“How did you get began in watch amassing?”
Amongst collectors, it’s a frequent subject of dialogue: the tales of first watch purchases, evolving tastes, and enduring devotion reveal an excellent deal about how particular person collectors take into consideration our shared passion.
Collectors meet: Reversos throughout at a watch gathering
Whereas my associates’ paths into critical amassing have been pretty numerous, throughout the group there are some patterns. Many people I do know began both with Rolex or – as in my case – with Jaeger-LeCoultre, which opened my eyes to the world of wonderful watchmaking and served as the muse for my ongoing fascination with horology.
Getting hooked on Jaeger-LeCoultre: Paris, 1991
Whereas my watch-buying profession began as early as 1971 with a chunk purchased on a pupil journey to Europe (see A Watch Assortment Begins: GaryG And His Bucherer Chronometer), and I’d been sporting a Cartier Tank every day since 1980, my serial watch acquisitions began on a sunny day in Paris when my spouse excitedly pulled me into the family-owned Bry et Cie watch store on Rue de la Paix to indicate me a chunk she’d fallen in love with: a Reverso Woman in yellow gold (see Love, Loss, And Watches: Jaeger-LeCoultre’s Tribute).
The watch that began all of it: Reverso Woman in yellow gold
Whereas I used to be nonetheless gasping on the value of the gold Reverso, the salesperson pulled one other watch from the show: a metal males’s Reverso with a silver face on that attribute JLC-honey ostrich strap. It was definitely interesting, however lightning didn’t strike till he flipped the case over to disclose a second black watch face displaying one other time zone.
The writer’s Jaeger-LeCoultre Reverso Grande GMT
Effectively, that they had me at Duoface. We left the shop with each watches, and regardless of the sweating I did till I paid off the invoice I by no means regretted that buy. I did ultimately promote my first-generation Reverso Duoface in favor of the bigger Reverso Grande GMT proven above, however a dual-time Reverso has been a staple of my assortment ever since.
Jonesing: Jaeger-LeCoultre Géographique and Atmos
As soon as I owned a Jaeger-LeCoultre watch, I started to learn the model’s literature and deepen my appreciation each for JLC’s heritage because the business’s motion creator and its ongoing capability for growing intriguing issues.
One piece that turned an obsession for me upon its introduction was the unique Géographique: a world-time watch with an progressive clutch mechanism whose second crown concurrently flipped the arms on a small subdial indicating the native time, a linked 24-hour indicator, and a fringe ring indicating the town location.
Jaeger-LeCoultre Géographique in yellow gold
I can’t let you know what number of duty-free store home windows I peered by to see this watch over the subsequent yr or so, however lastly a sale occasion providing a then-staggering ten-percent low cost satisfied me to make the leap at an airport watch store in Brussels.
Then, as now, the appeals of Jaeger-LeCoultre included attention-grabbing horological mechanisms, in-house improvement and manufacturing, engaging aesthetics, a prolonged and distinguished patrimony, and at the least to some extent monetary accessibility.
I do know that Jaeger-LeCoultre doesn’t like being characterised as a “worth” model, however to me there’s completely nothing improper with delivering nice worth for the hard-earned {dollars} paid by the client. And for me on the time the worth equation delivered by Jaeger-LeCoultre was unattainable to beat.
Over time, I additionally got here to understand the nice names in at present’s watch world who spent formative time at Jaeger-LeCoultre, together with luminaries like Philippe Dufour and Eric Coudray, the developer of the Gyrotourbillon and Reverso Repetition Minutes actions.
A younger Philippe Dufour – is {that a} Memovox on his wrist? (picture courtesy Le Membership Horloger)
Shortly after including the Géographique to my assortment, I moved from watches to clocks with the acquisition of a Tiffany-labeled Atmos, one other nice instance of each innovation and patrimony. Whereas my Atmos is at present in want of a service to interchange the bellows mechanism at its coronary heart, I’m very a lot trying ahead to having it again swinging away on my workplace desk.
Getting deeper into Jaeger-LeCoultre
Over the succeeding years, I scratched my itch for all issues Jaeger-LeCoultre in a wide range of methods, and whereas the Reverso was on the heart of a lot of the motion I couldn’t keep away from its round-cased Grasp watches, both.
Skinny and sturdy: Jaeger-LeCoultre Grasp Extremely Skinny with Reverso cufflinks
Shortly after our marriage ceremony, my present spouse gave me a beautiful Grasp Extremely Skinny that we picked out collectively. To me, this watch and the opposite ultra-thin variants which have succeeded it are true marvels.
