| Author | Message | ||
     Friedrich Bahnweiler New member Username: Buzzrickson Post Number: 1 Registered: 04-2006 Rating: N/A |
hi, to all the watch addicts, a work of literature [william gibson�s "all tomorrows parties"] awoke my interest in jlc-watches [because two rather classical jlcs were featured - the raf/raaf mark XI and the futurematic] so maybe you can answer my questions concerning the futurematic: i already learned that jlc marketed their watches in america under the label "lecoultre". when i searched for pictures of futurematics in the internet i found out that only the "lecoultre" futurematics [the amrican market models] were marked as "futurematic" on the dial - while the europeam market futurematics are labeled as "automatic" - so my question is: were only the american "lecoultre" labeled "futurematic" on the dial? can anyone specify production numbers for this watch? and yes i fell in love with that watch - did they ever produce a steel version of the "lecoultre" with a black dial [which would be my favourite!]? here in europe the futurematics tend to be rather overpriced - they run from 1500 to 2000 � ebay-price - are the prices in america lower? where can i get one? | ||
| Hex Onx New member Username: Hexonx Post Number: 97 Registered: 09-2005 Rating: N/A |
I've read all of William Gibson, except that book which is supposed to not be very good. However, since you have mentioned this, I will have to give it a read. | ||
| Buzz Rickson New member Username: Buzzrickson Post Number: 2 Registered: 04-2006 Rating: N/A |
dear hex onx, in my eyes (i read also everything of gibson) "all tomorrows parties" is by far one of his best! as the climax of his "bridge trilogy" i recommend the first two books of this trilogy (namely "virtual light" and "idoru") to be read first. his last book "pattern recognition" is also recommendable. but back to watches and "all tomorrows parties" - the villain in that book is named "harwood" (nice coincidence for us watch-addicts) and owns the futurematic. gibson himself seems to be a real watch-otaku too - in interviews he admitted the jlc mk XI too be his favourite watch. | ||
| Zaf Moderator Username: Zaf Post Number: 1822 Registered: 05-2003 Rating: N/A |
"when i searched for pictures of futurematics in the internet i found out that only the "lecoultre" futurematics [the amrican market models] were marked as "futurematic" on the dial - while the europeam market futurematics are labeled as "automatic" - so my question is: were only the american "lecoultre" labeled "futurematic" on the dial? " This is only true of some European Futurematics. Some port hole models where also labeled Futurematic. It did exist, in the US market in steel & black. I have not seen one for the Euro market in those colors. Total production is around 53,000 with the Euro market accounting for about 10%. That is why there is such a price difference. It's much harder to find. I have a couple of American ones for sale on the site, thanks. | ||
| Hex Onx New member Username: Hexonx Post Number: 99 Registered: 09-2005 Rating: N/A |
Buzz- You must be a contrarian  . Anyway I have "virtual light" and "idoru". They both were either X-mas or Birthday presents, need I say more. I used to do a lot of international traveling, mainly, HK, JA, PRC, SG, AU, TH and some EU. That is where I did my "William Gibson" reading. I now realize that many who read "all tomorrows parties" might not have read the first two. I heard that the ending was not explained and he leaves things open. Now that WB is a "watch-otaku" kind of guy, I will have to follow-up. | ||
| gatorcpa Unregistered guest Rating: N/A |
Here is an older post from another forum which should contain most of the information you are seeking. http://www.network54.com/Forum/234648/thread/1046348836/ Included are production numbers of the various Futurematic models and a picture of a JLC version with the "Futurematic" logo. Hope this helps, gatorcpa | ||
| Buzz Rickson New member Username: Buzzrickson Post Number: 3 Registered: 04-2006 Rating: N/A |
@gatorcpa: thanks a lot for providing the link - it helped a lot!! @zaf - i seem to have ound my dreamwatch [for this year ;-)] a Caliber 497 lecoutre futurematic with a black dial and steel case - i searched the site but only found two futurematics - both gold and without black dials - do you got any black dial 497 steel case in stock? @hex onx: hey the open endings are espacially favourable concerning gibson - as we all know: the are no "closed" ends. read "all tomorrows parties" on your next flight to whatever - i am sure you will like it. and for a little party-conversation-info: in germany the translated version of "all tomorrows parties" was even titled "futurematic"! | ||
| Buzz Rickson New member Username: Buzzrickson Post Number: 4 Registered: 04-2006 Rating: N/A |
@zaf: sorry i had simply searched for jaeger-lecoultre - now i realized the category "lecoultre". unluckily no steelcase black dial 497. should such a watch show up in your stocks please do me the favour to contact me - thx Buzz Rickson | ||
| Hex Onx New member Username: Hexonx Post Number: 100 Registered: 09-2005 Rating: N/A |
