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LeCoultre Shark E 2643, 1960s — view 1 of 6
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Wristwatches · Wristwatch

LeCoultre Shark E 2643, 1960s

DocumentedDocumented from a dealer's listing; attribution and date as stated by the dealer.
Maker / attribution
LeCoultre (maker)
Date
1960s
Country of origin
Switzerland
Object type
Wristwatch
Dimensions
Case 40 mm
Stock no.
Product 4368147513431
Credit line
Dealer listing, S.Song Watches (product 4368147513431)
Catalogue title (original)
LeCoultre Shark E 2643 (English)

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

Record summary

Catalogued by S.Song Watches (dealer), Seattle (stock number Product 4368147513431), this is a wristwatch by LeCoultre, made in Switzerland, dated 1960s. The Atlas places it in the Modern Mechanical Horology period (1945 – 1969) of its Wristwatches collection. Recorded dimensions: Case 40 mm. 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 — S.Song Watches

This is certainly what the ’60s and ’70s was all about, badass dive watches. With diving, a huge trend of the era naturally came a plethora of dive watches. From faux-dive watches such as the cheaper skin divers all the way to the hardcore Rolex Deep Sea, both the aesthetic and lifestyle of diving and sports, in general, was immensely popular. This LeCoultre Shark just may be one of the coolest of the era. With a muscular 40mm stainless steel case with blocky beveled lugs, it features an aluminum bezel and a black reverse panda dial. As this example is signed LeCoultre, it was intended for the American market. While it was known as the Shark DeepSea in the US, it was called the JLC ‘Vogue’ over in Europe. Regardless, however way you look at it, it is just downright good looking. Furthermore, the E2643 was made in extremely limited numbers with only a handful of examples showing up every year. While there are other dive watches of the era that may look similar, the E2643 trumps them all through rarity and the overall desirability of having LeCoultre on the dial.

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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