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     Mikey Lulejian - Atlanta, GA Unregistered guest Rating: |
FUTUREMATIC WRITE-UP � From An eBAY Auction I have editted this ONLY to correct some of the more worst spelling errors. I have chosen not to re-write this, to not correct grammatical as well as technical (ie, historical) errors. However, none of this withstanding, the author has done a superb job of presenting the Futurematic and explaining many of it's finer points from a design point of view. It is well-worth including here, at least for historical purposes. As well as "introducing" many newcommmers here to one of the world's finer, more-desirable watches. I hope you enjoy this .... Mikey In Atlanta. PS - I have No relationship whatsoever with this particular eBAY seller. I present this ONLY for informational purposes. I hope one will read this in that context only. ==================== "A regular reoccurring theme that consistently permeates my Ebay auction descriptions is the exhortation to anyone building up a serious collection of vintage wristwatches that they must seek out models that are important both in the context of the products made by their manufacturer, and also in terms of the development of the wristwatch as a species in general. These watches, that represent such significant corner stones in the evolution of an industry, will always be the most sought-after items and the best performing as long-term investments. I firmly maintain that to purchase simply on a whimsical basis, capriciously choosing a piece largely on the basis of aesthetics, is not adequate in today�s pressurized market for these older timepieces. By becoming informed, acquiring a number of the recognized key reference works on vintage wristwatches, perhaps studying the comments made on several dedicated internet forums and in general understanding the subtleties of what makes a particular elderly watch more desirable than another, it is far easier to form a collection that combines pieces of consequential technical merit with representative examples of the changing stylistic form of the wristwatch as the 20th century progressed. For however long in the future wristwatches are collected, these watches will always be in demand as the most important items of the first century of the genre and as such, their continued financial appreciation and place in horological history is assured. And so it is with the subject of this auction, the beautiful Jaeger LeCoultre Futurematic from 1953, an extremely interesting item on many different levels and a piece that I would go so far as to say was a necessity in any collection aiming to chart of the progress of the Swiss automatic watch. First introduced in 1953, the Futurematic was instantly controversial on account of ht having no winding crown and therefore no facility for manually tensioning the mainspring. This lack of crown enabled Jaeger to produce a perfectly asymmetrical flowing case that is among the most attractive of all their watches and, quite justifiably, considered as something of a design classic among connoisseurs today. Keen-eyed observers will have noted that there is a crown fitted to the back of the watch, but it should be clarified that this is merely a device for setting the correct time and does not enable the movement to be manually wound. A very fine small touch is the ability to set the watch precisely to the second, a feature of the movement being the automatic stopping of the second hand when the winding crown is used to adjust the time. The Futurematic is all about total refinement and this additional mechanism is just one of several similar luxury features present here to be discussed in more detail below. Due to the additional bulky complications that were part of the Calibre 497 movement that was designed and built specially for the Futurematic, the resulting case used on this model was very large, measuring 34mm in width and 43 mm in length, considerably greater in size that the vast majority of similarly styled watches from this era. The case shape itself is so perfectly evocative of the fashion in luxury watches in the post-war period, with incredibly stylish sweeping angular teardrop lugs dominating the aesthetics of the piece. Collectors often refer to this model as having �grasshopper� lugs, the reason for this being obvious when the watch is viewed face on. The Futurematic was the most expensive model in the Jaeger LeCoultre range when new and is quite obvious that the company intended this piece to stand as a flagship item both cosmetically and technically that would draw attention to its other products. Studying my notes regarding the Futurematic now, there is actually so much that needs to be explained about this remarkable watch that it is somewhat difficult to know where to begin. I think that rather than explain the theory behind the model and then discuss this particular example, it would be perhaps more beneficial to the potential buyer and read more naturally if I try to blend both