1950s Jaeger-Le Coultre 18ct Yellow Gold Cal. P480/C 33.5mm
Ref: A 723467
Specification
Lugs : 17mm
Condition : Pre-Owned
Box & Papers : None
Case Material : 18ct Yellow Gold
Warranty : 12-Months NON-Waterproof Warranty
Points of Mention
This watch is sold as "Watch Only" and, therefore, comes with no original JLC box or paperwork. It is paired with a well-suited 17mm leather strap. The watch is from Circa 1950s and is sold in worn, vintage condition. It shows signs of age throughout but is overall in very fair condition for its age, as you can see and features an earlier refinished dial. The watch comes with our 12-Months NON-Waterproof Warranty.
For more photos see here - https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/14ZBaxsguHSUHzIpZmYlTn2OQjhHiSVKK?usp=drive_link
4K YouTube video, skip to 15:01 - https://youtu.be/1bA13ZVSwjg
The Watch
Here, we have a classic 1950s Jaeger-LeCoultre 18ct Yellow Gold Cal. P480/C with its understated 33.5mm round 18ct yellow gold case that gently curves over your wrist with finely tapered lugs, and a lug-to-lug length of 41mm and a case thickness of 9mm ensures a comfortable fit. On the right side, we have a coin-edged push/pull crown. A slim, smooth, bevel-edged bezel holds a domed crystal above an ivory-white dial. An outer minute track surrounds applied 18ct yellow gold facet-edged dagger indexes marking the hours; elegant Dauphine hands filled with lume sit above a sub-seconds at 6 o’clock; at 12 o’clock, we have the Jaeger-Le Coultre motif completing this sophisticated dress watch. On the reverse, a screw-down case back, Swiss hallmarked, inside a manually wound JLC Cal. P480/C, 17 jewels, a high-quality and well-regarded movement. It comes paired with a well-suited 17mm leather strap.
Personal Note
When it comes to vintage Jaeger-LeCoultre in 18ct Gold, the word 'affordable' doesn't usually come to mind. But this beautiful example is exactly that and makes it a great opportunity to own something truly special without breaking the bank. This 1950s Jaeger-LeCoultre features a refinished dial, which helps with the affordability but doesn't take away from the enjoyment on the wrist. If you are unsure, don't hesitate to book an appointment and try it on for yourself, but be warned, you just may walk away with it on your wrist!
The Brand
Antoine LeCoultre founded LeCoultre in 1833 in the small village of Le Sentier, Switzerland. By 1866, LeCoultre’s workshop had grown from home-run manufacturers spread across Switzerland to installing modern steam-driven machines to power the tools of all watchmakers, moving them from their homes and bringing 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 making watches for the French Navy, challenged the 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. Over the following years, Jaeger and LeCoultre kept in touch, building a solid friendship, and in 1937, Jaeger-LeCoultre was founded. In 2013, they celebrated their 180th Anniversary. They were creating iconic timepieces like the Reverso wristwatch to the brilliantly engineered Atmos clock. During the war years, the Mark VII pilot watches of the 1940s were so accurate the Royal Air Force used them as aerial navigation instruments; later, they created the first automatic watch to house a power-reserve indicator in 1948 that the US Army Air Corps used. Jaeger-LeCoultre has developed and revolutionised the watch industry like no other manufacturer. Since 2000, it has been a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Swiss luxury group Richemont. This group includes Cartier, Van Cleef & Arpels, IWC Schaffhausen, Panerai, Piaget, Vacheron Constantin, Montblanc, Dunhill, and Chloé.