Lecoultre HPG 3089 Memovox alarm watch 1970s

LeCoultre HPG (High Precision Guarantee) 3089 with the Cal 916 from the 1970s, the first alarm watch with a high beat movement and full-action rotor. I used to have one with blue dial but sold it away as I wasn't sure of my watch collecting direction then. 

Recently, I have been collecting Jaeger Lecoultre memovox automatic with date and I have decided to form a small collection of the Jaeger Lecoultre Memovox series focusing only on the bigger size Automatic version of the memovox. This is definitely a funky watch from the 1970s and we need to remember that the 1970s were the last good days of the Swiss Watch before the great decline from Mid 1970s till 1980. These were difficult period for Swiss mechanical watches who were facing the challenges from the Japanese quartz watches. 

The HPG series comes in Steel and solid 14k gold and there are five dials namely the Champagne with gradient to brown dial, the blue dial, a yellow dial, a silver and a silver plus grey dia;. Of the four, I must say the Champagne with gradient to brown dial is the most unique and attractive.

Yello dial - Blue dial - Silver dial

Please read : https://blommanwatchreport.com/2021/02/05/lecoultre-memovox-calibre-916-references/

http://www.watchandtime.com/products_open.asp?id=14677

Rolex President ref 1803 Day Date in rose dial

I have always love Rose Gold watch. Rose gold watches are not popular in Asia as most Asian perfers yellow gold. I was eyeing on one nice Rolex 1803 several months ago from a Hong Kong collector but the collector was reluctant to sell as he has spent much time getting the watch verified plus searching for a rose gold Rolex strap buckle. Along the way, I have managed to find one Rolex 1803 rose gold in rose dial from Singapore. One is from the year 1966 and another from 1970.

Yesterday night, I received a call from Mr Wong and the Rolex 1803 rose gold watch is back with him now. Since I have mentioned my strong intention of wanting it several months ago, I have decided to honour my words and use a Rolex rose gold 6305 to trade for it. It was a difficult choice but need to have one watch out before having one in. Even though the 1803 rose Gold watch is similar to the one from Singapore, there are some slight differences in dial design as the 6 o'clock marker for this current one is slighly thinner than the first. Moreover, the Day & Date disc is cream colour versus white. Collecing Rolex watches very often revolve around the dial design and subtle differences.

Different colour Rolex buckle

In 18k solid gold

Rado blue Lapis Lazuli Diastar

When I was working in Thailand, there was a period where I was actively collecting vintage Rado watches, especially those who special Lapis Lazuli dials> It is interesting to note that these watches with special stone dials were sold at higher prices than Rolex or Omega during that time.

Thursday, August 03, 2017

Rado blue Lapis Lazuli Diastar

This is an uncommon Diastar 8/1 model with tungsten-carbide case and a dial made of Lapis Lazuli. It is similar to most Diastars of the 1970s, with a faceted sapphire crystal, day/date display at 6 oclock and an NSA bracelet. However, the lapis dial sets this model apart from most. With a printed anchor logo (as opposed to the in-set rotating anchor found on most Rado automatics) and the white printing and marker elements setting off the stone dial material.  I love the Rado Diastar with the blue Lapis. Just found another piece that come with the original box and guarantee card.

Vintage Jaeger-LeCoultre Memovox Polaris Ref. E859 watch

Recently, I have been revisiting my Vintage Jaeger Lecoultre memovox watches and I have decided to update my old post from 2009 with additional informations that I have  managed to gather from the internet.

Launched in 1965 as a successor to the Memovox Deep Sea, the Polaris was Jaeger LeCoultre's response to the ever-increasing popularity of recreational scuba diving. Jaeger Lecoulte is one of the pioneers of the alarm watch and they are famous for producing their Memovox line. While most of the Memovoxes made were dress watches and far cheaper, JLC began testing and prototyping underwater diving alarm watches in the 1960s : A Super compressor Diver watch with alarm functionThe Jaeger-LeCoultre Memovox Polaris Ref. E859 is one of the most iconic super compressor dive watches from the 20th century

It featured an internal revolving bezel as well as an alarm function and a date. Equipped with the Jaeger caliber K825 that revolutionized the watch world a few years before as the world's first automatic alarm watch, the Polaris offered divers reliability and endurance. . With it’s distinctive design and a production run of only 1714 pieces from 1965 -1970 and it is extremely rare and sought after by real vintage watch collectors.

