Grail Watch

Always watching for holy grail timepieces

  • Grail Watch Reference
  • The Watch Files Podcast
  • Grails
  • Commentary
  • Collection
    • Watch A Day
    • Breitling Datora 592
    • Buren Calibre 82
    • Jaeger-LeCoultre AMVOX1
    • Junghans Mega 1
    • King Seiko 56KS
    • Nivada Antarctic
    • Paul Picot Firshire Chrono
    • Seiko SCED “Aliens” Chronograph
  • Reference Materials
    • Reference Database
    • Buren Calibre 82
    • Christiaan van der Klaauw Satellite du Monde
    • Jaeger-LeCoultre Reverso Reference
    • Junghans Mega 1
    • Nomos Models and Movements
    • Sinn Models
    • Watch Battery Cross Reference
  • About Grail Watch
  • Email
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Twitter

Copyright © 2021 · Log in

Home » Levrette Chronograph: Classic Elegance

Levrette Chronograph: Classic Elegance

April 24, 2018 By Stephen 3 Comments

Today’s “Watch A Day” is a real classic: A Swiss chronograph in a gold case with the historic Venus 175 movement ticking inside. It’s a joy to wear and enjoy such a wonderful timepiece!

This Levrette chronograph is like so many others from the middle of the 20th century, using the wonderful Venus 175 movement

Chronograph watches gained popularity in the 1950s, and numerous Swiss companies sprung up to sell them. Many of these brands were specific to one market or the other, and most were simple “etablisseurs” who brought together components from other suppliers and marketed finished watches. Such was the case of Levrette, which produced classy gold chronographs like this one for a decade or so before being forgotten.

Update: Browsing through the archives of Europa Star, I discovered something very interesting! Levrette was a brand of Charles Wilhelm & Co. SA of La Chaux-de-Fonds, Switzerland. Their other brand was none other than Festina!

This watch has a lovely champagne dial with a bit of patina. The numbers are stamped rather than applied, but everything under the crystal is in fine shape. The hands are graceful and thin, and dial features both tachymeter and telemeter scales in Km and Kmh. The case is in good condition as well, with just a few scratches and scuffs but no corrosion. This is due to careful use over the last 60 or so years and the fact that it’s constructed of 18 karat gold, as evidenced by the hallmarks inside the case back.

The gold case features classic art deco lugs and a domed plexiglass crystal

The case has a simple oval contour, with the lugs providing the only real styling. They are a three-stepped art deco design that would look right at home in the lobby of the Chrysler Building. The pushers and crown are in great shape, too. And look at that domed plexiglass crystal! It “bends” the seconds hand in a most admirable way.

The snap-on case back is decidedly not waterproof, but I’m not ever going swimming in this thing. And, despite the “antimagnetic” logo on the dial, I don’t think there’s anything particularly special about the watch or movement.

Everything winds and ticks smoothly, and thankfully there’s no date window to worry about. As is typical with Venus chronograph movements, the counter can be stopped and restarted by the top pusher, and must be stopped before it can be reset using the bottom button. That reset feature is amazingly smooth, thanks to a clever trick by Venus: When you start the chronograph it stores energy in the “hammer” used to reset it. So the reset releases this energy rather than asking your finger to do the work.

The 45 minute counter subdial features marks at 3, 6, and 9 minutes, corresponding to the pricing of long-distance phone calls. Watch the chronograph and you’ll see another wonderful Venus touch: A “sautoir” advances the minute hand in steps rather than continually moving it forward. This is old technology but is rarely seen even in today’s high-end chronograph movements.

Cal. 175 from Venus is a classic column wheel design

Open the case back and you’ll see that lovely movement. The Venus Cal. 175 movement is regarded fondly today, having proven itself durable and accurate. This is a column wheel design (see the 7 columns near the top?) with an oscillating pinion clutch, as invented by Edouard Heuer, whose last name might sound familiar. Mere mortals can think of this as working like the “crashbox” gear shifters of old: Push the button and a gear smashes into the center wheel of the movement, engaging the chronograph mechanism. It’s crude but it works!

Although not finished like today’s luxury watches, the plates and bridges are decorated and beveled. And many parts of the movement are gilded for durability and beauty. I’m not sure when this movement was serviced last, but it still works wonderfully today.

On the wrist, this Levrette is a joy. It is warm and classy, fitting easy thanks to the rounded case back. And now that I found an appropriate strap (a simple weathered leather Tissot-branded strap) it really looks the part, too. When I want a classic look, there’s nothing better.

I’m wearing and blogging about a different watch from my collection each day of April, 2018. Check back here for our “Watch A Day” series, follow us on Twitter and Instagram, and like us on Facebook!


Year: 1950's
Brand: Levrette
Style: Chronograph, Complicated watch
Case: Gold, Precious Metals, Yellow Gold
Country: Europe, Switzerland
Source: Auctionata
Tags: Chronograph, Levrette, Tissot, Venus, Venus 175, column wheel

Filed Under: Collection, Watch A Day Tagged With: Chronograph, column wheel, Levrette, Tissot, Venus, Venus 175

Subscribe for Grail Watch Updates!

About Stephen

Stephen Foskett is a technologist, organizer, and watch nerd. Find him on Twitter @SFoskett.

Related Posts

The History of the Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Chronograph

Montblanc Homage to Nicolas Rieussec: Attainable Complications

Apple Watch: It's Not a Watch

The Curious Case of the Column Wheel Valjoux 7750 Variants

Retrograde Retrospective: A History of the Le Phare Sectora and Quarta

Chronotechna Ultimate Black Hands-On Review: Black? Yes. Ultimate? Not Really.

Comments

  1. Michal says

    July 25, 2019 at 6:19 pm

    “Venus Cal. 175 ” …. this is Landeron 39

    Reply
    • Stephen says

      July 28, 2019 at 10:25 am

      Thank you! It looks a lot like the Venus, and that’s what I was told it was. But It also looks like the Landeron 39. I never realized they were so similar. How can you tell the difference?

      Reply
  2. Pedro Velasquez says

    August 18, 2019 at 1:43 pm

    For shure is Landeron 39, the transmission wheel bridge is totally different.

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Latest Posts

What is Haute Horology?

What Is the True History of A. Lange & Söhne?

Blancpain, F. Piguet, Biver, and the Path Forward

The Fall and Rise of Zenith, 1969-1988

Hajime Asaoka: Chrono and Kurono, Bunkyō Tokyo

In Praise of the Rolex Cellini Prince

The Thin Watch War | The Watch Files: January 12, 1979

The Day Gérald Genta Challenged the Watch Industry | The Watch Files: November 7, 1984

No Joke: H. Moser & Cie. Swiss Alp is the Smartest Watch

Inventing the Solar-Powered Watch: Patek Philippe, Synchronar, and Uranus

About

About Grail Watch

Favorite Sites

  • The Watch Files Podcast
  • Watch Wiki
  • Europa Star
  • Le Monde Edmond
  • McGST
  • The Naked Watchmaker
  • Perezcope
  • Plus9Time
  • Reddit /r/Watches
  • Seiko & Citizen Watch Forum
  • The Watch Lounge
  • WatchBase
  • Watches by SJX
  • Watchuseek