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A gentleman's size stainless steel Jaeger LeCoultre Memovox automatic Alarm wrist watch circa 1960s — view 1 of 4
View 1 of 4 · Image: Watches of Knightsbridge / LiveAuctioneers · original image source (opens another website in a new tab)

Wristwatches · Wristwatch

A gentleman's size stainless steel Jaeger LeCoultre Memovox automatic Alarm wrist watch circa 1960s

DocumentedDocumented from an auction catalogue; attribution as stated by the auction house.
Maker / attribution
Jaeger-Lecoultre (maker)
Date
c. 1960s
Country of origin
Unrecorded in source
Object type
Wristwatch
Materials / technique
stainless steel
Lot
Item 177819181
Credit line
Auction lot record: lot 67, Modern, Vintage & Military Timepieces, Watches of Knightsbridge (2024), via LiveAuctioneers
Catalogue title (original)
A GENTLEMAN'S SIZE STAINLESS STEEL JAEGER LECOULTRE MEMOVOX AUTOMATIC ALARM WRIST WATCH CIRCA 1960s, (English)

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Record summary

Catalogued by LiveAuctioneers auction archive (lot Item 177819181), this is a wristwatch by Jaeger-Lecoultre, dated c. 1960s. The Atlas places it in the Modern Mechanical Horology period (1945 – 1969) of its Wristwatches collection. Materials and techniques recorded by the source: stainless steel. The record is illustrated with 4 photographs.

Assembled from the source record's structured fields. Dates and attributions are given as the source states them; where a field is missing the Atlas leaves it blank rather than estimating.

Catalogue description

Lot description — Watches of Knightsbridge

A GENTLEMAN'S SIZE STAINLESS STEEL JAEGER LECOULTRE MEMOVOX AUTOMATIC ALARM WRIST WATCH CIRCA 1960s, REF. E855 Movement: "Bumper" automatic, cal. K825, signed Jaeger-LeCoultre, numbered. Case: Diameter approx. 37.5mm, two-part case back, signed Memovox, numbered, JLC crowns. Strap: Leather.

Historical context

Modern Mechanical Horology (1945 – 1969)

Tool watches for divers, pilots and astronauts; electric watches anticipate the electronic age.

The classic era of the mechanical wristwatch: dive watches, chronographs for motor racing and space flight, GMT watches for jet travel, slim dress watches, automatic calendars, and the rise of Japanese manufacturers alongside Swiss, American, German and Soviet industries.

Read the period in the timelineMore wristwatches from this periodEarlier: Golden Age of Mechanical Watchmaking

Atlas type guide

Automatic (self-winding) watches

Self-winding watches use the wearer's motion to wind the mainspring. Abraham-Louis Perrelet and Breguet made 'perpétuelle' pocket watches with oscillating weights in the late eighteenth century, but the principle only became practical in the wristwatch. John Harwood patented a bumper automatic in 1923; Rolex's Perpetual rotor (1931) winding in one direction, and later bidirectional rotors (Eterna, Felsa Bidynator), established the modern form. Micro-rotors (Universal Genève, Buren) and peripheral rotors made automatic watches thinner.

What to look for

  • A semicircular rotor turning 360° over the movement, or a 'bumper' weight that rebounds between springs.
  • 'Automatic', 'Perpetual' or 'Self-winding' on the dial.
  • A sealed screw-back case, since automatic watches are wound less often by the crown.

Dating clues

  • Bumper automatics: 1923–c. 1955.
  • Full rotors: from 1931 (Rolex); widespread after c. 1950.
  • Micro-rotors: from 1954–1958.

General guidance written by the Atlas editors about this kind of object. It is not a statement about this particular piece; for that, rely on the source record above and on physical examination.

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