In order for the alarm to be heard underwater, JLC developed a patented triple caseback. The Jaeger Lecoultre Polaris E859 is powered by JLC’s reliable 17-jewel, calibre K825 bumper automatic movement with its chiming capability enables the wearer to keep track of dive times — thanks to the use of a 16-hole-bearing exterior caseback designed to improve resonance, the chimes can be heard easily underwater. The 16 holes seen on this caseback is to ensure the alarm and vibrations are amplified so the diver can both hear and feel when it is time to return to the surface. As a result, this watch is seriously loud.

Part of the Polaris’ charm lies in its iconic design, with huge exploding painted indexes for the second version, an inner rotating ring, and Ervin Piquerez supercompressor case with crosshatched crowns. This combined with its large size makes for an incredibly wearable watch by today’s standards. Moreover, the super-compressor construction of the oversized stainless-steel case are designed to become more  watertight as one goes deeper. As water pressure increases, the caseback’s water-sealing rings are increasingly compressed, not only ensuring the water resistance of the watch, but also prolonging the lifespan of the greased O-rings.

There are two versions of the Jaeger Lecoultre Memovox Ref E859 Polaris.  The version with "Jaeger Lecoultre" on the dial was originally sold in Europe & Commonwealth markets, while those featuring only ‘LeCoultre’ were typically sold in the United States. 

In addition there are also two versions in terms of dial and back case design. The first generation 65 version (1965-66) was fitted with plain black dial with thin baton indexes and luminous dauphine hands, a solid single snap-on case back, while the second 68 versions (1967-71) were with the huge lumious markers and also with additional external back case with16 holes drilled for better sound emission. The first and second generations of the Polaris was made in a total of only 1714 pieces over a 6 year period between 1965 and 1971

1. First generation Le Coultre with thin baton indexes and single snap back case 

Thin baton index 

Single snap back case

(Photos courtesy of  https://www.worldoftime.de/Watches/jaeger-lecoultre/memovox-polaris-30066)

2. Second generation Jaeger Lecoultre watch with the huge lumious markers and also with additional external back case with16 holes. I personally love the second versions with bold lumious markers and additional case back design.

The Jaeger Lecoultre Polaris (Made for the European and Commonwealth markets)

Huge lumimous markers

additional external back case with16 holes

https://le-monde-edmond.com/polaris-e859-jaeger-indepthreview/

https://italianwatchspotter.com/jaeger-lecoultre-polaris-history/?lang=en

Jaeger Lecoultre memovox TURLER alarm watch Caliber 489

 

Sunday, May 28, 2017

Jaeger Lecoultre memovox TURLER alarm watch Caliber 489

This is a JLC memovox with dual name Turler. The Türler company was founded as a watchmaking manufactory in Bienne Switzerland on Monday, February 5, 1883. In 1893 the family Türler also founded a specialized shop for watches and jewelry in Zürich. In 1907 the shop located in the Savoy-Hotel at Paradeplatz in the heart of Zürich was opened. 

The Jaeger Lecoultre memovox TURLER alarm watch has been serviced and the alarm works well with a cricket sound. The Memovox was first introduced by Jaeger-LeCoultre in 1950/51 with the manually wound Calibre 489. The two separate crowns allowed you to manually wind and set the alarm and timekeeping parts of the movement separately. The name Memovox is a composite of two Latin word, Memor (remembering) and Vox (voice), meaning "the voice of remembering," a perfect choice for an alarm watch. A few years after, in 1956, the Cal. 489 was replaced with the Calibre 815, making the Memovox the first automatically wound alarm wristwatch.

Jaeger Lecoultre memovox alarm Ref. E855 watch

My old post from 2018..

Sunday, June 10, 2018

Jaeger LeCoultre Memovox

This is a gentleman's stainless steel Jaeger LeCoultre Memovox ref 855 in lovely original condition with mechanical alarm in perfect working order - sounding loud and crisp. This is the much rarer large or jumbo 37mm sized version of the Memovox and is an automatic with date function.

The Memovox range is a signature Jaeger-LeCoultre model and one of the icons of 20th century wristwatch design. Over the decades the Memovox has been styled with a variety of different case and dial designs. 

The is an example in a classic Memovox design with a relatively large case, measuring 37mm in diameter. The bold, linear dial has gently tapering indexes which are centrally set with black inserts; the straight baton hands are styled to match with centralised luminescent tips mirroring the luminescent panels set at each hour within the track for minutes/seconds. To the dial centre, the alarm setting disc is finished with a circular satin grain which gives the dial a two-tone appearance – in fact, as the track for minutes/seconds is chamfered inwards it creates the illusion of a 3-tone dial, the eye perceiving three different dial finishes as it catches the light. 

