| BE SAFE! READ OUR 100% POSITIVE FEEDBACK AND JOIN OUR 580 FOLLOWERS ON EBAY! Nous parlons aussi le français ! МЫ ГОВОРИМ ПО-РУССКИ ! WORLD WIDE SHIPPING NO RISK BUYING FROM AN ESTABLISHED SELLER WHO HAS SOLD WORLDWIDE OVER 1000 WATCHES ON EBAY FROM THE ELITE SWISS HOUSES! Welcome Vintage Watch Lovers... _____________________________________________________________________ WOW...What a Knockout!! HAPPY BIDDING !! A PURE CLASSIC JAEGER LECOULTRE AUTOMATIC FROM 1963 EUROPEAN MARKET FULL JAEGER LECOULTRE SIGNATURE! MADE OF STAINLESS STEEL ORIGINAL UNTOUCHED MINT DIAL—"JL" SIGNED CROWN AUTOMATIC JAEGER LECOULTRE CALIBER K881 — For the Serious Jaeger LeCoultre Collectors — PROFESSIONALLY SERVICED : This classic Jaeger LeCoultre, with automatic caliber K881, has been fully inspected, serviced and timed THIS WEEK! All watches are checked by our in-house certified watchmaker, this ensures they are serviced with the utmost care and attention to detail. This is a great opportunity, for any and all vintage watch collectors, to step up to a very sought after Jaeger LeCoultre Automatic in stainless steel, Original In Every Detail, with European market full Jaeger LeCoultre signature, untouched dial , "JL" signed logo crown, and powered with legendary in house JLC caliber K881. F ind out what the mystique is all about... This gentleman’s classic Jaeger LeCoultre automatic, with case made of stainless steel, is in excellent condition and dates from 1963 . This particular model, with full Jaeger LeCoultre signature, was made primarily for the European market and carries more desirability than the ones with the shortened LeCoultre signature destined for the U.S market. The look of this piece couldn't be more representative of its year of production, and anyone with an eye for classic 20th century design will immediately fall in love with its very chic appearance. With its large steel case and high grade automatic movement, caliber K881, this very fine watch is noticeably more substantial than the majority of others of the same age. When handled, it has a pleasing weighty feel that is suggestive of quality, even to a casual observer unfamiliar with vintage timepieces. It is a lovely example of the work of one of Switzerland's most highly respected houses, from an era that is regarded by connoisseurs as having been a golden age for the luxury watch industry as a whole. We can be sure that this Jaeger LeCoultre was originally intended to be sold to the European market, simply because its high grade JLC K881 automatic movement and dial do have the European market full "Jaeger LeCoultre" signature, without the three letter (VXN) stamped on its movement that, by law, was required to be present on Swiss movements brought into the USA at the time. If it was a US market watch, the dial would simply be signed as "LeCoultre" and its movement would indicate by law the jewel count and wether it is adjusted or not (back then, for the legal importation of Swiss movements to the USA this was a requirement!). Jaeger LeCoultre is certainly one of the world’s most desirable watch brands, with current models being offered at phenomenal cost and its vintage output sought after worldwide by an army of fanatical devotees. Jaeger LeCoultre movements are arguably the finest produced by any luxury Swiss manufacturer and are manufactured entirely “in house” at the company’s factory in the Vallée de Joux. Only a tiny handful of true “manufactures” exist (this term being the correct one used to describe a brand that is capable of making every individual component part in its movements) and these firms are enormously revered within the industry. Even the majority of the most famous Swiss luxury marques do not actually build their own calibres from scratch, instead purchasing raw movements from one of the major Swiss “ebauche” suppliers and adding their own, in house, complication modules as required. DIAL : Even as full time dealers, with a large network of contacts, we find it very difficult to source watches with such well preserved dials in sufficient quantities to satisfy all our customers. The silver white dial is original and untouched , very attractive, and could be conservatively graded as pristine condition. F ashion comes and goes, but this Jaeger LeCoultre is still the same classic looking watch that impresses and after all these years is still on the wrist of many watch lover today. Any vintage watch must have its original dial in order to be worth its maximum potential value. The presence of a so-called “restored” dial, meaning one on which the surface has been completely stripped and replaced with a new substitute, will render any watch undesirable and diminish its value at a stroke by typically 40%. When explaining this to new collectors, we often draw a parallel to the world of antique coins, where any evidence of polishing will instantly render an item virtually worthless. Restored dials on vintage timepieces don’t have quite as negative an impact but they should be avoided wherever possible. With a date aperture at 3 o'clock, the dial is signed “Jaeger LeCoultre ” and has the famous “JL ” emblem above this lettering in silver, this applied logo perfectly matching the sided baton markers for the hour positions. It is clear, upon close examination, that the watch has been a cherished possession of its former owner.
