JAEGER LECOULTRE Powermatic SS Gents Vintage Auto Watch

Presented for sale is a rare stainless steel version of the much sought after Jaeger LeCoultre Powermatic.  It  was manufactured in the 1950's and is a very collectable model.  Due to its rarity this model sells for much higher prices than the comparatively easier to find gold filled  models.  The Powermatic is an automatic “bumper” model with a power reserve indicator on the dial.  This watch is in truly excellent overall cosmetic and mechanical condition.  Just  oiled and adjusted the movement is running strongly and keeping time.  The newly restored dial is mint and the case is one of the best I have seen for a while with little signs of wear.  I am always looking for very good examples of these fabulous Jaeger LeCoultre watches and was really pleased to come across this fabulous stainless steel model.  Signed in three places, on the dial, case and movement, authenticity is backed by a full money refund guarantee.  You will rarely see one of these models coming up for sale and even fewer in this condition so do not miss the opportunity to bid on this great vintage timepiece.

The stainless steel case has a screw back cover and is in very good condition indeed with hardly a mark to be seen.  It measures approximately 33mm across, excluding the crown and 42mm in length.   The inside of the case is signed LeCoultre & Co.   There are the normal marks on the case from careful and probably only occasional use that you would expect to see on a watch of this age but nothing whatsoever of any significance that I could see to highlight, quite remarkable for a watch that is nearing sixty years of age.   

The LeCoultre signed dial has just been professionally restored and looks amazing.  It has a French white finish with an inner minutes track.  The power reserve indicator is located just under the 12 o'clock position and the dial is signed “LeCoultre Automatic”.   The hours are marked by gold coloured Arabic numerals and dots; the  hands are in very good shape. The recently fitted crystal is clean and clear. 

The high quality cal. 481, 17 jewel automatic bumper movement is signed “Le Coultre Co Automatic”.   It has just been oiled and adjusted so it is working perfectly and keeping time. The bumper unit is an early automatic movement which was first seen in watches in the late 1940's, with many LeCoultre and Omega watches housing them during the early 1950's.  Unlike the modern rotors which sit on top of the mechanism and rotate through 360 degrees, the bumper mechanism rotates through a little over 300 degrees, hits a stop and then bounces back and forth with a hammer action.   If you look at the photograph of the movement you will see the springs which cushion the impact of the hammer action and send the rotor back over to the other side of the movement.  As with most automatic watch mechanisms (the Futurematic is one exception),  the movement can be hand wound.  It should be "kick started" when first used by manually winding the watch. When it is fully wound the power indicator will show a 40 hour charge. As older automatics are not quite as efficient as modern day mechanisms, the watch may, need manual winding from time to time depending on how much use and  movement it receives when worn in order to keep the power unit charged.

The watch is fitted with a new generic antique brown leather  strap.  

 

 

 

Jaeger LeCoultre Watch Co. History

I am sometimes asked why some Jaeger LeCoultre watches are signed LeCoultre.  This has much to do with the complex United States duty regulations that made it more cost effective to import Jaeger LeCoultre movements, dials, crowns and hands into the country from Switzerland and for the cases to be made under licence in the States.  In the 1950’s the Longines Wittnauer group was the distributor of LeCoultre watches sold in North America.  The group did not manufacture these watches as some people mistakenly believe, the movements were produced in the Swiss Jaeger LeCoultre factory at Le Sentier and were identical in every way to movements distributed within Europe other than the LeCoultre markings on the watch.  A more comprehensive explanation of this often mis-understood issue is provided in the newly published and excellent text book “Jaeger LeCoultre a Guide for the Collector” by Zaf Basha. 