aspects into one, detailing each technical aspect and then relating it to the item offered. Hopefully the results will not be too clumsy, though to be fair, some of the movement features that make the Futurematic so important to the collector are a little bit tricky to put into free-standing text without the aid of diagrams, so it may well be necessary to bear with me and reread these paragraphs a couple of times before the full picture is grasped. Before diving headlong into a breakdown of this interesting watch, as a British national I cannot resist a small dose of flag waving my pointing out that, though certainly revolutionary in the market place of 1953, the Futurematic was not quite as pioneering as Jaeger LeCoultre would have had the buying public believe when they read the firm�s promotional literature at the time of its launch. There is a commonly held view that the Futurematic was the first wristwatch to completely do away with manual winding and its associated winding crown and indeed, this suggestion is made in numerous books on the subject of vintage timepieces. In truth though, the same system exactly was used on the world�s first automatic wristwatch in prototype form in late 1923, designed by the brilliant watchmaker John Harwood on the Isle of Man. Sadly, despite a small number of his exceptionally rare, very high-quality, eponymous watches being produced around 1930, this brilliant achievement, the world�s very first automatic wristwatch, has largely been forgotten, this fact obviously enabling Jaeger LeCoultre to conveniently omit to mention its existence when trumpeting the innovative nature of the Futurematic and not be challenged on this point. I bring in this other item not to make any kind of comparison between the two watches, both are, despite having several fundamental similarities, very different animals made in very different technological eras, but in order that at least in my descriptions, our own intrepid British horological pioneer gets the credit that he deserves. The very heavy yellow rolled-gold case on this watch is in superb condition and, almost certainly as a result of the Futurematic�s price when new, the piece has obviously led a very sheltered life. Futurematics are rare and sought after by collectors today, but despite this, I would still advise any potential buyers to hold fire until a really exceptional example is offered before making a purchase. The Futurematic movement, as will be detailed below, is an extremely complicated one, including every possible refinement and luxury and while is in inherently very reliable, a watch with a corroded or neglected movement will be far more likely to give trouble in the future and require expensive remedial work. As many of you who know me on a personal basis are well aware, I have always been almost obsessively critical when buying watches for my collection, often rejecting many examples before settling on one that I feel meets my criteria and the Futurematic is a piece that would be almost impossible to find now in better order than the watch offered here. For anyone specifically looking for one of these watches as an investment item, this piece is probably as near perfect as could be found anywhere. As one would expect to find on any well cared-for watch of this age, there are a number of small imperfections and tiny scratch masks to the case, but most importantly, especially on a case with ornate lugs where these tend to lose their definition over time, there is no case wear whatsoever. For anyone looking at a Futurematic for the first time, perhaps its most striking feature after the lack of a winding crown has been explained is the very distinctive power reserve indicator register to the left hand side of the dial. This item, as its name suggests, tells the wearer how much tension is left in the mainspring at any given time and therefore, how much of the watch�s 34-hour power reserve was available before the movement would stop functioning. The hand on this power reserve dial points vertically when the watch is at rest, moving clockwise as repeated movement causes the winding system to �charge� the mainspring. A distinctive red area on this dial indicates when this stored reserve is running low, in very much the same way that a petrol gauge on a motor car often has a brightly coloured �emergency� area that informs when one is about to run out of fuel. I think that my one very minor criticism of what is certainly one of my all time favorite vintage watches is that Jaeger did not create a movement for this model with a longer running capacity from fully wound to stopped. On a watch that was marketed on the basis of it being so refined as an automatic that a manual winding system was rendered redundant, I do feel that 34 hours of reserve is slightly short, though I have never heard this opinion voiced elsewhere. I would have preferred to have seen a 55 hour reserve as used in Jaeger�s next automatic movement in 1956, Calibre 815, but in fairness, these were early days for