Wristwatches · Wristwatch
Jaeger LeCoultre Tank, Art Deco Styling, 10k Gold Filled, Presentation Watch, circa 1945
- Maker / attribution
- Jaeger-LeCoultre (maker)
- Date
- c. 1945
- Historical period
- Modern Mechanical Horology (1945 – 1969)
- Country of origin
- Switzerland
- Object type
- Wristwatch
- Materials / technique
- gold filled
- Stock no.
- vws4151
- Credit line
- Dealer listing, Vintage Watch Specialist (vws4151)
- Catalogue title (original)
- Jaeger LeCoultre Tank - Art Deco Styling - 10k Gold Filled - Presentation Watch - c.1945 (English)
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Record summary
Catalogued by Vintage Watch Specialist (dealer), United Kingdom (stock number vws4151), this is a wristwatch by Jaeger-LeCoultre, made in Switzerland, dated c. 1945. The Atlas places it in the Modern Mechanical Horology period (1945 – 1969) of its Wristwatches collection. Materials and techniques recorded by the source: gold filled. 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 — Vintage Watch Specialist
A Charming Gold Filled LeCoultre Tank Presentation Watch with a Stunning Art Deco Dial Featuring Stylish Furniture, c.1945 LeCoultre is the name used by the historic Swiss manufacture founded by Antoine LeCoultre in 1833 when selling watches in the American market throughout much of the 20th century. Due to distribution and trademark arrangements, many US-sold pieces were signed simply “LeCoultre” rather than Jaeger-LeCoultre. These watches share the same in-house movements, craftsmanship and design heritage as their European counterparts and are now highly regarded for their quality, elegance and collectible significance. What's on Offer A striking Art Deco–era LeCoultre dress watch, this rectangular piece showcases the bold yet elegant design language of the 1940s. The gold-filled case presents beautifully, with gently curved, soldered lugs and crisp geometry that sits elegantly on the wrist. The dial is a real highlight, featuring abstract, arrowhead-style faceted hour markers, stylish Dauphine hands and a neatly balanced subsidiary seconds register at six o’clock, giving the watch both character and symmetry. Signed “LeCoultre” for the American market, the watch reflects the transatlantic heritage of the brand, with Swiss craftsmanship paired with US casing and finishing. Adding further charm and provenance, this example is a presentation piece, with period engraving to the caseback that hints at its original owner and story. A refined, wearable slice of horological history, offering timeless style with genuine vintage soul.
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
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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