Intelligent touches like using frosting on one-half of the flat markers and arms to offer an impression of depth whereas minimizing thickness, a super-thin motion with suspended barrel that doesn’t sacrifice robustness that’s licensed by a 1000-hour useful take a look at, and high-quality ending all contribute to a coherent and spectacular complete.
Mrs. GaryG did okay throughout this era as properly, with the addition of the Reverso Gran Sport Duoface and a small classic LeCoultre piece which might be amongst these proven within the picture beneath.
Hip to be sq.: formed Jaeger-LeCoultre watches within the writer’s and his spouse’s collections
A few the watches from this era are not in my assortment. The stunning Reverso Artwork Deco in pink gold departed a number of years later in favor of a skeletonized Vacheron Constantin as I did a little bit of consolidation of my set of open-worked watches. And I’m nonetheless kicking myself for promoting the uniquely Jaeger-LeCoultre Memovox in pink gold with its beautiful blued central sweep seconds hand, chunky and satisfying strong gold case and deployant buckle, raucous alarm bell, and gracefully yellowing tritium markers.
What was I considering? I can’t imagine I bought this beautiful Jaeger-LeCoultre Memovox in pink gold
Pleasure loves firm
One Jaeger-LeCoultre watch that I had admired for over a decade, however had been unable to afford as a brand new watch, was the Reverso Repetition Minutes with its astounding rectangular motion and formed gongs.
I’d been preserving an eye fixed out for a pre-owned instance, and as luck would have it not solely discovered (and purchased) a chunk on supply however within the course of met my good pal Allen, who subsequently launched me to the opposite members of what’s now our “NorCal Gang” of collectors – which in flip led to a whole world of contacts with manufacturers and unbiased watchmakers, visits to SIHH and Baselworld, and the wealth of watch-related associates I’ve at present.
Repeat after me: it’s all in regards to the individuals!
Not only a watch: the Reverso Repetition Minutes that not solely chimed a doorbell but additionally opened the door for GaryG
Nonetheless hooked on Jaeger-LeCoultre in spite of everything these years
Whereas my assortment has broadened and deepened over current years, together with a hefty emphasis on independents and vital purchases from main manufacturers together with A. Lange & Söhne and Patek Philippe, Jaeger-LeCoultre continues its maintain on me.
Modern instances: tribute to Reverso 1931 U.S. restricted manufacturing
The previous few years have seen the addition of the Tribute to Reverso 1931 U.S. restricted manufacturing 2012 (whew!), the Reverso Grande GMT pictured above, and a classic piece I’d lengthy coveted: the Futurematic with its uncommon bumper self-winding mechanism.
I’m notably eager on my private Futurematic because it’s a “Jumbo” 37 mm piece that’s modern in measurement. The watch itself is in splendid situation belying its 60+ years of age.
Going classic: the writer’s Jaeger-LeCoultre Futurematic “Jumbo”
I’ve developed a rising appreciation for traditional Jaeger-LeCoultre classic items; amongst others, I bid on (however didn’t win) a flawless unique Geophysic that drew a report sale value for a classic Jaeger-LeCoultre at Phillips Geneva Watch Public sale: FOUR in November 2016.
And amongst current new introductions, I’ve my eye on the gorgeous blue-dialed boutique-edition Memovox; perhaps it’s time that I make up, at the least partially, for promoting that pink gold piece!
I’m not alone
From the passion – and purchases by collectors – that greeted Jaeger-LeCoultre’s 2017 SIHH introductions, together with not solely the refreshed sector-dial variations of a number of classics however blue-dialed variants on different items that made my mouth water, it’s nice to see that JLC just isn’t solely staying related however persevering with to entice a broad swath of the amassing neighborhood.
Parting shot: Jaeger-LeCoultre Géographique on the writer’s wrist
I’m pretty certain that I’ll be again! And I’d love to listen to about your Jaeger-LeCoultre watches and amassing pursuits within the feedback part beneath.
For extra data, please go to www.jaeger-lecoultre.com.
* This text was first printed on September 1, 2017 at Jaeger-LeCoultre: A Collector’s ‘Gateway Drug’ And Ongoing Pleasure.
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Why I Purchased It: Jaeger-LeCoultre Tribute To Reverso 1931
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Full Overview Of The Jaeger-LeCoultre Amvox Line
Beautiful Geophysic Assortment From Jaeger-LeCoultre: True Second And Common Time
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