the company as an automatic movement maker, it having arrived curiously late on the self-winding scene, launching its very first so equipped movement, the 476, in 1947, only six years before the Futurematic was introduced. On any vintage watch, and particularly on a high value rare item like this one, dial condition and originality are of the utmost importance and their presence cannot be overstressed to the novice collector. At this level, more than anything else, the dial will set the market value of an item, being universally agreed as representing at least 40% of a watch�s worth. Even in the case of a very complicated piece like this one, if a movement is badly worn or is not working, in the hands of a specialist repairer who has access to the correct old stock parts, this can potentially be stripped down to its bare bones and then rebuilt, though such work can be astronomically expensive. In the same way, a steel or gold case can be separated from its movement and carefully and laboriously hand-polished back to its original gleaming condition, removing any scratches that may be present, but it is absolutely true to say that once a dial has discoloured or become damaged, there is no way of restoring this item back to its original state and it must be completely chemically stripped and reprinted from scratch. Unlike the examples given of movement and case work, this process irreversibly destroys a major aspect of the watch as it was when new and accordingly, devalues it phenomenally as a collector�s item. The dial is, if you like, the public face of any vintage watch and must be carefully scrutinized and taken into account before a purchase is made. With very few exceptions, these being made when I was aware that I would have to compromise in the case of a handful of watches that were so rare I might never have found others in any condition, when I bought these watches for my collection in the early 1980�s I had a strict rule of only considering those pieces with original dials that were almost "as new." This particular dial, a visually spectacular two tone item with rare art deco triangular-shaped markers, is absolutely original and as near to being mint as one could ever expect to find on a watch of this age. Looking at the dial now under high magnification, I have to say that it is effectively impossible to tell this apart from a brand new item. Quite remarkably, there is no spotting or discolouration whatsoever and all numerals and detailing are crisp and legible. Notice that the dial in signed in short "LeCoultre" rather than the full "Jaeger LeCoultre" that we would more usually expect. This informs us that the watch was originally sold in the USA where, due to licensing agreements between Jaeger and their American distributor, this abbreviated signature was used throughout the 1950�s and 60�s. Jaeger watches for the American market differ only in this dial signature and are otherwise identical. While not in the slightest affecting the value of the piece, I must admit that this more elegant looking, less crowded, signing does appeal to me greatly and I have always been pleased when a Jaeger model I was looking for surfaced with this style of dial wording. The breathtaking Calibre 497 in this watch, one of the most sought after Jaeger LeCoultre movements of all time and produced entirely in house with no outsourced components, is the text book example of this famous company�s work at its most ingenious best. I have commented in one of my other current Ebay descriptions that we should consider Jaeger largely as a reactionary firm, rather than a pioneering one among the grand Swiss marquees. Other top tier makers have introduced radical new concepts in movement making and case architecture, but Jaeger have never done so, instead earning their legendary reputation, quite justifiably, as a refiner, perfecting the ideas that were invented by others. For LeCoultre, the Futurematic, and the movement contained in it, typify this position perfectly. The quality of this movement is quite literally, second to none, but its beauty and importance lie in its technical refinement, not in it being revolutionary in any respect. There are some wonderfully ingenious features in this movement, which will be detailed below, that were developed uniquely for the Futurematic, but when these luxuries are not taken into account, the actual base unit is a very conventional bumper automatic of the most spectacular quality. Today, one could spend many thousands of pounds on a new luxury watch and have an item with far less intrinsic quality than is present here. Vintage Jaegers of all kinds, and especially rare models like the Futurematic, are always very expensive now on the collectible market, but in real terms, when the standard of their engineering and hand finishing is taken into account, are still remarkably good value for money. It will have been noticed that I described this movement in the previous paragraph as a "bumper" automatic, this word being the colloquialism used