E853 Jaeger-Lecoultre Memovox

E853-Jaeger-Lecoultre-Memovox

The E853 is little-discussed corner of the vintage Memovox world that offers much of what modern collectors seek: history in the form of being the world’s first automatic alarm movement, minimalist dial signatures, 37mm steel proportions, and, perhaps most crucially, no date. See, the considerably more famous and more widely-produced ref E855 is the date-bearing…

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E855 Jaeger-Lecoultre Memovox Jumbo

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…

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Value Prop: Early Manual-Wind Jaeger-Lecoultre Memovox

Calibre-814-Jaeger-Lecoultre-Memovox

There is something undeniably charming about a watch with a voice. Of all complications, a simple alarm is often most practical. Sure, your iphone times things. But when your watch can do it too, you will find yourself setting a reminder on your wrist for sheer novelty. JLC’s Memovox is a model with such depth…

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E855 Jaeger-Lecoultre Memovox Jumbo

E855-Jaeger-Lecoultre-Memovox-Jumbo

The first Memovox (generally speaking, not counting the cal 489 …you consummate nerds) is one which tugs at the heartstrings more than most. You may have taken note, I have a fascination with mechanical alarms. But the Memovox (shorthand contraction of ‘the voice of memory’) is so much more. Although this pure white dial may…

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Tropical E859 Lecoultre Memovox Polaris

Tropical-E859-Lecoultre-Memovox-Polaris

If any watchmaker knowns how to make a fashionably late entrance, it’s la grande maison, JLC. Diving watches with their extreme water resistance and externally rotating bezel were all the rage by the second half of the 1950s. In 1959, Lecoultre entered the fray with a differentiating design. Instead of using a rotating bezel to…

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EU Jaeger Lecoultre Tribute to Deep Sea Alarm Memovox

Jaeger-Lecoultre-Tribute-to-Deep-Sea-Alarm-Memovox-EU

It’s difficult to tangibly describe to non-watch-obsessives just why the Deep Sea is as cool as it is. The model, released next to the Fifty-Fathoms and original Submariner, met divers’ needs through a completely fresh design. Rather than a rotating bezel to externally time intervals, the Deep Sea had an internal alarm mechanism which would be…

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Dunhill Jaeger-Lecoultre Memovox in Yellow Gold

Dunhill-Jaeger-Lecoultre-Memovox-18K-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…

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Jaeger-Lecoultre E855 Memovox Parking Alarm Dial

Jaeger-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…

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Royal Blue E855 Jaeger-Lecoultre Memovox

Jaeger-Lecoultre-Memovox-E855-Royal-Blue

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…

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A Perfect Early Jaeger Lecoultre Memovox

Jaeger-Lecoultre-Memovox-M4971

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…

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