Jaeger-LeCoultre Model 17011 18ct Mystery Watch 1971

Jaeger-LeCoultre

Jaeger-LeCoultre, in addition to producing movements for its own watches, has also produced movements for many other famous watch houses, such as Cartier, Vacheron Constantin, Audemars Piguet and IWC. In the early part of the 20th Century, Jaeger-LeCoultre even supplied movements to the great firm of Patek Philippe. Then as now, Jaeger-LeCoultre has always been considered one of the very finest Swiss watchmakers.

Description

Here we have an absolutely outstanding, unusual and rare ladies Jaeger-LeCoultre ‘mystery’ dial watch in completely original, unrestored and untouched condition. This watch is known as the mystery watch as it appears to not have a crown or a movement. It is only when examining the watch from the rear, that a hidden crown can be seen with a very small case-back covering the tiny movement. These are very rare watches and just another example of extraordinary creativeness and inventiveness from Jaeger-LeCoultre. This watch looks incredible upon the wrist and is definitely a statement piece. Another notable aspect of this watch is the very high quality Jaeger-LeCoultre Calibre A430 hand-wound movement, which also remains in sparkling condition.

The Dial

This dial is very clean and simple. The unusual and unique transparent dial carries painted 1 – 12 black roman numerals which complement this dial perfectly, and when upon the wrist, make this watch very easily read. These are matched with the original black ‘stick’ hands and the dial is completed with a brushed gold centre.

The dial is simply signed ‘Jaeger-LeCoultre’ and ‘Swiss Made’ on the gold centre, just above and below the centre of the hands.

The unrestored and untouched transparent dial is in outstanding condition considering the age of the watch. Usually, we restore the dial as part of the restoration of a watch as vintage watch dials over 50 years old are usually damaged due to sunlight, humidity and air pollution. Typically this takes the form of fading, staining. pitting, speckling etc. However, we have decided to leave this dial completely alone to retain its originality and charm for those who prefer this. It also helps to contrast with almost all of the other watch dials you see on our website, which have been restored. The hands, likewise, have also been left in their original untouched condition.

Please note, studio lights, professional-grade digital cameras, and macro lenses can be very unkind to an unrestored vintage watch dial. Also the dial here measures less than 1.25 inches across, so the image you’re seeing may be between 5 – 25 times larger than the watch itself. Therefore please keep in mind you are seeing many tiny flaws which cannot be seen, or will be very hard to see with the naked eye, even under close examination. Suffice to say, on the wrist, in natural light, this dial looks much better and carries a great deal more charm than the photographs portray.

The Movement

The watch is complete with its original ultra-high quality, Calibre A430 hand-wound movement. The nickel plated movement is jewelled to the centre with a gold alloy balance wheel and concealed winder and all of this is mounted to the centre of oval glass dial. This is very highly regarded as one of Jaeger-LeCoultre’s finest calibres and was a cornerstone in its hand-wound movement development. These movements are particularly well regarded for their reliability and accuracy, making this watch quite suitable for everyday use.

The movement has been fully overhauled and serviced by our watchmaker. This involves completely dismantling the movement to each of its component parts, ultrasonic cleaning, microscope inspection and replacement of parts as required, only with new JLC originals, then careful assembly and oiling, ready for final testing and careful calibration. The watch is now running perfectly having been calibrated and timed at +14 seconds per day with a runtime of 40 hours from its fully wound state, which is outstanding for any watch of this age and shows the movement is particularly strong and running and well within expected parameters. It is now ready for many more decades of faithful service and we are therefore more than happy to offer this watch with our 12 months’ warranty and assist with servicing again in around three years time.

The movement is signed ‘Jaeger-LeCoultre’ with the calibre number A430.

*Please note – our 12 months’ warranty is only applicable if the list price is paid.

The Case

This simply wonderful oval 18ct yellow gold watch case has tapered downturned lugs and measures 36mm x 28mm, excluding the hidden Jaeger-LeCoultre crown.  The case is of exceedingly high quality, being constructed in two pieces with a screw in case-back for improved water resistance. Due to its sophisticated construction with multiple facets, the watch sits beautifully on the wrist and looks every bit the quality piece it is. The watch case is in tip-top condition with no signs of wear visible to the naked eye.

The exterior of the case-back all is correct and as expected: signed with 18ct hallmarks and the reference numbers 17011 21 21 and 1279602. This is of full thickness and has never been inscribed.

As ever, our standard advice applies: vintage watches should be kept clean and dry at all times.

The Strap & Buckle

The strap fitted is a Jaeger-LeCoultre black alligator strap and Jaeger-LeCoultre gold-plated buckle. We feel the strap suits the watch nicely, however, if you wish to dress up the watch with a different colour or style of strap, please let us know and we will do our best to oblige free of charge. We carry a number of colours in stock, but can also obtain most types and colours from our partners at ‘Watch Obsession’ within 48hrs. Please take a look at their huge range of straps on their website if you wish and we will order your choice for you.

Box and Papers

Although there are no original papers with this watch, the reference numbers, markings, signatures and hallmarks are all correct, dating this watch to 1971.

Detailed particulars will be included with our purchase receipt for your interest and security. A separate insurance valuation for the replacement value of this watch will also be provided at the time of sale along with our unique ‘Lifetime Authenticity Guarantee’ which states: “If this watch proves to be anything less than 100% genuine, authentic and original, a full refund will be given at any time”.

This watch comes complete with a Jaeger-LeCoultre presentation box shown in the photographs is included.

Payment and Delivery

If you would like to pay by bank transfer, we will be pleased to assist you with this. Similarly, if you wish to pay by International SWIFT or Bank Wire Transfer we will provide you with our BIC / Swift number and our IBAN number.

Please check the import duties and any taxes your government may apply, these are different for each country and, unfortunately, out of our control.

We understand there may be some ‘loopholes’ that may help you avoid these charges; however, attempting to use these could impact our ongoing ability to serve our growing international customer base.

For those who happen to visit London on occasion, we are, of course, more than happy to store your watch until we can meet you in our offices in Kensington, London, and hand your watch directly to you there.

As with all our watches, this watch will be sold under our 14 days no-quibble sale or return policy.

In Conclusion

This is a simply wonderful, unusual and rare vintage gold Jaeger-LeCoultre mystery watch which we feel is much more stylish than a modern equivalent. This is an iconic and totally original vintage watch and even though it is now just over 50 years old, it is still completely fresh, reliable and practical to wear as a daily watch. It is an item of beauty, from one of the most prestigious names in Swiss watchmaking and a superb example of 1970s contemporary watch design in superb fully restored condition.

A word on our prices – We always try our hardest to acquire the very highest quality watches we can find, before restoring them to the highest possible standards. We then offer these at the fairest prices we can, taking into account our pre and post-sales care and service. This approach means we will never be the cheapest, but nor will we be the most expensive. Indeed there are some well-known stores in West London which are highly successful charging between two to three times the price you see here. We, therefore, consider our prices to be fair, given the quality of watches we have to offer.

Please note, we also welcome part exchanges. If you have a watch or a small collection for sale, please contact us as we will be happy to discuss this.

We will also be happy to Service your watch, Repair your watch or Restore your watch, all at ‘sensible’ prices. Please see here.

If you have any questions please call us on 020 7727 7095 or if calling from overseas on +44 207 727 7095.

Please take a look at our other fine vintage gold watches.

Thank you.