Jaeger LeCoultre K880 Dress Watch

Description: Up for a sale is a vintage Jaeger LeCoultre dress watch with a K880 movement. Watch is in fantastic condition and keeping time well. The only significant blemish that I can see besides some minor normal wear is a slight yellowish discoloration on the dial around 11:50 between the center and the signature. This is an impeccable and quintessential classic dress watch. Here is the information I have from the original seller, though I can’t make definitive claims about accuracy: “PROFESSIONALLY SERVICED: This Jaeger LeCoultre, with automatic caliber K880, has been fully inspected and serviced in house in December 2017. All watches are checked by our certified watchmaker, this ensures they are serviced with the utmost care and attention to detail. It winds and sets smoothly and is keeping accurate time. This is a great opportunity, for any and all vintage watch collectors, to step up to a rare Jaeger LeCoultre, ORIGINAL IN EVERY DETAIL, with European market full Jaeger LeCoultre signature, untouched mint dial, "JL" signed logo crown, and automatic JLC caliber K880. Find out what the mystique is all about... This gentleman’s ultra classic Jaeger LeCoultre automatic, made of stainless steel, is in excellent condition and dates from 1962. This particular model, with full Jaeger LeCoultre signature, was made primarily for the European market and carries more desirability than the ones with the shortened LeCoultre signature destined for the U.S market. The look of this piece couldn't be more representative of its year of production and anyone with an eye for classic 20th century design will immediately fall in love with its very chic appearance. With its large steel case and high grade automatic movement caliber K880, this watch is more substantial than the majority of others of the same age. It is a lovely example of the work of one of Switzerland's most highly respected houses from an era that is regarded by connoisseurs as having been a golden age for the luxury watch industry as a whole. We can be sure that this Jaeger LeCoultre was originally intended to be sold to the Swiss market, simply because its high grade JLC K880 automatic movement and dial do have the European market full "Jaeger LeCoultre" signature, without the three letter (VXN) stamped on its movement that, by law, was required to be present on Swiss movements brought into the USA at the time. If it was a US market watch, the dial would simply be signed as "LeCoultre" and its movement would indicate by law the jewel count and wether it is adjusted or not (back then, for the legal importation of Swiss movements to the USA this was a requirement!). Jaeger LeCoultre is certainly one of the world’s most desirable watch brands, with current models being offered at phenomenal cost and its vintage output sought after worldwide by an army of fanatical devotees. Jaeger LeCoultre movements are arguably the finest produced by any luxury Swiss manufacturer and are manufactured entirely “in house” at the company’s factory in the Vallée de Joux. Only a tiny handful of true “manufactures” exist (this term being the correct one used to describe a brand that is capable of making every individual component part in its movements) and these firms are enormously revered within the industry. Even the majority of the most famous Swiss luxury marques do not actually build their own calibres from scratch, instead purchasing raw movements from one of the major Swiss “ebauche” suppliers and adding their own, in house, complication modules as required. DIAL : Even as full time dealers, with a large network of contacts, we find it difficult to source watches with very well preserved dials in sufficient quantities to satisfy all our customers. The silver white dial here is original, untouched, very attractive, and could be conservatively graded as mint condition. Any vintage watch must have its original dial in order to be worth its maximum potential value. The presence of a so-called “restored” dial, meaning one on which the surface has been completely stripped and replaced with a new substitute, will render any watch undesirable and diminish its value at a stroke by typically 40%. When explaining this to new collectors, we often draw a parallel to the world of antique coins, where any evidence of polishing will instantly render an item virtually worthless. Restored dials on vintage timepieces don’t have quite as negative an impact but they should be avoided wherever possible. The dial is signed “Jaeger LeCoultre” and has the famous “JL” emblem above this lettering in silver, this applied logo perfectly matching the sided baton markers for the hour positions. “Automatic” is discreetly signed beneath the centre point of the dial, with “SWISS MADE” —hard to picture because of the angled glass—clearly printed in black along its very bottom edge! The elegant dauphine-style filled hands are original and correct for this model, their silver surfaces matching those of the applied baton markers. Tarnished, scruffy hands, will always have a negative effect on the overall appearance of a watch, but these are in great condition. As enthusiasm for vintage wristwatches increases, as it does year after year, the value of very well preserved survivors by brands like Jaeger LeCoultre is assured and they will unquestionably appreciate at a far faster rate than their more average siblings. Being aware of this, serious collectors are notoriously dial critical, and the vast majority will refuse to even consider any watch with a sub-standard dial as a potential