by vintage watch collectors to describe a self winding watch on which the movement is wound by means of an oscillating "hammer" that pivots backwards and forwards under gravity. First used in the very earliest automatic wristwatch (see my reference to John Harwood above) the bumper has enormous charisma but was eventually superseded throughout the industry by the 360 degree rotor system of automatic winding whereby this item would continue to wind indefinitely in one direction until gravity or movement from the wearer set it turning in the other. The name "bumper" relates to the bumping action of the hammer unit as it is arrested at its extremity of travel by buffer springs and quite literally, bounced or "bumped" back in the direction from which it came. By 1953, when this watch was produced, the bumper had all but disappeared. Once again, this is the perfect example of Jaeger LeCoultre refining an existing technology rather than being at the vanguard of new development. The Futurematic, with its perfect build and superb technical fine touches is arguably the final top tier model in which a bumper movement continued to be present. The fact that Jaeger chose to take this approach, when effectively all their competitors had switched to the manufacture of rotor based automatics, is very telling of the conservative nature of the company�s management at this time. While Jaeger opted for tried and tested technology by choosing a bumper winding system, they then proceeded to add every conceivable refinement for this flagship model. The power reserve dial register has already been discussed, but less obvious, and a feature much loved of Jaeger collectors who always seem to use it in conversation as an example of the superior nature of their favoured company�s products, is the ingenious prevention of the watch being allowed to wind down to completely empty. On a conventional automatic, when the mainspring has completely lost all tension, the watch stops, then requiring considerable input from the wearer, perhaps half a dozen or more gentle shakes to start it running again and ensure that it has enough power to keep functioning for more than a few seconds. Uniquely I suspect, Jaeger included a system on the Futurematic where the stopwork engages when the movement has approximately six hours power reserve left in its mainspring rather than allowing the mainspring to ever completely run flat. Thus, the movement is no longer running, but when picked up, will immediately begin to run, the stopwork automatically being disengaged by this action. The power reserve indicator will be pointing vertically at this time, showing the watch to be without power supply and not allowing for this built in �hidden� storage capacity. Even the basic physical design of this 497 Calibre is not conventional, and improves upon that normally used in automatic watches. Self-winding movements, either of bumper or 360 degree winding construction, have a tendency to suffer from lateral play in their winding arms. In a way, this is almost a fact of life with any automatic winding system, simply because the rotor or hammer must be so loose and friction free by definition in order that even the slightest movement of the wearer�s wrist enables it to move and therefore wind the watch. Jaeger dealt brilliantly with this problem by suspending the rotor both above AND below the movement, therefore allowing it to move freely while at the same time being fully supported laterally to avoid any unwanted play. The only two automatic watches that, to my knowledge, have ever been produced in this way are the Futurematic and again, the Harwood, and given the already discussed lack of winding crown on both watches, it becomes obvious to me that the little known pioneering 20�s watch was the inspiration for this refined Jaeger model of the 50�s. Best of all in my mind though, and something that should certainly be used as standard throughout the luxury automatic movements produced today, but isn�t, due to its high cost of production and assembly, is the spectacular system that Jaeger built into the 497 to prevent over winding of the mainspring. On any self-winding watch, there must be a mechanism to automatically disengage the rotor or winding hammer from the mainspring. When a manual watch is wound by hand, the wearer simply stops winding when he feels the winding crown go tight in his fingers, thus preventing damage to the movement. This same result is accomplished on a standard automatic movement by means of a slipping clutch that disengages the winding mechanism when full resistance is encountered. Again uniquely, for the Futurematic, Jaeger approached the problem in an entirely different way, utilizing a virtually forgotten hammer blocking system that was actually first seen on pocket watches designed in 1770 by Abraham Louis Perrelet. When maximum desired spring tension is achieved, the hammer arm is actually arrested and prevented from winding further by a hook shaped lever, this automatically withdrawing when