“Automatic ” is discreetly signed beneath the centre point of the dial, with “Swiss Made T ” — hard to picture because of the angled glass—clearly printed in black along its very bottom edge! "Swiss Made-T" refers to the chemical used on the hands and hour markers, which causes them to illuminate. Around 1950, watchmakers started using Tritium as their luminous material and began indicating the amount of that radioactive material with a designation at the bottom of the dial (i.e. T-SWISS MADE-T and SWISS MADE-T). Around 1998, watchmakers changed the designation to read SWISS or SWISS MADE, when they replaced the Tritium with LumiNova (an organic, non-radioactive chemical), as their source of luminescence. SWISS MADE-T indicates that Tritium is present on the wristwatch, with the amount of radioactive material emitted being safely limited to a maximum of 25 milliCurie. The elegant Dauphine hands are original and correct for this model, their silver surfaces matching those of the applied baton markers. As enthusiasm for vintage wristwatches increases, as it does year after year, the value of very well preserved survivors by brands like Jaeger LeCoultre is assured and they will unquestionably appreciate at a far faster rate than their more average siblings. Being aware of this, serious collectors are notoriously dial critical and the vast majority will refuse to even consider any watch with a sub-standard dial as a potential acquisition. CROWN : This timepiece is fitted with its original "JL" signed logo crown! Notice how even the serrated edges of the winding crown here are crisp and well defined, telling us that this piece has spent most of its life locked in a safe for investment purpose . MOVEMENT : —Professionally s erviced and timed in-house THIS WEEK— As one would expect from any product of the Jaeger LeCoultre factory, the automatic caliber K881 movement is a sheer delight to examine. The K881 was introduced in 1959 and was the first of the firm’s movements to feature a centrally pivoted 360 degree rotor that wound in both directions. The K part of the calibre number was a reference to Kif Flektor, the form of shock protection mechanism used in this unit. Jaeger developed this calibre directly from its famous 493 unit that had been designed specifically at the request of two of the world’s most prestigious watch houses in 1951. Jaeger had first begun production of a self winding calibre, the 476, in 1947, but chose to create a “bumper” type oscillating hammer automatic calibre, rather than one with a bi-directional rotor. The company flirted with rotor design in 1951, with the superb calibre 493, this winding in only one direction, but Jaeger LeCoultre watches with this movement were only sold for a two year period and it wasn’t to be until 1959, when the model for sale here was released, that Jaeger LeCoultre automatics finally entered the modern age. Incidentally, a development of this calibre, the 888, is still manufactured by Jaeger LeCoultre today, which is rather something of an indication of how significant and how brilliant engineered, these K881 movements were. There is a very interesting footnote to be added about the design of the K881, which is indicative of the incredible standard to which it was manufactured. Perhaps oddly in some eyes, unlike the other major Swiss top-tier manufacturers, Jaeger LeCoultre never offered a chronometer rated watch in any serious commercial quantities. Tiny numbers of these, literally a few hundred units, were occasionally submitted for independent accuracy testing at one of Switzerland’s Observatories for publicity purposes, but in general, the firm’s output was sold without external time trials. One of the most obvious characteristics of the K881 is that, almost uniquely on a movement of this grade, it has no mechanism for the fine adjustment of the index, this normally being required to minutely tune the unit’s running speed. Astonishingly, the reason for this omission was that the K881 was manufactured as standard to such fine tolerances that it would achieve chronometer rated accuracy as a production norm , without the need for any further adjustment. The American publication “WatchTime” ran a test on the K881 and the various other related Jaeger LeCoultre movements from the same era in its August 2003 edition (pages 88 to 91), concluding that this mechanism “embodies superlative expertise that emphasises skilful, precise craftsmanship and surface beauty ”. Further mention is made that in its very slightly revised form, this same movement type was officially certified as a chronometer and sold in tiny quantities as the “Chronometre Geomatic ”, a model that commands a huge price