| Author | Message | ||
     Rgallagher New member Username: Rgallagher Post Number: 1 Registered: 01-2007 Rating: N/A |
I received this watch last summer when my Grandfather passed away. I tried internet research and thankfully came across this wonderful site. My questions are, what years were this watch made, what does the center dial do, and of course the big question, is it worth anything? I looked through all the current forum posts and only found one other that looks like this. This one has no numbers stamped on the back just some tiny stuff on the case edge where the band hooks. The watch came with a receipt from March of last year when my grandfather sent it to Jaeger-LeCoultre in New York where it got a complete service, polish and plate case, and crystal to the tune of $1000. This made me wonder if my grandpa got took or is this really a valuable watch. Thank you in advance, Rich  | ||
| Rgallagher New member Username: Rgallagher Post Number: 2 Registered: 01-2007 Rating: N/A |
I have not received one post for help on this watch. I don't know what to make of that as I can remember back to the 70s my grandfather wearing it and all I am asking is for some history so that I can tell my children. I wound it according to some instructions I found on another post and this thing is amazingly accurate! If anyone can tell me when these were made that would be great. Another post answered my inner dial question, it is some sort of alarm but I haven't figured out whether it is a 24-hour or 12-hour setting. There doesn't seem to be much information about these watches. I have confirmed that it is 10K gold so it isn't in the 14K to 18K league. Perhaps this was JCs watch for the masses. In any case any help with history would be appreciated. As always, thank you in advance. Offline I can be reached at [email protected] | ||
| Gregb New member Username: Gregb Post Number: 14 Registered: 10-2006 Rating: N/A |
You have a 1960s LeCoultre Memovox Wrist Alarm. The watch looks to be in very nice condition. Value is probably in the $750 - $1000 range. Watches in such fine condition tend to bring a premium. The watch isn't 10 karat gold, as you state, but rather 10 karat gold-filled. Gold-filled cases have a core of base metal (brass) with thin (80 micron) layers of (10K in this case) gold bonded to the outside. The upper crown winds and sets the alarm. To operate the alarm, wind the crown to power it. Then, pull out the crown to turn the inner dial to the time you want the alarm to ring. Push the crown back in when the alarm time is set. When the alarm goes off, the top crown can be pulled out to stop the alarm before it runs out of energy. The bottom crown sets the time and winds the watch. Greg | ||
| Gatorcpa New member Username: Gatorcpa Post Number: 6 Registered: 11-2006 Rating: N/A |
"Perhaps this was JCs watch for the masses." Well, not really. This was JLC's watch for the US market. This was done mostly to avoid import duties. The movement was made by JLC in Switzerland and the case was made in the US. There were JLC versions of this watch made in steel and solid 18K gold. These tend to sell for more than the US 10K gold filled editions. Hope this helps, gatorcpa | ||
| Gregb New member Username: Gregb Post Number: 15 Registered: 10-2006 Rating: N/A |
Just to clarify gatorcpa's post, there were also U.S.-market "LeCoultre" cases made of solid gold (14K and 18K) and stainless steel. There were also Swiss-market "Jaeger-LeCoultre" 80 micron gold-plated cases that were the equivalent of the gold-filled cases in the states. Basically, similar case configurations (steel, gold and gold-filled) were made for both the swiss & U.S. markets. No huge differences IMHO. The watches for both markets are essentially the same, except that the U.S. market watches had the raw JLC movements shipped to the U.S. under the Vacheron "VXN" import code (Vacheron being a division of Longines-Wittnauer at the time). To avoid high import duties for "finished" watches, the company had the cases made in the U.S. by a variety of different watch case companies. The watches were then cased in the U.S. and sold under the "LeCoultre" name, by the Longines/Wittnauer salesforce (which also owned Vacheron at the time). It is unclear why the "Jaeger" portion was left off the name when JLC filed their U.S. trademark and began marketing in the states. It may have been because Edmond Jaeger already had an established presence and distribution in the U.S. selling the JLC-manufactured Atmos clocks under the "Jaeger" name. It's all a matter of speculation, because no clear records exist. Greg | ||
| Rgallagher New member Username: Rgallagher Post Number: 3 Registered: 01-2007 Rating: N/A |
I cannot thank you kind folks enough for answering my questions. As a follow-up, I talked to my grandma and questioning her further she remembered my grandpa purchased the watch in Switzerland when they went to Europe on vacation in the 60s as near as she can recollect. Again, I thank you all and will recommend this site because of all the neat information I found and also the kind folks, gregb and Gatorcpa that helped me out. Rich | ||
| Gregb New member Username: Gregb Post Number: 16 Registered: 10-2006 Rating: N/A |
I seriously doubt that this watch was purchased in Switzerland. Your grandmother must have been remembering another watch purchase. Your watch is a U.S.-market model that would have been sold in the states. It would be quite odd for it to turn up back in Switzerland after the movement had been exported to the U.S. and cased in the U.S. Similar models are sold in Switzerland, but they are signed "Jaeger-LeCoultre" on the dial and have a slightly different case and dial configuration. Greg | ||
| Rgallagher New member Username: Rgallagher Post Number: 4 Registered: 01-2007 Rating: N/A |
Gregb, you are a gentleman and a scholar! Many thanks for clearing up yet another piece to my puzzle. I am really getting quite the education from this forum as well as seeing some very incredible images of timepieces from days gone by. As always, thank you; Rich |