I · The Maker/II · The Object/III · The Inscription/IV · Acquisition
Room I · The Maker
Jaeger-LeCoultre supplied movements and expertise to houses far better known to the public, which is why the trade has long called it the watchmaker's watchmaker. This is that maker in solid 18ct gold: a full-hunter dress watch with gold inside as well as out. The inner cuvette over the movement is itself 18ct gold, engine-turned and signed LeCoultre & Co. It comes with a Jaeger-LeCoultre box and a dated inscription inside the case.
The Object
Solid 18ct gold from the maker the trade calls the watchmaker's watchmaker, still in the box it left the shop in. A name and a date sit engraved inside the case.
By 1976 nobody needed a pocket watch, which is exactly what makes this one interesting: it was chosen. A full hunter in solid 18ct gold from Jaeger-LeCoultre, bought as a gift and engraved inside the case, à Alain, le 7 Août 1976, at a time when a pocket watch was a deliberate piece of formality rather than a necessity.
The case rewards the choice. The lid springs open on its button and closes flush with a clean snap, satin-brushed outside and mirror-polished within, and beneath the back sits a second extravagance: a dust cover in solid 18ct gold, engine-turned and signed. Gold inside as well as out is why the watch weighs 48.5 grams at only 41.9mm.
The champagne dial is finished with a fine vertical satin grain that moves with the light, crisp black Roman numerals around a plain minute track, slim blackened lance hands, and the JL badge above the full signature beneath twelve: mid-1970s Geneva dress style at its most restrained. The 17-jewel manual movement is clean, bright and running well; the crown and stem have been refitted, and the watch winds and sets as it should.
Fifty years on it still keeps its original presentation box, the accessory that almost always disappears first. A dated inscription, its own box and a case gold through and through make it one of the most complete late pocket watches in the collection.
The marks, the movement and the condition are set out piece by piece in the drawers below; the inscription and box are set out in The Inscription.
Beneath the case
Open each drawer to look closer
Mark 1
18K 0.750 & Swiss assay
The 18-carat gold mark and Swiss assay stamps struck across the case.
case
gold
Mark 2
Gold cuvette, signed LeCoultre & Co
The inner dust cover is itself solid 18ct gold, engine-turned and signed.
cuvette
signature
Mark 3
à Alain, le 7 Août 1976
A dated presentation engraving inside the case back, placing the watch precisely.
case
inscription
Mark 4
- ASigned LeCoultre & CoThe name Jaeger-LeCoultre used on its movements.
- B17-jewel manual windClean rhodium finish; it winds, sets and runs well.
- CGold dust coverThe cuvette over the movement is solid 18ct gold, gold inside as well as out.
Case
Excellent
Solid 18ct gold full-hunter with a satin-brushed lid and mirror-polished interior; the cover snaps crisply and sits flush, clean with only light handling wear.
Dial
Excellent
Champagne sunburst, clean and unmarked, with no spotting or lifting and straight hands.
Movement
Excellent
17-jewel manual signed LeCoultre & Co, unadjusted; clean rhodium finish, running well.
Crystal
Excellent
Clear, with no chips or cracks.
Crown
Excellent
Crown and stem refitted; winds and sets correctly.
Box
Jaeger-LeCoultre brand box in excellent condition.
41.86
This watch
25.75
€2 coin
A €2 coin is 25.75 mm. This case is more than two and a half times its area.
Room III · The Inscription
A dated gift, still with its box
Inside the case back is engraved 'à Alain, le 7 Août 1976', a gift to someone named Alain, dated the seventh of August 1976, which places the watch precisely. The engraving is crisp and sits beneath the gold cuvette, visible only when the case is opened. The watch comes with a Jaeger-LeCoultre box.
- Maker
- Jaeger-LeCoultre
- Model
- 18ct gold full hunter
- Case
- 18ct gold (0.750, full hunter)
- Diameter
- 41.86mm
- Inner cuvette
- 18ct gold, signed LeCoultre & Co
- Total weight
- 48.5g
- Movement
- Manual wind, 17 jewels, signed LeCoultre & Co, unadjusted
- Dial
- Champagne, vertical satin finish, black Roman numerals, blackened lance hands
- Serial
- 1373917 (case no. 9104 21)
- Year
- C.1976
- Country
- Switzerland
- Hallmarks
- 18K 0.750, Swiss assay marks
- Box
- Jaeger-LeCoultre brand box
The Estate Collection
Room IV · Acquisition
€4.800
We’d love to discuss our passion for this piece with you.
Jaeger-LeCoultre
€4.800
Enquiry
18ct Gold Full Hunter
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