| Author | Message | ||
     Blgg Intermediate Member Username: Blgg Post Number: 159 Registered: 04-2007 Rating: N/A |
Please, can anyone share a dial close up of a 6B/159 British MOD refinished JLC dial?... perhaps a close up of the "Jaeger-LeCoultre" and some minute register railroad track? Was there a visible difference in dial print quality and/or font? thank you | ||
| Zaf Moderator Username: Zaf Post Number: 3568 Registered: 05-2003 Rating: N/A |
It's in the book...which I know you have, thanks. | ||
| Blgg Intermediate Member Username: Blgg Post Number: 160 Registered: 04-2007 Rating: N/A |
Thanks, Zaf - however, I was hoping to see a much closer shot of the "JLC" and minute register print quality and font - comparable to a 3-5x loupe perspective, of a MOD redial. Also, were there other MOD redial designs than the one in the book? In "past prices", there is a JLC black, "seconds at 6" 6B/159. Were there indeed some 6B/159 examples with: 1) black dials? 2) second registers at "6", versus sweep? Is it possible that some "JLC" branded 6B/159 dials were factory original, and not refinished by the MOD? thanks very much. | ||
| Zaf Moderator Username: Zaf Post Number: 3569 Registered: 05-2003 Rating: N/A |
It's not going to get much better than the one in the book. The print is fuzzy. The seconds at 6 is not a 6B/159 specification watch which must specifically be a sweep second watch, despite what might be in the guide. We had many vendors at some point in the past. I should just remove that listing as it doesn't pass the smell test. Go with the information that's in the book for guidance. | ||
| Blgg Intermediate Member Username: Blgg Post Number: 161 Registered: 04-2007 Rating: N/A |
thanks. Here is another reference I've just found with more photos. http://6b159draft.blogspot.com/ It appears, from your photo - as well as these - that the MOD redial "JLC" is written as: Jaeger-Le-Coultre (with a second dash). Also, it appears that the 'ink' is raised (embossed). If the blue steel hands are also "spec", one might infer that a black dial is not possible. | ||
| Claudio Junior Member Username: Claudio Post Number: 18 Registered: 10-2006 Rating: N/A |
Hi, I agree with you Blgg that a black dial can't match with the original 6B/159 spec, but over the years the British 'molested' their own 6B/159 watches in many ways, and I think that even the black is for some an original MoD dial. I attach a close up of the white JLC MoD dial. Claudio  | ||
| Blgg Intermediate Member Username: Blgg Post Number: 162 Registered: 04-2007 Rating: N/A |
Claudio - thanks for writing | ||
| James_d Junior Member Username: James_d Post Number: 37 Registered: 10-2007 Rating: N/A |
Mine - complete with hands that no-one has seen before. I have seen pictures of black dial/blue hands IIRC. Only one dash between "Jaeger - LeCoultre" on mine. [IMG]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v259/Jameshdeath/eede_1.jpg[/IMG] Never heard of a sub seconds 6B/159, except for "ebay specials"! | ||
| Blgg Intermediate Member Username: Blgg Post Number: 163 Registered: 04-2007 Rating: N/A |
thanks James - it's interesting that your black dial font is very similar to the MOD white dial font perhaps it is a MOD dial versus a black, factory JLC 40s s/s manual dial though it does have the railroad track minute register like factory JLC 40s s/s manual dial and the single hyphen branding | ||
| James_d Junior Member Username: James_d Post Number: 38 Registered: 10-2007 Rating: N/A |
I have no reason to imagine its not a correct MOD dial. The Jaeger 6B/159 website has a lot of pictures of black dial Jaegers, so they did exist. The blue hands on other redialled black 6Bs were painted over in tritium, so they were visible against the black. Actually, its kind of curious that some of the black faced versions have lume, and the cream faced versions do not. For night flying? Any one know?? Do you have any pictures of non military black faced 40`s JLCs to compare? | ||
| Blgg Intermediate Member Username: Blgg Post Number: 164 Registered: 04-2007 Rating: N/A |
Hi James - here is one:  | ||
| Blgg Intermediate Member Username: Blgg Post Number: 165 Registered: 04-2007 Rating: N/A |
addendum: the dial above would (graphically) fit a 33.5mm case - not the slightly smaller 6B/159 case though the above dial would physically fit into a 6B/159 case, the railroad minute track would just barely fit within the 6B/159 dial aperture, rendering it hard to read with the perimeter crystal distortion. | ||
| Zaf Moderator Username: Zaf Post Number: 3577 Registered: 05-2003 Rating: N/A |
I think the jury is still out on wether the 1940s 6B/159s where ever fitted with ORIGINAL JLC dials. I accept black redone dials with pasty green luminous as a modification, most likely dating to 1956. Most dials in this format are found in the 1956 RECASE of 1940s 6B/159s and may have found their way back into the 1940s watches. The 1956 re-case is such a clumsy effort, that I did not include it in the book as a JLC product. | ||
| James_d Junior Member Username: James_d Post Number: 39 Registered: 10-2007 Rating: N/A |
Hang on - you are saying that you think that all the black dials are from `56 or later, and were then put back into earlier watches? Isn�t that a bit unlikely, if only due to the extremely limited number of JLC `56s that black faces could have been taken from. Also, the face on this 56 doesn�t look at all like my 159... http://i166.photobucket.com/albums/u101/Lambrettarai/JLC.jpg Or do I misunderstand you? From what I�ve read, I had the impression that all 6b/159s were LeCoultres originally, then later on, some were re-dialled in both black and cream versions as Jaeger LeCoultres,(why??) and then in 1956, a few of these were recased as 56s. If they changed the dials again in 56, who knows, but on the strength of this photo, its possible. Does that sound right or logical? What about my 159? Is it just a mongrel? | ||
| James_d Junior Member Username: James_d Post Number: 40 Registered: 10-2007 Rating: N/A |
That 1940s civilian JLC looks a lot like my Cal.463, except for using the "new" logo. | ||
| Ilja Moderator Username: Ilja Post Number: 242 Registered: 05-2003 Rating: N/A |
Great discussion guys! Zaf and I have spoken about plenty of watches and the black dial 6b/159 in "small" cases as well as the so called '56 ones were a topic.  My very personal opinion is both the white and the black JLC labeled dials are MoD made. In my eyes both are legit. Even the '56 variant, after a long period of seeing them frequently and thinking about the matter are legit IMHO. | ||
| Zaf Moderator Username: Zaf Post Number: 3580 Registered: 05-2003 Rating: N/A |
The 1956 re-dial and re-cases happened to Omega as well. I have seen 1956 looking dials and hands in seemingly 1940s 6B/159 cases. So either some made their way back into those cases or they co-existed. Either solution is possible and the same is true for the JLC. The 56 JLC is the worst in terms of fit as far as the 1956s are concerned. Horrible! The best fit is Omega. |