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Jaeger-LeCoultre Automatic Power Reserve Bumper, 1960 — view 1 of 6
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Wristwatches · Wristwatch

Jaeger-LeCoultre Automatic Power Reserve Bumper, 1960

DocumentedDocumented from a dealer's listing; attribution and date as stated by the dealer.
Maker / attribution
Jaeger-LeCoultre (maker)
Date
1960
Country of origin
Switzerland
Object type
Wristwatch
Materials / technique
Stainless steel
Dimensions
Diameter 33 mm (without crown)
Stock no.
vp4495
Credit line
Dealer listing, Vintage Portfolio (vp4495)
Catalogue title (original)
Serviced Jaeger LeCoultre Automatic 33mm Power Reserve Bumper (English)

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

Record summary

Catalogued by Vintage Portfolio (dealer), Vienna (stock number vp4495), this is a wristwatch by Jaeger-LeCoultre, made in Switzerland, dated 1960. 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. Recorded dimensions: Diameter 33 mm (without crown). The record is illustrated with 6 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

Dealer specification — Vintage Portfolio

Movement: automatic with centre seconds; Dial: cream colored; Case: stainless steel; Crown: Service (usually not branded); Diameter: 33 mm (without crown); Strap: real leather (black).

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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