E335 Lecoultre Valjoux 72 Chronograph

E335-Jaeger-Lecoultre-Valjoux-72-Chronograph

Valjoux 72 is a broad church. Everyone thinks manual Daytona first. But the legendary chronograph calibre is behind much of great vintage Heuer, Universal, Breitling, and Enicar. Lesser known, its widespread adoption even intersects with the history of the esteemed ‘Grande Maison’ Jaeger-Lecoultre. And where V72 meets JLC, it is a bizarre, varied, but undeniably…

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5621H Rodania Geometer

Rodania-Geometer-5621H

There is a highly divisive branch of theoretical physics which holds that there are infinite realities. Some call it the multiverse, others call it the twin-world model level IV. The latter more extreme theories hold that if you can imagine a reality, it has existed or will. Yet, I’m already struggling to think of watch…

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Valjoux 72 ‘AOPA’ 806 Breitling Navitimer

Valjoux-72-Breitling-Navitimer-806-AOPA

The Navitimer story is nearly unparalleled in its historic depth. But even the most arduous journeys begin with a single step. The Navitimer’s baby steps into the world of aviation chronographs began here. There is, to this very day, fierce debate surrounding the precise year the Navitimer was borne. Most cite the public debut of…

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6239 Rolex Cosmograph-Only Dial

Rolex-Cosmograph-6239

Inverse panda, pump pusher, steel bezel, single-line Cosmograph text: these are things dreams are made of. I admit to being a fan of this reference to an almost child-like extent. I’ll try to rein that in as I feature this example. You will be familiar with the Circuit de la Sarthe of the US, Daytona,…

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Value Proposition: Desotos Valjoux 72 Chronograph

Desotos-Valjoux-72-Chronograph

Much like Heuer had Leonidas, Enicar (in their early Mk1 Sherpa Graph days) had Desotos. There aren’t many of these kicking around, but Desotos were Enicar’s generic-label Valjoux 72. The case is straight 40mm EPSA Sherpa Graph from the Enicar factory and the many of the Valjouxs were even signed specifically for Enicar. Despite this…

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Jenny Accurist Super Submarino

Jenny-Accurist-Super-Submarino

Watchmaker Jenny created a monocoque cases designed for Valjoux movements in the early 60s. The patent design was named ‘Monobloc Triple-Safe’. The brand licensed their tech to Jacques Monnat, Dugena, Ollech & Wajs, Haste, Jacquet Droz, Fortis, Aquadive and Philip Watch. The design even served as a base for early Doxa designs. From there forward,…

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