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Jaeger-LeCoultre. A lady's stainless steel manual wind, c. 1970 — view 1 of 2
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Wristwatches · Wristwatch

Jaeger-LeCoultre. A lady's stainless steel manual wind, c. 1970

DocumentedDocumented from an auction catalogue; attribution as stated by the auction house.
Maker / attribution
Jaeger-Lecoultre (maker)
Date
c. 1970
Country of origin
Unrecorded in source
Object type
Wristwatch
Materials / technique
gilt metal, metal, stainless steel, gilt
Lot
Item 110152090
Credit line
Auction lot record: lot 114, Watches and Wristwatches, Bonhams (2021), via LiveAuctioneers
Catalogue title (original)
Jaeger-LeCoultre. A lady's stainless steel manual wind (English)

View the source record (auction lot) ↗ (opens another website in a new tab)Suggest a correction

Record summary

Catalogued by LiveAuctioneers auction archive (lot Item 110152090), this is a wristwatch by Jaeger-Lecoultre, dated c. 1970. The Atlas places it in the Quartz Revolution period (1969 – 1990) of its Wristwatches collection. Materials and techniques recorded by the source: gilt metal, metal, stainless steel, gilt. The record is illustrated with 2 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 — Bonhams

Jaeger-LeCoultre. A lady's stainless steel manual wind wristwatch and accompanying gilt metal Memovox pocket watch Reference: 1671 Date: Circa 1970 Movement: 17-jewel Cal.K640 manual wind Dial: Silvered, applied polished baton hour markers, polished pointed baton hands Case: Brushed and polished rectangular, snap on back, stirrup lugs, No.1309136 Strap/Bracelet: Black leather Buckle/Clasp: Associated steel buckle Signed: Case, dial & movement Size: 23mm Accompaniments: Gilt metal Jaeger-LeCoultre Memovox pocket watch

Historical context

Quartz Revolution (1969 – 1990)

Seiko's Astron begins mass quartz timekeeping; traditional industries contract sharply.

Quartz and digital watches transformed the market after 1969. Swiss employment collapsed, Japanese and Hong Kong production soared, and the Swatch (1983) helped the Swiss industry recover; mechanical watches survived as luxury goods.

Read the period in the timelineMore wristwatches from this periodEarlier: Modern Mechanical Horology

Atlas type guide

Wristwatches

Bracelet watches were worn by women from the early nineteenth century — Breguet made one for Caroline Murat, Queen of Naples, in 1810–12 — but the wristwatch only became a man's instrument with military use and aviation in the early twentieth century. Between the World Wars it overtook the pocket watch; the 1920s and 1930s brought rectangular Art Deco cases, water-resistant cases and the first automatic winding systems.

After 1945 the wristwatch became a carrier of identity — dress watches, sports and dive watches, chronographs, calendars — produced by Swiss, American, Japanese, German, Soviet and Chinese industries. The quartz revolution after 1969 and the mechanical renaissance since the 1990s, including the rise of independent watchmakers, complete the story.

What to look for

  • The reference number (between the lugs or inside the case back) and serial number, the starting point for dating.
  • The calibre: its maker and number are often stamped under the dial or on the bridge.
  • Originality of dial, hands and crown — refinished ('redial') dials are common.
  • Case material marks: 18K/750, 14K/585, stainless steel, gold-filled, plated.

Dating clues

  • Wire-lug cases: before c. 1925.
  • Water-resistant screw-down cases: from 1926.
  • Quartz movements: from 1969; sapphire crystals widespread after c. 1980.

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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