Journey of Reverso: Part 4.1 (Reverso Duo Pre-Harmonized MKI/Day & Night)

We finally come back to one of my favorites, the Reverso. The reverso duo is one of the most practical incarnations of the Reverso, especially for travelers. This part is about the original Reverso Duo released in 1994 which was subsequently replaced 10 years later in 2004 with the "harmonized" version (more on the differences later).

A few wristshots on my 6.5" wrist

This particular model is modestly sized at 26mm x 42mm x 10mm which is more or less the same size as the Reverso GT. This iteration features a diamond patterned guilloche on the white "day" dial and a radiating wave guilloche pattern on the black "night" dial. The hands on the day side are blued while the hand on the back are lumed with tritium. Overall, the dials are very pleasing to the eye and my favorite part is the rectangular seconds hand frame contrasted with the round 24 hour indicator on the back.

Photo courtesy of JLC

The specs for this piece are:
Ref. 270.8.54
26 x 42 x 10 mm
JLC Caliber 854/1
Dual time zones, back hour hand adjusted in one hour increments via pusher
3.8mm high
KIF shock protection
Flat hairspring
180 parts
21,600 vph
45 hr power reserve
Not water resistant (pre-harmonized version)
Price: around 6500 USD at release on leather band
Note: This piece also came in a white gold version with a slightly different movement that had a day/night indicator on the black side.

A point of minor complaint

The size was pretty good for me, although perhaps a tad too long, making it seesaw a bit on my bony wrist. The bracelet was comfortable and extremely well finished but has no fine adjustment on the plain butterfly clasp. The bracelet is held together by spring bars which makes adding links quite easy. I have to say that the lume is completely useless but it's not really expected that anyone use it anyways. The pushpiece to advance the "night" hour hand works pretty well and can be operated via toothpick or the dedicated pushing tool provided. While I like to have a date mechanism, that would somewhat ruin the beauty of the piece. I just have to say, this is a superb piece, the size is perfect and the functions are useful.

For more technical information, the old Purists site has a great page on this piece:
http://www.network54.com/Forum/234648/thread/1055687624/Reverso+Duo+Technical+Drawing+Pls