Jaeger-LeCoultre Mark XI Pilot's Watch, 1948 — view 1 of 6 — View 1 of 6 · Image: Analog/Shift · original image source (opens another website in a new tab)

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Wristwatches · Wristwatch

Jaeger-LeCoultre Mark XI Pilot's Watch, 1948

DocumentedDocumented from a dealer's listing; attribution and date as stated by the dealer.

Maker / attribution: Jaeger LeCoultre (maker)
Date: 1948
Historical period: Modern Mechanical Horology (1945 – 1969)
Country of origin: Unrecorded in source
Object type: Wristwatch
Dealer: Analog/Shift (dealer), New York
Stock no.: Product 1058540609
Credit line: Dealer listing, Analog/Shift (product 1058540609)
Catalogue title (original): Jaeger-LeCoultre Mark XI Pilot's Watch (English)

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Record summary

Catalogued by Analog/Shift (dealer), New York (stock number Product 1058540609), this is a wristwatch by Jaeger LeCoultre, dated 1948. The Atlas places it in the Modern Mechanical Horology period (1945 – 1969) of its Wristwatches collection. 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 description — Analog/Shift

Through much of World War II, allied aviators were donning the American-made A-11 service watch. While this tough-as-nails timekeeper performed meritoriously for soldiers and airmen alike, Britain's Ministry of Defense found that the production specifications of the A-11 were too broad and resulted in timepieces too imprecise for effective navigation. As an answer to the A-11, the MoD issued new standards for the watches going to its RAF pilots. The new standard, coded 6B/346, required chronometer-grade performance and anti-magnetic properties. For the production of this new timepiece, the MoD turned to major European manufactures, eventually giving contracts to two: International Watch Company and Jaeger-LeCoultre. The resulting timepiece was the Mark XI Pilot's watch. In addition to the relatively standard features present on the A-11 (center seconds, hacking and a stainless steel case) the Mark XI featured a soft iron dial and dust cover which shielded the movement from magnetism. While IWC produced their version of the Mark XI with their existing Calibre 89 (which found its way into many IWC models of the era), Jaeger-LeCoultre filled their orders with a 12.5 ligne, 16-jewel Calibre 488SBr movement - a movement that was only used in the Mark XI series - making the JLC executions much more sought after by collectors. This particular example was produced in 1948 and features the original JLC dial, hands, crown and "Staybrite" stainless steel case.

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 timeline More wristwatches from this period Earlier: Golden Age of Mechanical Watchmaking

Atlas type guide

Military, pilot and travel watches

The wristwatch owes much of its adoption by men to warfare and aviation. Wristlets — small pocket watches soldered with lugs and worn on a strap — were used in colonial campaigns and became standard equipment in the First World War, with protective grilles over the crystal ('shrapnel guards'). Louis Cartier's Santos (1904), designed for the aviator Alberto Santos-Dumont, is often cited as an early purpose-made pilot's watch.

In the Second World War governments specified watches in detail: the German B-Uhr observation watches, the American A-11, and the British 'W.W.W.' (the 'Dirty Dozen' set of 1945). After the war, jet travel brought GMT and world-time watches, which show two or more time zones at once — Louis Cottier's world-time mechanism and the Rolex GMT-Master (1955) are examples.

What to look for

Military markings on the case back: broad arrow, issue numbers, 'W.W.W.', 'A.T.P.'
High-legibility black dials with luminous Arabic numerals; oversized crowns for gloved hands.
24-hour hands and rotating 24-hour bezels or city rings on GMT/world-time watches.
Wire lugs on early wristlets converted from pocket watches.

Dating clues

Wire-lug wristlets: c. 1900–1925.
Military specifications of the Second World War: 1939–1945.
GMT and world-time wristwatches: mainly after 1950.

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.

Mechanisms mentioned

Jewel bearings — Component

Record completeness

Maker or attributionRecorded
DateRecorded
Place or countryNot in source
MaterialsNot in source
DimensionsNot in source
Narrative descriptionRecorded
Inscriptions / marksNot in source
ProvenanceNot in source
Several photographsRecorded

Editorial status: Documented — facts as published by the source; not independently verified by Atlas editors.

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Sources & image rights

Record source: Analog/Shift (dealer), New York (opens another website in a new tab).

Image rights: © Analog/Shift — dealer photographs; permission required (opens another website in a new tab).

Images are hosted by the Atlas for study and credited to their owner. Rights holders may request correction, credit changes or removal, or grant permission, via the editorial office.

Cite this record

"Jaeger-LeCoultre Mark XI Pilot's Watch, 1948." Analog/Shift (dealer), New York, Product 1058540609. Catalogue record in The Horology Atlas, WatchMuseum.org, https://atlas.watchmuseum.org/museum/jaeger-lecoultre-mark-xi-pilot-s-watch-4358ff.