Buzz et al, Okay on "futurematic" in Germany. The ex DDR part of Germany probably is just getting into the cyberpunk as we know it. The east is where things are still relatively cheaper and start-ups are happening. These folks have been out of the loop for quite some time. Lived in W-Germany for 9 years and been in the DDR traveling during that time. Read "Snow Crash" by Neal Stephenson. That was a great read if you like cyberpunk. May I ask? Why all of the interest on Futurematics all of a sudden? Is it because of the Gibson book? | ||
| Hex Onx New member Username: Hexonx Post Number: 101 Registered: 09-2005 Rating: N/A |
I answer my own question. Need I say more. http://williamgibsonboard.com/groupee/forums?a=search&reqWords=futurematic | ||
| Buzz Rickson New member Username: Buzzrickson Post Number: 5 Registered: 04-2006 Rating: N/A |
;-) caught! hex onx - maybe the omniscient leitznoctilux of the gibsonboard is also present here under a different nick. but the gibson-readers who are also vivid "watch-otakus" are a rather small bunch - i am involved in a cyberpunk net community and the only thing i see there when it comes to gibson and watches are shrugs of indifference - maybe because most of these people are kids interested more in computers than watches about the startups in the east. well actually really nearly nothing is happeing there - sadly enough. only in the bigger cities (leipzig, dresden etc.). dare to venture into de de-urbanized zones of east germany and you´ll get a fair chance of being beaten up by frustrated nazi-skinheads.... okok painted to black - but really: the nice places there are scarce. btw. is there a rising interest in futurematics apart from this post which clearly points out the literary connection? since when? | ||
| Hex Onx New member Username: Hexonx Post Number: 102 Registered: 09-2005 Rating: N/A |
Buzz- OT- Okay on the guessing right. I do business with a few German companies and two are in the east. Yep. Big cities is what I was referring to. The rest still is still waiting for things to happen.  Futurematics are a great watch. The only issue that I read about is that the movements are hard to repair due to a continuing lack of parts out there. I guess due to the fact they hardly break down so not too many movements for parts. I don't know if the factory still works on them. I imagine Zaf would know. This is from a futurematic auction that ended. " This watch features the first calibre that was used in the Futurematic - the 497, which is a bumper auto with 17 jewels. This movement is a technical masterpiece and one of the reasons why Jaeger Le Coultre is often referred to as 'The watchmakers Watchmaker'. It was well named in that it was way ahead of anything on the market and still represents quite an achievement by today's standards. It is the only watch other than the 'Harwood' where the rotor is suspended both above and below the movement, thus giving support on both sides of the rotor and removing the possibility of lateral movement - a problem with almost all automatics. It also features a hook system as opposed to a slipping clutch, to prevent overwinding, the latter being a possible cause for error on 'ordinary' automatics. The end result of all this is a watch that even today has to be classed as supremely accurate. To be honest this is a watch that I trust without hesitation to be correct, it is a match for any modern day chronometer. The power reserve indicator is also very accurate and when you let the movement run down there is still 6 hours of 'hidden' reserve so that as soon as you lift it, the watch starts running. The watch is set by the sliding crown on the rear of the case and the movement is 'hacking'. " | ||
| Zaf Moderator Username: Zaf Post Number: 1829 Registered: 05-2003 Rating: N/A |
Obviously the seller in this case, has never worn a Futurematic Accurate power reserve c'mon. | ||
| Hex Onx New member Username: Hexonx Post Number: 103 Registered: 09-2005 Rating: N/A |
Ha! I tried to remove some of the marketing missive, but I missed that one. Sorry. | ||
| Hex Onx New member Username: Hexonx Post Number: 104 Registered: 09-2005 Rating: N/A |
Zaf, I wanted to ad but didn't. I guess he didn't wear it. It is supposedly out of his "collection". | ||
| Buzz Rickson New member Username: Buzzrickson Post Number: 6 Registered: 04-2006 Rating: N/A |
so what is the real deal you get when you wear a futurematic? simply asking because i am not one of the safe-only-people and really wear my beloved timepieces on a daily basis [which is why i keep my collection always rather small - only 6-7 watches]. | ||
| Zaf Moderator Username: Zaf Post Number: 1831 Registered: 05-2003 Rating: N/A |
It's not waterproof at all and relatively fragile and hs no parts availability (except me it seems) | ||
| Hex Onx New member Username: Hexonx Post Number: 105 Registered: 09-2005 Rating: N/A |
Zaf- You must be "Mr. Futurematic". I think the factory even turns down Futurematic repairs due to no parts availability. That's what I have read somewhere. They don't seem to make the parts anymore. I'm eventually going to have to own a Futurematic now that "WB" is a futurematic fan. | ||
| Zaf Moderator Username: Zaf Post Number: 1835 Registered: 05-2003 Rating: N/A |
I've fixed THREE in the last 30 days, all family pieces. Each one of them had bounced around several repair shops, condition deteriorating from one shop to the next. One of them showed up with the entire wind indicator section missing. | ||
