Posts Tagged ‘Alarm’
E855 Jaeger-Lecoultre Memovox Jumbo
The earliest iterations of the JLC Memovox (shorthand contraction of the Swiss for ‘the voice of memory’) hold a spellbinding attraction for many of us. The watchmaker’s watchmaker quickly iterated on the mechanical alarm complication through the 1950s and 60s but truly hit what I would term design perfection right around this ref. E855. There…
Read MoreDunhill Jaeger-Lecoultre Memovox in Yellow Gold
Watch collectors are a community whose interest lives and dies in the finest of details. The Memovox is a model whose history has spawned a handful of very interesting and nuanced variations. I have yet to meet a grizzled collector who does not swoon at a vintage Memovox. The watch you are viewing today may…
Read MoreJaeger-Lecoultre E855 Memovox Parking Alarm Dial
In the late 1960s, chronographs were a thing of purpose. The general public did not enjoy a screw-down pusher. However, increasingly, people had need to time specific intervals with precision. The egg-timer variety of alarm complication was growing in popularity and JLC saw fit to bring it to the people’s wrists. However, they didn’t stop…
Read MoreRoyal Blue E855 Jaeger-Lecoultre Memovox
The Memovox is an alarm watch with an attraction that runs deep. If know enough about watchmaking to know that Jaeger-Lecoultre are known as the watchmaker’s watchmaker within Switzerland (meaning many Swiss brands quietly utilize JLC’s engineering skill in order to aid their own efforts), you probably are already infatuated with the charm of this…
Read MoreVulcain Cricket Nautical S2321A
Much has been said and written here about modern alarm complications, but it is worth noting that the alarm complication itself has a somewhat more humble origin in commercial diving. Vulcain’s naval pieces of the 1960s rung out some of the first mechanical alarm chimes. Since its introduction, a Swiss benefactor not associated with Vulcain…
Read MoreOmega 166.072 Seamaster Memomatic
If you’ve been here a little while, you’ll know I have a fascination with the alarm complication. You may also know I’m a bit biased toward the JLC Memovox and Deepsea Alarm. This is largely because I owned a Deepsea years ago and parted with it in a pinch, a move I regret weekly. But…
Read MoreLip Genève Alarme 42992
If you can picture a Lapis Lazuli Memovox on acid, you’re already late. Lip Genève created it in 1972. Alarm watches are a deep rabbit hole and one that I’ve been descending further and further this year. There’s the abundance of Memovoxes, a few Deep Seas, and even that recent Jenny. But all of those…
Read MoreA Perfect Early Jaeger Lecoultre Memovox
Although I struggle to articulate why, the one vintage watch which tugged at my heartstrings most over 2020 was the original Memovox. You may have taken note, I have a fascination with mechanical alarms. But the Memovox is so much more. Although this two-finish silver dial may not be quite as rare as the lapis…
Read MoreJenny Sealab Alarm
Although there is an almost revolting lack of diversity across all axes in watchmaking, there is a surprisingly broad diversity of watches. One of the great joys of collecting is learning more about all the deep niches peppered throughout the vintage market. One of my fascinations is mechanical alarms. I promise I won’t bore you…
Read More1 of 768: Jaeger Lecoultre Polaris Limited 190.8.96
If I’ve featured JLC a little heavily in the last month, I apologize. In my defense, I’m not sure you can feature JLC too heavily. There have been a few very appetizing references surfacing lately. I remember a period of four months where there wasn’t a single Polaris LE 190.8.96 on Chrono24. I checked back…
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