LeCoultre

Hello! First post.

Life time watch enthusiast here with a modest but growing collection.  

I am trying to identify the watch in the picture.  It is a manual wind LeCoultre gold watch from the early 70s.  Not sure of the case size but its small by today's standards - probably 30-34 mm. Interestingly, it doesn't appear to have a seconds hand.  My grandmother gave it to my father when he married my mother in 1974.  I can't find any pics of it online.  

Of course, Jaeger-LeCoultre is a famous heritage brand that I am familiar with but this watch with just "LeCoultre" I can't find any info for except this excerpt from wikipedia:

"From 1932 to approximately 1985 watches were cased in locally produced cases in North America and sold under the name LeCoultre by the company Vacheron-LeCoultre, a subsidiary of Longines-Wittnauer, with slightly different case designs.

After 1985, Jaeger-LeCoultre was adopted uniformly worldwide. According to factory records, the last movement to be used in an American LeCoultre watch was shipped out of Le Sentier in 1976.

Some collectors and misinformed dealers have made the erroneous claim that American LeCoultre is not associated with Jaeger-LeCoultre Switzerland. The confusion stems from the 1950s, when the North American distributor of LeCoultre watches was the Longines-Wittnauer Group, which also was responsible for the distribution of Vacheron Constantin timepieces. Collectors have confused this distribution channel with the manufacture of the watches. According to Jaeger-LeCoultre enthusiast Zaf Basha, the "Galaxy", an upmarket mysterious dial diamond watch, is a collaboration between Vacheron & Constantin and LeCoultre for the American market. It features “LeCoultre” on the front and “Vacheron & Constantin — LeCoultre” stamped on the case. Watches for ladies also bore "LeCoultre" on the front.

The LeCoultre trademark expired in 1985 and was replaced by the Jaeger-LeCoultre trademark."

Any help would be greatly appreciated!

Reply
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I think that they were still cased by Wittnauer until the mid-70's. The movement will have a three letter code that will tell you (or should) who imported it. The early seventies were a tumultuous time in the watch industry and big names were starting to falter.

It is an interesting watch with great personal history. Many dressier pieces omit the second hand, and this was clearly meant to be someone's best watch.  Good luck and report back if you find out more.

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Have you tried contacting JLC with the serial number?

https://www.jaeger-lecoultre.com/us-en/services/extract-from-archives 

They charge about $267, but they should be able to tell you just about anything you want to know.

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its a niece piece you got, looks like its in a good condition. one question, why is it on the seiko quartz box😅?

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Unholy

its a niece piece you got, looks like its in a good condition. one question, why is it on the seiko quartz box😅?

Ha! I know.  Not sure but that's how my dad always kept it.  He probably lost the original box

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JBird7986

Have you tried contacting JLC with the serial number?

https://www.jaeger-lecoultre.com/us-en/services/extract-from-archives 

They charge about $267, but they should be able to tell you just about anything you want to know.

Thank you. I will investigate!

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Aurelian

I think that they were still cased by Wittnauer until the mid-70's. The movement will have a three letter code that will tell you (or should) who imported it. The early seventies were a tumultuous time in the watch industry and big names were starting to falter.

It is an interesting watch with great personal history. Many dressier pieces omit the second hand, and this was clearly meant to be someone's best watch.  Good luck and report back if you find out more.

Thank you for the info!

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pdefazio

Thank you for the info!