| Hex Onx New member Username: Hexonx Post Number: 106 Registered: 09-2005 Rating: N/A |
I hate to say this but, I agree. Some shops are scavengers and do not care about their customers property. It's steal from Peter to fix Paul. They probably have watches laying around for years that customers dropped off and are just waiting for the oppourtunity to take advantage of a newbie or inheritance piece. I's a snow ball effect. They often switch sheet metal parts with the newbie OEM parts too. Lots of that going on, I'm sure. | ||
| Buzz Rickson New member Username: Buzzrickson Post Number: 7 Registered: 04-2006 Rating: N/A |
.. i guess hex onx means "wg" instead of "wb" ... could that be true? jlc having no parts for the futurematic left? did�t they use the 497 for others watches? the scavenger thing is an evil found often - i once opened an old russian watch assembled from mostly german parts the russians took as "war rparations" from the german glashütte manufacturers - not the worst way to build high-grade watches. but the watch went through several "repairs" in it�s life - i wondered how it could work in this condition... scary | ||
| Hex Onx New member Username: Hexonx Post Number: 107 Registered: 09-2005 Rating: N/A |
Buzz- Yes, I mean't WG. Zaf- Regarding the Futurematic, do you have the special OEM movement holder that allows you to flip the movement over? I read the movements are hard to hold in your typical movement holder. | ||
| Zaf Moderator Username: Zaf Post Number: 1840 Registered: 05-2003 Rating: N/A |
A normal movement holder will hold it. The problem is that there a section of the movement base plate that is fiarly thin and if you squeeze hard enough it will distort it. If it gets distorted too much, it could interfere with the swing of the rotor. You just have to be careful with this watch in general and most shops haven't a clue what to do with them, but once set up properly, they're a pleasure. | ||
| Buzz Rickson New member Username: Buzzrickson Post Number: 8 Registered: 04-2006 Rating: N/A |
didn´t i came up with the theory jaeger-lecoultre futurematics were all labeled atumatic on the dial whereas lecoultre futurematics were labeled "futurematic" on the dial? i am wrong - i discovered a picture of a "futurematic" labeled jaeger-lecoultre maybe zaf can tell anything about the labeling of the futurematic. which one were labeled "futurematic" which one "automatic" which one is rarer? | ||
| Hex Onx New member Username: Hexonx Post Number: 116 Registered: 09-2005 Rating: N/A |
Buzz. Send me an email when you get a chance. Click on my handle name for contact information. | ||
| gatorcpa Unregistered guest Rating: N/A |
Buzz - I think you have it a bit backward. US market LeCoultre pieces are labelled "Futurematic", but not "Automatic". European market JLC pieces may be labelled "Futurematic", or "Automatic", but not both. Some JLC's also say "Fabrique en Suisse", although I'm not sure if Futurematics have this additional labelling. Of course, there are always exceptions to these rules. Hope this helps, gatorcpa | ||
| Hex Onx New member Username: Hexonx Post Number: 117 Registered: 09-2005 Rating: N/A |
Buzz- The European version Jaeger-LeCoultre is harder to find. If that helps. | ||
| Buzz Rickson New member Username: Buzzrickson Post Number: 9 Registered: 04-2006 Rating: N/A |
hi to all again, thanks gatorpca for the info. maybe my recent post was a bit confused. has anyone info about how may jlc were labeled "automatic" and how may were labeled "futurematic"? damn - with all the risen interest in this watch maybe someone can come up with a webpage about the futurematic in the same style as the page about the famous mk XI - just a childish wish. | ||
| gatorcpa Unregistered guest Rating: N/A |
Buzz - This is probably about as close as you can get to the webpage you are looking for: http://www.fortunecity.com/marina/breakwater/13/future.html Enjoy, gatorcpa | ||
| Buzz Rickson New member Username: Buzzrickson Post Number: 10 Registered: 04-2006 Rating: N/A |
thx gatorpca, the site is a beginning lots of info about the movement. but unluckily nothing real about the different versions when it comes to cases and dial colours. and nothing about production numbers. interesting was this information on the site "In closing I have heard from ex Jaeger people who were there in the 50s that the company lost major amounts of money on every watch they sold as it was massively overcomplex and over engineered." | ||
| Zaf Moderator Username: Zaf Post Number: 1871 Registered: 05-2003 Rating: N/A |
You'll have to wait for the book. The Futurematic chapter is exhaustive. Now if the factory will just answer some of my questions, I've been waiting since #%^*ing January. | ||
| Buzz Rickson New member Username: Buzzrickson Post Number: 11 Registered: 04-2006 Rating: N/A |
ok let´s wait for the book! hey zaf can you tell me something about the term "gold filled" that often appears in discriptions of futurematics? | ||
| Zaf Moderator Username: Zaf Post Number: 1872 Registered: 05-2003 Rating: N/A |
Here you go: http://www.artisanplating.com/articles/goldfilled.html#introduction | ||
| Buzz Rickson New member Username: Buzzrickson Post Number: 12 Registered: 04-2006 Rating: N/A |
ah - ok that´s what i wanted to know! thx |