today on account of its scarcity. Everything about this movement screams of the very highest possible quality, from the perfect Geneva waves decoration on the rotor and the bridge plates, to the fact that every individual screw head has been laboriously polished by hand to give it a mirror finish. As an aside, it’s worth mentioning that on watches of this level, the Geneva waves are actually polished into the movement surface with a rotating disk of boxwood, an operation that is only entrusted to the highest grade of Swiss watchmaker with a long service record (the reason being that this is one of the very last stages of movement dressing and a mistake at this point would damage the movement beyond repair and invalidate the many hours of hard work done by other craftsmen early in the production process). Most attractively, the rotor has two large cut outs in it, replicating the “JL” emblem present on the dial. Additionally, the rotor is correctly signed “Jaeger LeCoultre, Fab. Suisse, Swiss ”. Stamped close to the regulator is the individual serial number 1,614,778. Falling between the two extremes of vintage Jaeger LeCoultre production for that year of 1,550,000 and 1,630,000 this clearly identifies this unit as having been manufactured in 1963 . This movement is, of course, guaranteed to be absolutely genuine and authentic, with no changed or non original parts whatsoever, but intriguingly, Jaeger LeCoultre models are perhaps among the least faked of all high grade Swiss watches. As stated earlier in the text, this watch has been fully serviced throughout its life and works very nicely . It sounds excessive but the fact is that the K881 is more of a piece of mechanical sculpture than simply a wristwatch movement and to not look any further than a skeletonised view of this caliber is to completely miss the point as to why it is such a gem. The Jaeger LeCoultre Geomatic of 1962 to 1970, mentioned above in the context of the movement, and one of the most sought after vintage models by this revered company, has a dial very similar to the item here. Better still, the Geomatic contains a very slightly modified version of the K881 movement in this watch, given the calibre number K881G with the G standing for Geomatic. To buy a tidy vintage Jaeger LeCoultre Geomatic today, we would realistically have to spend at least usd 5000 and in truth, the piece for sale here offer many similarities to its more famous brother. One of the most satisfying aspects of these watches is the fact that they represent the absolute quality pinnacle of Swiss watch making. Today’s luxury watches sold in the High Street are built to infinitely lower standards and the only comparable products offered now, quite literally, cost many thousands of dollars, even in the most basic forms. CASE : T he solid steel screwback case has an indisputable elegance and shows hardly any sign of wear . The case measures 37 mm including the logo signed crown (35mm without), 42 mm with lugs, and a drum like depth of a hair under 11.00 mm, this extra thickness being required to accommodate the bulky winding rotor. The whole case has been carefully crafted from 316L grade stainless steel, a particularly high grade that offers very high corrosion resistance and protection against marine and hostile industrial atmospheres. 316L is used in the aviation industry where it has traditionally found favour as a basis for propeller shafts. The case is fully signed internally as "Acier Inoxydable (i.e. the French term for Stainless Steel), LeCoultre Co, Swiss. Externally, we find the individual serial number for this watch, 965384. It should also be noted that the internal case back surface is beautifully pearled with a delightful engine turned pattern. Every time we have the pleasure of examining a vintage Jaeger LeCoultre, we are astounded and awed as to how much attention to detail the firm put into laboriously finishing parts of its watches that would never be seen by the vast majority of buyers. The manufacturers of cheap watches, both in the vintage era and today, have always concentrated their efforts on offering the most glamorous external appearance for the lowest price, but neglect the parts of the watch that will not influence the average retail buyer to make a purchase. Houses like Jaeger LeCoultre put so much more into these watches than most of their owners will ever realise and this pearled inside case back is just one of numerous examples of the spectacular internal finishing on both the case and movement of this particular piece. STRAP : We have fitted this watch with a new crocodile type leather grain strap, 18 mm wide, and stainless pin-buckle that, while not being Jaeger