For those who are interested in the history of famous watchmakers, the Jaeger LeCoultre watch company is one of the oldest Swiss watchmakers.  Antoine LeCoultre opened a small factory in Le Sentier in 1833 where current factory remains.   LeCoultre quickly built a reputation for quality and precision, so much so that he became the leading supplier of movements to the watch making industry in Switzerland.  In 1925 Antoine’s grandson, David, merged the company with that of Edmond Jaeger, which is when the current day company, Jaeger LeCoultre came into existence.  It is one of the few Swiss companies still producing its own movements, cases, dials and bracelets.  This gives the company total control over the quality and precision of its watches and is a contributory factor for it being one of the small number of elite watchmakers with a world wide reputation for quality and precision.   Jaeger LeCoultre has been one of the most innovative watchmakers in the world, having produced a number of revolutionary inventions including the Atmos “Perpetual Motion Clock” (which operates on air pressure) and the creation of the world’s smallest mechanical movement which weighed less than one gram.

 

 

 

 

 

 

POSTAGE AND PAYMENT DETAILS

Postage within the United Kingdom.  

The charge will be £6.95 by Royal Mail Special Delivery which will insure your watch against loss or damage in transit.  It also guarantees next day delivery.  

Postage Overseas.

The charge for watches sold for £500 or less will be 10.95 GBP by Royal Mail International Signed For. This provides a maximum insurance value of up to 500 GBP subject to Royal Mail conditions.  

If you are purchasing an item at a price above £500 and pay using Paypal we will send the watch by courier.   In order to receive their protection service, Paypal’s rules require me to send the watch to you with full on line tracking and a signature on delivery.  I cannot accept the full risk of loss or damage for more expensive watches.  Therefore I have to use a courier service as Royal Mail either provides full on line tracking (Airsure) or obtains a signature on delivery (International Signed For) but unfortunately not both.  The cost of using the courier service is 40-£50 GBP to most countries but I will shoulder part of the cost and charge you 29.95 GBP.  If you wish me to send the watch to by Royal Mail International Signed For at a cost of 10.95 GBP and with insurance up to 500 GBP I can do so if you pay by direct bank to bank transfer.

A causa di problemi con il servizio postale italiano dobbiamo invii in Italia tramite corriere, completamente monitorati per un costo di 29.95 sterline, se si utilizza Paypal. Ciò è necessario per conformarsi con la politica di Paypal. Siamo in grado di inviare per la consegna da Royal Mail Firmato Per al costo di GBP 10.95, assicurati fino a 500GBP se pagare con bonifico bancario e di accettare il rischio di perdere l'oggetto. In caso di perdita faremo un credito di assicurazione e di effettuare il pagamento sul successo di regolamento del credito. 

 Payment

All buyers may pay using Paypal or bank to bank transfer.

UK buyers:   You may also pay over the counter at any Nationwide branch at no extra charge. The money will reach our account immediately.  Please ask us for the account details.

Overseas buyers:  At our discretion we will accept other forms of payment but accept STERLING only.  Please contact us if you wish to do this before the auction ends.

Terms of Sale

All of our watches are professionally inspected and tested before sale and if they are not running smoothly and keeping reasonable time we have them serviced and/ or carry out any other work that is required.  We warrant that the watch you purchase will, when you receive it, be as described in the listing.  We pack our watches very well to avoid damage but very occasionally a problem may occur due to rough treatment in transit.  We provide you with a no quibble full refund, including postage or we will undertake any repairs that are necessary, if the watch is damaged or if in any other way differs significantly from the description.  If we have not stated that the watch has been serviced you may wish to have this work done particularly if you intend to wear the watch on a daily basis.  On request, we can provide you with details of independent watchmakers to whom you can send your watch for servicing.  

We provide comprehensive details of our watches, including very clear photographs taken with a high resolution macro lens which shows detail not visible to the naked eye.  We also invite you to ask questions if there is anything else you need to know.  If you are buying at auction we cannot provide a refund if you decide your watch is too small or you do not like it for some other reason.   Please take care to consider the dimensions of the watch case as if it is a gentlemens’ Art Deco rectangular vintage watch, they were made smaller than contemporary watches.  Do also please bear in mind that your watch has been used so will not be as new and a fault can develop unexpectedly as with any vintage item. 

 When sending internationally we must declare the full value of the watch as it is against the law to do otherwise.

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