acquisition. CROWN : This Jaeger LeCoultre retains its correctly "JL" signed logo crown in excellent condition. Notice how even the serrated edges of the crown here are crisp and well defined, telling us that this piece has spent most of its life locked in a safe for investment purpose. MOVEMENT : —Professionally serviced and timed in-house in December 2017— As one would expect from any product of the Jaeger LeCoultre factory, the automatic caliber K880 movement is a sheer delight to examine. The K880 was introduced in 1959 and was the first of the firm’s movements to feature a centrally pivoted 360 degree rotor that wound in both directions. The K part of the calibre number was a reference to Kif Flektor, the form of shock protection mechanism used in this unit. Jaeger developed this calibre directly from its famous 493 unit that had been designed specifically at the request of two of the world’s most prestigious watch houses in 1951. Jaeger had first begun production of a self winding caliber, the 476, in 1947, but chose to create a “bumper” type oscillating hammer automatic caliber, rather than one with a bi-directional rotor. The company flirted with rotor design in 1951, with the superb caliber 493, this winding in only one direction, but Jaeger LeCoultre watches with this movement were only sold for a two year period and it wasn’t to be until 1959, when the model for sale here was released, that Jaeger LeCoultre automatics finally entered the modern age. Incidentally, a development of this caliber, the 888, is still manufactured by Jaeger LeCoultre today, which is rather something of how significant and how brilliant engineered these K880 movements were. There is a very interesting footnote to be added about the design of the K880, which is indicative of the incredible standard to which it was manufactured. Perhaps oddly in some eyes, unlike the other major Swiss top-tier manufacturers, Jaeger LeCoultre never offered a chronometer rated watch in any serious commercial quantities. Tiny numbers of these, literally a few hundred units, were occasionally submitted for independent accuracy testing at one of Switzerland’s Observatories for publicity purposes, but in general, the firm’s output was sold without external time trials. One of the most obvious characteristics of the K880 is that, almost uniquely on a movement of this grade, it has no mechanism for the fine adjustment of the index, this normally being required to minutely tune the unit’s running speed. Astonishingly, the reason for this omission was that the K880 was manufactured as standard to such fine tolerances that it would achieve chronometer rated accuracy as a production norm, without the need for any further adjustment. The American publication “WatchTime” ran a test on the K881 (same as the K880 but with a date indicator) and the various other related Jaeger LeCoultre movements from the same era in its August 2003 edition (pages 88 to 91), concluding that this mechanism “embodies superlative expertise that emphasises skilful, precise craftsmanship and surface beauty”. Further mention is made that in its very slightly revised form, this same movement type was officially certified as a chronometer and sold in tiny quantities as the “Chronometre Geomatic”, a model that commands a huge price today on account of its scarcity. Everything about this movement screams of the very highest possible quality, from the perfect Geneva waves decoration on the rotor and the bridge plates, to the fact that every individual screw head has been laboriously polished by hand to give it a mirror finish. As an aside, it’s worth mentioning that on watches of this level, the Geneva waves are actually polished into the movement surface with a rotating disk of boxwood, an operation that is only entrusted to the highest grade of Swiss watchmaker with a long service record (the reason being that this is one of the very last stages of movement dressing and a mistake at this point would damage the movement beyond repair and invalidate the many hours of hard work done by other craftsmen early in the production process). Most attractively, the rotor has two large cut outs in it, replicating the “JL” emblem present on the dial. Additionally, the rotor is correctly signed “Jaeger LeCoultre, Fab. Suisse, Swiss”. Stamped close to the regulator is the individual serial number 1,524,401. Falling between the two extremes of vintage Jaeger LeCoultre production for that year of 1,500,000 and 1,550,000 this clearly identifies this unit as having been manufactured in 1962. This movement is, of course, guaranteed to be absolutely genuine and authentic, with no changed or non original parts whatsoever, but intriguingly, vintage Jaeger LeCoultre models are perhaps among the least faked of all high grade Swiss watches. As stated earlier in the text, this watch has been fully serviced throughout its life and works very nicely. It sounds excessive but the fact is that the K880 is more of a piece of mechanical sculpture than simply a wristwatch movement and to not look any further than a skeletonised view of this caliber is to completely miss the point as to why it is such a gem. The Jaeger LeCoultre Geomatic of 1962 to 1970, mentioned above in the context of the movement, and one of the most sought after vintage models by this revered company, has a case and dial that are almost identical to the item here. Better still, the Geomatic contains a very slightly modified version of the K880/881 movement in this watch, given the calibre number K881G with the G standing for Geomatic. To buy a tidy vintage Jaeger LeCoultre