the mainspring has run down enough to be capable of again being topped up with tension. This beautifully engineered solution has one great advantage over the slipping clutch system. Being prevented from moving when the movement is fully wound, there is no potential for needless wear of the swinging arm or any other automatic winding component. In the course of a typical day, imagine how many needless backward and forward journeys a disconnected winding arm connected to a slipping clutch must make while the watch is fully wound, and how, over several decades, this translates into not inconsiderable wear and fatigue. On the Futurematic, the winding hammer can only oscillate when the movement is in need of winding and is locked solidly in place when no winding is needed. This unique system ( in wristwatch form), brilliantly designed and even more brilliantly executed, is one of the most appealing refinements to be found on any vintage automatic watch and in itself, certainly justifies the presence of one of these models in any collection that aims to accurately represent the development and history of the mechanical self winding timepiece. As one would expect from any Jaeger LeCoultre product, the standard of hand finishing present in this movement is of the very finest grade. It should be remembered that despite its complexity, the 497 was still built by hand in `n era when the Swiss watch industry was with very little automation and obviously employed none of the laser cutting and computer controlled machinery that is universally used today. This is of course a gully signed movement, with �LeCoultre, 17 Jewels, Swiss� being correctly present on the winding hammer. Visually, the 497 is extremely attractive, and is it not in the least bit surprising that respected German collector Gisbert Brunner chose to include a large close-up colour plate of an identical 497 to this one on page 237 of his excellent 1999 book "Wristwatches," singing the praises of the Futurematic in its accompanying text. Most importantly of all, this movement is not only in nearly mint condition, but is completely original in every respect, with no changed or incorrect parts whatsoever. When buying vintage watches at this high level, it is vitally important that only totally authentic pieces are obtained, with no departures from their factory standard specification. The piece has been fully serviced on regular basis and works perfectly today. Just as it should, the power reserve indicator functions properly, gradually climbing up as the mainspring tension increases and backing down again when the watch is removed from the wrist and laid at rest. I have fitted the watch with a brand new crocodile skin type strap and this is in mint condition, having never been worn. This strap is not a Jaeger LeCoultre item, but is of very high quality and almost identical in appearance to those shown hn the Jaeger catalogues of the time with the Futurematic. In summary, this is a rare opportunity to purchase one of the most interesting, and technically important automatic wristwatches of the 30th century. As I have mentioned in the first paragraph of my description, I think that it�s very important to purchase items that have historical significance and represent genuine advancement in the field of fine horology. This is certainly the case with the Futurematic and even today, over a half-century later after this particular watch was made, this model remains as containing arguably the most refined automatic movement to have ever been built and unquestionably one that is very different in execution to any other. A very interesting point of note is the well-documented fact that Jaeger LeCoultre actually lost money on every Futurematic they sold, due to the phenomenally high cost of producing such a complicated and over engineered movement in which virtually no parts were common to any other Calibre in the Jaeger range. I have never been quite sure whether this was actually an intended lost leader to promote the company�s other models, or if the production costs of the watch simply escalated to an extent that was not initially expected. Opinions differ as to the length of time that the Futurematic was in production. It appears in the Jaeger LeCoultre catalogue until 1958, though is believed to have been discontinued in 1957 and this inclusion merely facilitated Jaeger�s liquidating the few remaining watches that they still had in stock. Whether finally being laid to rest in 57 or 58, it is unquestionably the case that this is a very rare watch and, particularly in this almost impossible to find condition, a highly valued connoisseur�s piece. I have set the start bid amount for this piece at �585, a figure that merely represents the price I paid to acquire the watch many years ago in the mid 1980�s. Even then, it was still regarded as an exotic piece even before there was widespread awareness of vintage watches as collectibles. The Futurematic appears in almost every one of the "standard" vintage wristwatch reference