1940s LeCoultre Cal. 450/A 'WWII Military Style' Steel 33mm
Ref: 164563
Specification
Lugs : 16mm
Condition : Pre-Owned
Box & Papers : None
Case Material : Stainless Steel
Warranty : 12-Months NON-Waterproof Warranty
Points of Mention
This watch is sold as "Watch Only" and therefore comes with no original Jaeger-LeCoultre box or paperwork. The watch comes paired with a well-suited 16mm Hirsch strap and pin buckle. The watch is from Circa. From the 1940s, it is sold in worn, vintage condition; wear and age are visible throughout the watch, with its beautiful original dial and hands, as you can see in the photographs. The watch comes with our 12-Months NON-Waterproof Warranty.
For more photos see here - https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1GQN3n_YNDStNOjau1qBsXB-iPCa97w6y?usp=drive_link
4K YouTube video, skip to 10:11 - https://youtu.be/DbWRdqDsfnQ
The Watch
Here we have a classic 1940s LeCoultre Cal. 450/A 'WWII Military Style' with its curvaceous 33mm stainless steel round case that curves over your wrist with tapered lugs. Its lug-to-lug length of 41.5mm and a case thickness of 10mm ensure a comfortable fit. On the right side, there is a coin-edged crown. The smooth bezel holds a domed crystal above a vertically brushed cream dial. An outer minute rail track surrounds black Arabic indices marking the hours. Thermally blued sword hands are complemented by a tear-drop counterweighted red second hand. At noon, the LeCoultre motif sits, completing this World War II military-style timepiece. On the reverse, an unusual screw-down solid case back is engraved with the reference number and a direction indicator for opening the case back. Inside a rare manually wound JLC Cal. 450/A, 15 jewels, beating at a leisurely 18,000 beats per hour. It comes paired with a well-suited 16mm Hirsch leather strap and pin buckle.
Personal Note
Some watches land on my desk and instantly grab my attention. This wonderfully preserved LeCoultre from the 1940s is one of those watches. Cased in a 33mm stainless steel case and featuring a screw-back that has a semi-turn to release system I've not yet seen. The watch also benefits from still having its original dial and hands, a work of art despite being 80+ years old. I would not hesitate to add this unusual and beautiful vintage watch to your collection today, whilst you can!
The Brand
Antoine LeCoultre founded LeCoultre in 1833 in the small village of Le Sentier, Switzerland. By 1866, LeCoultre’s workshop had grown from a home-run manufacturer spread across Switzerland to installing modern steam-driven machines that powered the tools of all watchmakers. This move brought them together in one central unit. Now named LeCoultre & Cie, the company became the first manufacturer in the Vallée de Joux, Switzerland. Antoine and his son, Elie LeCoultre, employed more than 500 watchmakers in-house. In 1903, Edmond Jaeger, a watchmaker in Paris who made watches for the French Navy, challenged Swiss manufacturers to produce an ultrathin movement. Jacques-David LeCoultre, Elie’s son, rose to the challenge and created the world’s thinnest pocket watch, which was equipped with the LeCoultre 146 calibre, measuring 1.38mm thick.