why makers are using a screw back ... the Tribute to 1931 (with quartz) have a nice back so it should be possible to have more models with a correct back !

Thank you very much, I think you must like the brand with that nickname ;) don't forget to post a little introduction in the right section. :)

This is probably due to multiple things : the pressed in or slotted in (from under) are rep with a quartz movement : easy to slide in, hardly not maintenance required, no regulating to be done so once they're in, nobody in the factory has to touch them again. 
If they were to be regulated that would be a waste of time to have them with this type of back.
But probably the main thing is to limit breakage of the glass by pressing the movement in.
On gen the movement is slid from under (under = the part where the hinge is), to service it that required to dissemble the whole contraption.

2 hours ago, MAJ75 said:

@Glaude A little late to the party as I don't venture into this sub-forum much, but I just wanted to send some belated props your way for an excellent piece of work.

To produce the copy & images takes a lot of time & commitment (also gives something for fellow members to aspire to).....

Keep up the good work & forum content!

Thank you very much, your words are very kind and received with much pleasure !

I've also some reviews in the DHGate section if you want to check them out.

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