LeCoultre items, are perfectly in keeping with the theme and chic look of the watch. Strap and buckle are in mint condition, having never been worn . Intended for the European market sale, this is a stunning example of the early 1960s output of one of the most collectible of all wristwatch brands. The movement present here is unquestionably among the best executed post-war automatics to be offered by any of the key Swiss houses and, if properly looked after in the future, it should be running sweetly a century or more from now, just as many early pocket watches are today. We often think that one of the most compelling reasons to buy a high quality vintage watch, by one of the hallowed makers is that, sensibly cared for in the future, this will be a possession for life rather than a disposable commodity that will serve a purpose for three or four years before expiring. Twenty years ago, Jaeger LeCoultre watches from the 1950s and '60s were already difficult to find and today, they have virtually dried up entirely. The simple fact of the matter is that, quite understandably, those collectors who do own these expensive European early automatic watches don't see any reason to part with them in the present rapidly rising market. MEASURES APPROX: * Please take care to consider the dimensions of the watch case given in millimeters (the watch industry standard) and inches. Draw the measurements on paper to help visualize the watch on your wrist as vintage men's watches from the 1910s to 1970s were made significantly smaller than contemporary watches. WIDTH WITH CROWN: 37 MM (1.46 INCHES) LENGTH: 42 MM (1.65 INCHES) WIDTH WITHOUT CROWN: 35 MM (1.38 INCHES) DEPTH: 11 MM (0.43 INCHES) LUGS: 18 MM (0.71 INCHES) BAND: 16mm WIDE. Product Description Brand | Jaeger LeCoultre, stainless steel, 1963. Full Jaeger LeCoultre signature! Automatic, JLC Cal. K881 |
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Condition | Pre-owned. |
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Gender | Men's. |
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Case Material | Stainless Steel. |
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Band Material | Crocodile type leather grain, 18 mm, new. |
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Band Color | Black, white stitched. |
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Dial | Original untouched dial with European market full Jaeger LeCoultre signature, NEVER REFINISHED! Signed "JL, Jaeger LeCoultre, Automatic " and "SWISS MADE T " along its very bottom edge. |
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Movement Type | Swiss made Jaeger LeCoultre high grade Automatic Cal. K881, signed "Jaeger LeCoultre, Fab. Suisse, Swiss". Professionally serviced and timed in-house THIS WEEK! |
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Hands Case Back | Original classic Dauphine shaped hands. Made of stainless steel. |
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Case Width | 37 mm with "JL" signed crown. |
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Case Length | 42 mm with lugs. |
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Case Thickness | 11 mm with glass. |
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Crown | Original "JL" signed logo crown, stainless steel. |
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Age | 1963 . |
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Hand Indicators Crystal | Hour, Minute, seconds. Clear and clean. |
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Comments | A very desirable and hard to find Jaeger LeCoultre in solid steel, with very sought after European market full Jaeger LeCoultre signature, K881 high grade automatic movement and original untouched dial. |
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Other Info | No Box. No Papers. |
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!!! NOTE that the JLC blackboard tag price and the white wooden box seen on some pictures aren't for sale at this time. !!! Important : L'étiquette JLC visible sur les photos ainsi que le coffret de présentation en cuir blanc ne sont pas disponibles à la vente. " FINE PRINT ": PLEASE READ, UNDERSTAND, AND ACCEPT THE FOLLOWING PRIOR TO BIDDING: Please have funds available and be prepared to make immediate payment upon close of auction . Less than 5 feedbacks, please email us prior to bidding. Those who accept our policies always have a great eBay experience when doing business with us. All items carefully described to the best of our ability. Please ask all questions prior to bidding on this item. This is the "inspection" period just like a live auction. Please do not save questions until