Today, Jaeger-LeCoultre Club watches are mostly unknown. They don’t get the respect of the in-house models from Le Sentier, but they’re fine watches for daily use. Auctionata estimates €800 for this “C 2+” watch, but I suspect they’ll have trouble reaching that unless someone doesn’t know the provenance of the Jaeger-LeCoultre Club.
First In-House Chronograph: Jaeger-LeCoultre Master Compressor Extreme World Chronograph
Though lacking the original box and papers, this Master Compressor Extreme World Chronograph is a platinum LE model, number 096 of 200. The scarcity of the model, combined with the historical importance of Calibre 752, and the platinum case should bring well over the $5,000 starting bid at Auctionata on March 10.
Reveil! Comparing Alarm Watches
It is difficult for a watch enthusiast on a budget to enter the world of complicated watches. Adding anything more than time and date quickly ratchets up the price beyond what most people can afford. This is especially true of chiming watches – good luck finding a mechanical Repeater or Sonnerie priced less than a car! But Reveil (or alarm) watches are the exception: These can often be found on a budget. Today we will look at a few that are up for auction and decide which (if any) is a buy.
My Visit to the Swiss Jura, Home of Watchmaking
Like many watch fans, I was enticed by the concept of visiting the picturesque mountains of French-speaking northwest Switzerland, the Jura region, home of so many of my timepieces. But I was not entirely clear on what this visit would entail. Most of the articles about such visits focus on special arrangements by manufacturers or general overviews of the towns in the cantons of Neuchâtel and Geneva. I would be traveling alone and unannounced, however. What would await me in La Chaux-de-Fonds, Le Locle, Bienne-Biel, Le Sentier, and the rest?
2002 Paul Picot Firshire Chrono
With so many brands making watches it can be difficult to track down some of the oddballs you run across. Such was the case recently when I stumbled on a lovely tonneau-cased Paul Picot Firshire Chrono for sale at auction. I had never heard of the brand or model, and the description was less than helpful. So I set about learning more.
Audemars Piguet Huitieme Chronograph: Tantalum and Gold
Exotic materials are fairly common in modern watches, with most manufacturers augmenting their lineup of stainless steel and gold cases with titanium, platinum, and ceramic today. But what about really-unusual materials like rhodium and even tantalum? Yes! Many manufacturers have used these materials, though they’re certainly not common…
Audemars Piguet “Equation of Time” Hyper-Personalized Watch
This 2004 Audemars Piguet watch is just waiting to become yours in a very deep, personal way. It is an “equation of time” watch, showing sunrise and sunset for your exact location, as seen in the video below. And it can even be personalized with your initials on the skeletonized rotor. What more could you ask?