Two Jaeger-LeCoultre crowns are set to the case side, the upper is for winding the alarm barrel and setting the central disc to the alarm time, the lower crown can be used for manually winding the watch if it is completely out of power and also for hand-setting. There is provision for semi-quick date change – the date will change each day around midnight but can be manually advance when required by moving the hands repeatedly between

Jaeger-LeCoultre calibre K825 automatic movement, lever escapement, 17 jewels, compensation balance, 18,000 BPH, Kif-Flector shock absorber, silvered two tone dial,  the chapter ring with sunburst satin finish and applied indexes with black inserts, inner black ring for minutes/seconds with luminous indications at the hours, flat baton hands with blackened tips centred with luminescent panels, central circular satin finished rotating disc for alarm indication with luminescent triangular indicator, framed aperture for date, stainless steel circular case, polished chamfered bezel, satin finished case sides, two Jaeger-LeCoultre crowns, the upper crown for setting and winding alarm, lower crown for time set, two-part satin finished case back with screw-down securing bezel, case, dial, movement and crowns signed. I have traded one of my bubbleback with cash top up for this beauty

Ad from Matthew

Its original bracelet made by Gay Freres

The Jaeger-LeCoultre Memovox calibers

1. The Memovox was first introduced by Jaeger-LeCoultre in 1950/51 with the manually wound Calibre 489. 

2. In 1956, the Caliber. 489 was replaced with the Calibre 815, making the Memovox the first automatically wound alarm wristwatch

3. With Caliber 825 Movement the most iconic Memovox movement, the Calibre 825, which is a cal. 815 with the addition of a date module. so-called "bumper" winding system and the hammer-based alarm

Jaeger-LeCoultre Memovox ''Lapis Lazuli Dial '' E855 using K825 Bumper Movement

This is another Jaeger-LeCoultre Memovox with an unusual ''Lapis Lazuli Dial” in stainless steel case which I have managed to find all the way from Spain. The 2 crowns on the right side features the charming Jaeger-LeCoultre logo. The 2 o’clock position one activates the central revolving alarm dial and the 4 o’clock one controls the time-setting and winding. 

From what I read in the forum, there are less than 5 known and definitely less than 10 of these watches around the market. Definitely a vibrant and elegant example of Jaeger-LeCoultre’s mastery of timeless creation. 

I am trying to form a small collection of Jaeger Lecoultre memovox focusing only on 1. automatic version, 2. with date version, 3. large case and 4. with special coloured special dial. Cant wait for the watch to arrive from overseas...

Latest Update:

 Finally managed to get one in 18k gold and a steel version. 

Please read : 

https://www.hodinkee.com/articles/a-grail-patek-and-many-beautiful-blue-watches-from-lange-jaeger-lecoultre-and-iwc

Please see discussion

https://www.watchprosite.com/page-wf.forumpost/fi-2/ti-1094643/dv-true/wf.responses.open_bLoB_s-0/

https://www.hodinkee.com/articles/bring-a-loupe-december-11-2015

https://www.hodinkee.com/articles/a-grail-patek-and-many-beautiful-blue-watches-from-lange-jaeger-lecoultre-and-iwc

This is a nice one but the hands are slightly different

Found another one from the internet in solid gold

https://www.libertas-watch.com/rolex-other/11080

Source : https://omegaforums.net/threads/can-someone-help-me.74482/

https://www.invaluable.com/auction-lot/jaeger-le-coultre-well-preserved-memovox-alarm-wr-119-c-d60453f86f

Other collections

The Jaeger Lecoultre Polaris 

The Jaeger Lecoultre Polaris E859 is powered by JLC’s reliable 17-jewel, calibre K825 automatic movement with its chiming capability enables the wearer to keep track of dive times — thanks to the use of a 16-hole-bearing exterior caseback designed to improve resonance, the chimes can be heard easily underwater.

Moreover, the super-compressor construction of the oversized stainless-steel case are designed to become more  watertight as one goes deeper. As water pressure increases, the caseback’s water-sealing rings are increasingly compressed, not only ensuring the water resistance of the watch, but also prolonging the lifespan of the greased O-rings. There are two versions of the Polaris.  The version with Jaeger Lecoultre on the dial was originally sold in Europe, while those featuring only ‘LeCoultre’ were typically sold in the United State