the last minute as they may not be able to be answered in time. We usually respond to emails within 2 hours. A NOTE ABOUT GOLD CONTENT: Whenever a claim is made as to metal or karat purity, it has been verified by jeweler's hallmarks or tested to industry standards. We unconditionally guarantee the content stated in our descriptions. We will specify if an item is not solid gold. We never guarantee that any of the watches we sell are waterproof or water resistant unless the watch is "Brand New" and manufactured to be as such. Since we primarily sell pre-owned wristwatches, we have no way to be certain whether the watch has retained the original waterproofing or resistance it may have had when new. SHIPPING INFORMATION: OUR SHIPPING PRICE INCLUDES THE FULL AMOUNT OF INSURANCE, WHICH IS THE FINAL WINNING BID AMOUNT. I tems will be posted on receipt of cleared funds, INSURED TO COVER YOUR FULL PURCHASE PRICE AND SHIPPED INTERNATIONALLY WITH SIGNATURE REQUIRED AND TRACKING NUMBER . Please understand that we have no control over delays or costs once your watch is shipped due to your country's customs or laws. PAYMENT INFORMATION: Payment is due upon close of auction. We accept payment by paypal only. In accordance with eBay policy, payments not received in two days will initiate an unpaid item case through the Resolution Center. Additional Information All watches have been thoroughly examined and authenticated by Roger and Sam, our French and Maltese certified watchmakers. Pictures are of the actual item. About Us We specialize in the fine vintage wristwatch business for over three decades. We are based in Paris, FRANCE, Delaware, USA, Malta Island, EUROPE, and Minsk, BELARUS. We have commonly satisfied customers from all over the world, so please check our Ebay store! Our watches are carefully inspected for their authenticity and good function. Due to some of our wristwatches age, it is reasonable that some wear might be visible. If you have any questions on an item you are considering of purchasing please don’t hesitate to contact us. !!! WE VALUE OUR REPUTATION !!! We strive for 5/5 star service : if you feel that it is any less, please contact us - we are here to help keep you completely satisfied. To help better serve our customers and for us to maintain our high ratings we ask anybody that has a question about condition, pictures, shipping or payments please email us with any question and we will work with you to save you as much as we can and make all transactions smooth and to your liking. We thank you in advance for your business and help in making our business successful. Attention International Bidders: You may be responsible for additional customs fees, duties, etc, imposed by your country. PLEASE READ BEFORE BIDDING! AUCTION TERMS: If you have any questions, please ask before bidding! We try our best to describe our merchandise as honestly and completely as we can, but it is your decision to bid or not. So PLEASE make sure you can live with the purchase "AS IS" before bidding! We do all we can to pack the items securely. We will cheerfully combine shipping and use the lightest best material to pack your items in. !!! Few easy steps to keep your fine vintage watch in rude health: - Winding any mechanical watch tight may break the mainspring. If you can avoid it do not wind the watch hard. - When adjusting the hands of your watch, move them in a clockwise direction only. Counter-clockwise adjustments may damage the movement. - If you must adjust counter-clockwise make it for small adjustments only (i.e. for minutes, NOT hours). - Vintage watches generally experience an error of up to 3 minutes a day. Any accuracy of +- 2 minutes is very good. - High altitude flights can be hard on watches due to extreme temperature changes. This can cause the oil viscosity to decrease (gum up) and prevent a watch from ticking (the balance moving freely etc.). It may need to be oiled when it arrives regardless of its recent servicing (if applicable). Although this is only a very slight possibility it can occasionally happen. Please bear in mind that you are buying a used watch and it will require service at some point in time. If you have any questions after reading the description or viewing the pictures please email us prior to bidding. Look for our Ebay item number : 273582913094 A Pure Classic Jaeger LeCoultre from WWII Tank Style with Mint Silvered Dial LeCoultre Calibre 438/4CW Ending on Sunday December 09, 13:14 PST !!! JOIN OUR 580 FOLLOWERS ON EBAY to keep the watch passion ticking on, and check out our Ebay shop for more hard to find vintage IWC, Patek Philippe, Breguet, Audemars Piguet, and Jaeger LeCoultre fine watches ! | | | |