1970s Jaeger-LeCoultre Master-Quartz 38mm 23304-42

Here, we have a classic 1970s Jaeger-LeCoultre Master-Quartz 23304-42 with a 38mm C-shaped stainless steel case. The polished chamfered edge leads to a lug-to-lug length of 43mm and a case thickness of 13mm, ensuring a comfortable fit on your wrist. Brushed and polished surfaces transition with crisp lines. On the right side is a coin-edged signed crown. A domed crystal sits above a white crosshatch textured dial, an outer minute track has Tritium pips surrounding applied black painted baton indexes marking the hours, at 3 o’clock, a colour matched framed date window, slender black painted baton hands tipped with Tritium are complemented by a black tapered second hand. At noon, we have the Jaeger-LeCoultre motif, and at 6 o’clock, Master-Quartz. On the reverse, a screw-down solid case back with the details of the watch engraved around the edge and an embossed “JL” in the centre, inside a quality early Quartz Favre-Leuba Cal. 353. It comes paired with an 18mm JLC stainless steel bracelet secured by a signed folding sprung clasp, made by NSA, which will fit up to a 6.75-inch wrist without the spring clasp being activated, and it also comes with a JLC service box.

This watch is sold with a JLC Service box and paperwork from a 2021 pirvate service with parts included. It comes paired with an 18-mm JLC stainless steel bracelet secured by a signed folding sprung clasp and will fit up to a 6.75-inch wrist without the sprung clasp being activated, a leather strap is included. The watch is from Circa. Early 1970s and is sold in worn but fair condition, as you can see. It comes with our 6-Months NON-Waterproof Warranty.

I have clearly gravitated a lot towards vintage quartz/electronic watches recently and I hope they keep coming my way for the foreseeable future, but finding great examples is getting harder and harder as these watches become harder to fix due to a lack of knowledgeable watchmakers and parts, but luckily we still have access to a few of both. This Jaeger-LeCoultre Master-Quartz features a beautiful linen dial, a great cushion case and a JLC-signed, sprung, NSA bracelet. You really cannot go wrong with a model like this for your collection, so add it whilst you can!

Reference : 23304-42
Movement : Quartz Favre-Leuba Cal. 353
Age : Circa. Early 1970s
Year : Circa. 1970s
Case Size : 38mm
Case Thickness : 13mm
Lug to Lug : 43mm
Lugs : 18mm
Condition : Pre-Owned
Box and Papers : JLC Service Box
Case Material : Stainless Steel
Warranty : 6-Months NON-Waterproof Warranty
The wrist model's wrist size is 7inch

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 of the watchmakers, moving them from their homes and bringing them together in one central unit. Now named LeCoultre & Cie, the company became the very 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, equipped with the LeCoultre 146 calibre, measuring just 1.38 mm thick. Over the following years, Jaeger and LeCoultre kept in touch, building a strong friendship, and in 1937, Jaeger-LeCoultre was founded. In 2013, they celebrated their 180th Anniversary.  Creating iconic timepieces like the Reverso wristwatch and 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 was used by the US Army Air Corps. Jaeger-LeCoultre has developed and revolutionised the watch industry like no other manufacturer. Since 2000, it has been a fully 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.