Geomatic today, we would realistically have to spend at least usd 5000 and in truth, the piece for sale here is a very, very close second to its more famous brother. Today’s luxury watches sold in the High Street are built to infinitely lower standards and the only comparable products offered now, quite literally, cost many thousands of dollars, even in the most basic forms. CASE : The solid steel screwback case has an indisputable elegance and is in very nice condition with only minimal wear. The case measures 37mm including the crown (35mm without), 41mm with lugs, and a drum like depth of a hair under 12.00mm, this extra thickness being required to accommodate the bulky winding rotor. The whole case has been carefully crafted from 316L grade stainless steel, a particularly high grade that offers very high corrosion resistance and protection against marine and hostile industrial atmospheres. 316L is used in the aviation industry where it has traditionally found favour as a basis for propeller shafts. The case is fully signed internally as "Acier Inoxydable (i.e. the French term for Stainless Steel), LeCoultre Co, Swiss". On so many older watches, an incorrect case opening tool has been used at some time in the past, leaving scars to the case back that are both unsightly and detrimental to the value of the watch. In this instance, the watch has only ever been opened with the correct tool, and is therefore in very nice condition. Externally, we find the individual serial number for this watch, 868794. It should also be noted that the internal case back surface is beautifully pearled with a delightful engine turned pattern. Every time we have the pleasure of examining a vintage Jaeger LeCoultre, we are astounded and awed as to how much attention to detail the firm put into laboriously finishing parts of its watches that would never be seen by the vast majority of buyers. The manufacturers of cheap watches, both in the vintage era and today, have always concentrated their efforts on offering the most glamorous external appearance for the lowest price, but neglect the parts of the watch that will not influence the average retail buyer to make a purchase. Houses like Jaeger LeCoultre put so much more into these watches than most of their owners will ever realise and this pearled inside case back is just one of numerous examples of the spectacular internal finishing on both the case and movement of this particular piece. STRAP : We have fitted this watch with a new crocodile type leather grain strap, 18 mm wide, and stainless pin-buckle that, while not being Jaeger LeCoultre items, are perfectly in keeping with the theme and chic look of the watch. Intended for the European market sale, this is a great example of the early 1960s output of one of the most collectible of all wristwatch brands. The movement present here is unquestionably among the best executed post-war automatics to be offered by any of the key Swiss houses and, if properly looked after in the future, it should be running sweetly a century or more from now, just as many early pocket watches are today. We often think that one of the most compelling reasons to buy a high quality vintage watch by one of the hallowed makers is that, sensibly cared for in the future with routine servicing every three or four years, this will be a possession for life, rather than a disposable commodity that will serve a purpose for only few years before expiring. Twenty years ago, Jaeger LeCoultre watches from the 1950s and '60s were already difficult to find and today, they have virtually dried up entirely. The simple fact of the matter is that, quite understandably, those collectors who do own these expensive classic European automatic watches don't see any reason to part with them in the present rapidly rising market. MEASURES APPROX: * Please take care to consider the dimensions of the watch case given in millimeters (the watch industry standard) and inches. Draw the measurements on paper to help visualize the watch on your wrist as vintage men's watches from the 1910s to 1970s were made significantly smaller than contemporary watches. WIDTH WITH CROWN: 37 MM (1.46 INCHES) LENGTH: 41 MM (1.61 INCHES) WIDTH WITHOUT CROWN: 35 MM (1.38 INCHES) DEPTH: 11.50 MM (0.45 INCHES) LUGS: 18 MM (0.71 INCHES) BAND: 18 MM WIDE. Product Description Brand Jaeger LeCoultre Automatic. Full Jaeger LeCoultre signature. S.Steel, JLC Cal. K880 Condition Pre-owned, original in every detail. Gender Men's. Case Material Stainless Steel. Band Material Crocodile type leather grain, 18 mm, new. Band Color Black. Dial Original MINT DIAL with European market full Jaeger LeCoultre signature, NEVER REFINISHED! Signed "JL, Jaeger LeCoultre, Automatic" and "SWISS MADE" along its very bottom edge. Movement Type Swiss made Jaeger LeCoultre high grade Automatic Cal. K880, signed "Jaeger LeCoultre, Fab. Suisse, Swiss". Serviced and timed in house in December 2017. Hands Case Back The classic Dauphine-style filled hands are original to the watch and in very nice condition. Made of stainless steel. Case Width 37 mm with logo signed crown. Case Length 41 mm with the lugs. Case Thickness 11.50 mm with glass. Crown Original "JL" signed logo crown, stainless steel. Age 1962. Hand Indicators Crystal Hour, Minute, seconds. Clear and clean. Comments A very desirable pure classic Jaeger LeCoultre in solid steel, with very sought after K880 high grade automatic movement, JL-signed logo crown and original untouched mint dial.

Price: 2200 USD

Location: New York, New York

End Time: 2024-08-31T18:12:06.000Z

Shipping Cost: N/A USD