books published in the last 20 years and is universally treated in these as rare exotica. Hemlut Kahlert�s book "Wristwatches. History of a Century�s Development" gives a full color page (page no. 171) to two Futurematics, both from 1953, one in almost mint condition stated as having a value of $2800 US dollars and the other, in considerably poorer order having a suggested worth of $1800 dollars. This work was first published in 1997 and prices for high-grade vintage watches have risen enormously in the intervening time. Any vintage Jaeger LeCoultre from this period, universally regarded as a golden era for the Swiss luxury watch industry by collectors, will always command a high price and the value of exotica like this item will steadily climb as the interest in elderly wristwatches continues to grow. This certainly won�t be a cheap item, and I would make an educated guess that it will eventually sell for around �1900 GB pounds, but even at this sum, in the current bull market for vintage wristwatches, it will rapidly prove itself as a good investment and one that in the meantime, will be a source of enormous pleasure to its owner. " | ||
| gatorcpa Unregistered guest Rating: N/A |
Mike - I've seen this listing. While the information provided is incredibly informative, I find it somewhat disappointing that the author/seller takes liberty with the description of this particular piece in an effort to extract a few more pounds for this watch. He spends an almost an entire paragraph describing the process of redialing a watch. He describes the dial on this piece as "absolutely original and as near to being mint as one could ever expect to find on a watch of this age." Yet, the model name as reprinted on the dial is misspelled. Unfortunately, the above clouds the veracity of the research in which this seller has invested a good amount of time and effort. Based on the current auction price, he should be well rewarded for his efforts. I can only hope the buyer realizes what he is getting. Not meaning to shoot the messenger, as you did not write the above, but I truly dislike misrepresentation in any form. When it is couched inside of a well-written auction listing, that makes the misrepresentation even more dangerous. Just my feelings on the matter. gatorcpa | ||
| GregB Unregistered guest Rating: N/A |
No doubt the description is way, way too long for my tastes, but I don't think it was an intentional error to misrepresent the dial originality. I dropped an e-mail note to the seller. His reaction (whether he amends or drops the auction) should tell all. The lettering on the refinished "LeCoultre" logo looks very straight and correct in every other respect... might have fooled me if I wasn't paying close attention and had my thinking cap on. I have to confess that I was in a very similar incident when I first started collecting/trading watches years ago. I sold a beautiful Seamaster Date @6 and wasn't paying close enough attention. I represented it as having an original dial... turns out that it had the word "Calendar" misspelled. While the folks on the TZ board were busy criticizing my mistake and laughing at me, a kind gentleman sent me a gently worded e-mail pointing out the error and I dropped the auction instantly. We all make mistakes. Sometime they're unintentional. Greg | ||
| Zaf Moderator Username: Zaf Post Number: 1322 Registered: 05-2003 Rating: N/A |
Hmmm...not sure this is unintentional. With such a write up, you'd think they guy would be able to tell an original dial from a repaint. That said...anyone looking for crispy examples < $1000 contact me...I still own about 30-40 of these. Just don't tell my wife. | ||
| gatorcpa Unregistered guest Rating: N/A |
Zaf - I tend to agree with you after looking at other listings from the same seller. A lot of his watches are obvious redials that he says are originals. I don't have any problems with redials; own some myself. Here's a picture of a nice original dial on a Futurematic. http://photobucket.com/albums/y266/gatorcpa/Watch%20Photos/LeCoultre%20Futuremat ic/?action=view¤t=Futurematics1.jpg It's a shame, because this seller's watches are quite nice, redials or not. It's just that I see people paying huge money for these and possibly not getting what they think they are paying for. You are honest in your listings regarding condition and do not try to pass off watches as something they are not. Thanks for the forum and the help. gatorcpa | ||
| Mike Lulejian - Atlanta, GA Unregistered guest Rating: N/A |
By the way .. I did not know when I originally posted the "ad" it would get such a good turnout of replies. I thought what the writer DID get correct would be enough to compensate for all of his errors and mistakes. In retrospect, I was wrong. But I do agree with "GatorCPA." At least this generated a little enthusiasm which is always healthy here. Wishing everyone a wonderful week here and hoping everyone locates a 14Kt FutureMatic for $86.79, total, by Thursday, if not earlier. Haha Y'all take Care, Mikey |
