Introducing the Jaeger LeCoultre Reverso Hybris Artistica Gyrotourbillon

At some point, you stop asking what more Jaeger-LeCoultre can do with the Reverso and just sit back and watch them do it. The 2025 Reverso Hybris Artistica Calibre 179 is exactly that: a watch so over-the-top in its technical execution and artistic detail that you’d almost expect it to be unwearable. And yet, somehow, it’s not.

This is a white gold evolution of the 2023 Hybris Artistica Gyrotourbillon, limited to just 10 pieces. It’s the kind of watch that doesn’t just live in a safe. It deserves its own climate-controlled shrine. But beyond the theatrics, this thing is a monster of modern watchmaking: it’s got a flying multi-axis tourbillon, a dual-time Duoface setup, an actual sculptural art installation masquerading as a dial, and finishing that frankly makes 99% of haute horology look undercooked. And yet, it still wears just like a Reverso. Let’s get into it.

The Basics

Case: 18k White Gold, 51.1mm x 31mm x 13.63mm

Crystal: Sapphire

Movement: Manually-wound Jaeger-LeCoultre Calibre 179

Movement Functions: Hours and minutes; second time zone and 24-hour indicator on reverse; Gyrotourbillon 40 hours Power Reserve

Water Resistance: 30 meters

Strap Options: Blue alligator leather with white gold folding clasp

Price: Upon request

Availability: Limited to 10 pieces

The Juice

This isn’t Jaeger-LeCoultre just putting a fancy finish on a Reverso and calling it a day. The Hybris Artistica Calibre 179 is powered by the brand’s fourth-generation Gyrotourbillon, which is as wild to look at as it is complicated to explain. In short: the tourbillon has two axes of rotation—one cage spins every 16 seconds, the other every 60, all whilst floating unsupported by any visible bridge, between the front and reverse dials. Yes, it’s doing that while giving you two time zones.

The Gyrotourbillon itself is a 123-part, ball-bearing-mounted sculpture made from titanium, featuring a hemispherical balance spring and JLC’s signature Gyrolab balance wheel. It’s technically dazzling, visually hypnotic, and completely unnecessary in the best possible way. That’s the charm of Hybris Artistica is that it’s what happens when you ask, “What if we made something totally irrational... beautifully?” But it’s not exactly irrational, because it showcases' JLC’s ‘metiers d’art’ capacity (or simply their ability to preserve a quiver of traditional techniques and push the boundaries of horological design and execution with them).

Now the dials. On the front, you get a dark blue lacquer base with a lattice of white gold ribs that look like something out of a sci-fi rendering of Art Deco. They’re not painted on. They’re what’s left behind after the metal was hollowed out and hand-filled with lacquer. One artisan per watch spends hours doing this. You read that right: one person per watch.

Flip it over, and things go full skeleton. The back side reveals more of the movement, with bridges and plates lacquered in blue, plus a 24-hour indicator and second time zone. There’s laser-skeletonizing, hand beveling, mirror polishing, microblasting. It’s like every high-end finishing technique got an invite to the same party. And they all showed up in tuxedos.

Even the cradle, the part of the case the Reverso flips into, is decorated with a polished blue lacquer disc beneath the tourbillon and a sunray pattern engraved in the gold. It’s a ridiculous level of detail for something you barely see. And that’s exactly the point.

Then there’s the clasp. Made entirely of white gold and weighing nearly 30 grams on its own, the folding buckle has a 46-part mechanism that allows for half-millimeter adjustments. Is that necessary? No. Do I love that it’s here anyway? Absolutely.

Final Thoughts

There’s a kind of paradox at play with the Reverso Hybris Artistica Calibre 179. It’s a watch born out of an obsession over design, engineering, finishing, and form. It’s overbuilt in a way that’s deeply irrational and yet completely irresistible if you love watches not just as tools, but as ideas. This isn’t about daily wear or versatility. This is about making something that pushes every edge of what a watch can be. And Jaeger-LeCoultre, with its 180 crafts under one roof and that very “Watchmaker of Watchmakers” energy, is maybe the only brand that could pull this off without it feeling like a gimmick.

The Hybris Artistica 179 isn’t a flex. It’s a masterclass. Ten lucky collectors are going to get something that feels less like a purchase and more like an heirloom. For the rest of us, it’s a reminder that at the top end of watchmaking, when brands stop asking “why?” and just go for it... magic happens.

Find out more about this watch here.