Introducing Jaeger-LeCoultre Reveals An American-Focused Capsule Collection For The Collectibles VIII

American tariffs have been a global topic of conversation over the last couple of years, but back in the early 1930s, it was tariffs that saw Jaeger-LeCoultre drop the first half of its name. Thanks to the Smoot–Hawley Tariff Act, between 1932 and about 1985, watches sold in America only featured the LeCoultre signature on their dials, with only movements, dials and hands shipped across the Atlantic together. It was only once they arrived in the US that they’d be paired with locally manufactured cases, assembled, adjusted for accuracy, and then distributed to retailer boutiques around the country.

It’s an interesting chapter in Jaeger-LeCoultre’s history, and one that has a few hallmarks you can spot with relative ease. Beyond the changed dial signature, American market LeCoultre watches often had 17-jewel movements that were marked as “unadjusted”, and arrived with the customs code “VXN”.

For the latest drop of vintage watches, The Collectibles VIII, the team at Jaeger-LeCoultre has gathered together nine of these American market LeCoultre references, ranging from the complexities of a late-40s triple calendar to a slightly more straightforward coin watch. Every watch in the line-up has been faithfully restored by the brand’s heritage department and is offered for sale, with the timing of the collection offering a nod to the 250th anniversary of American independence. Let’s get into them.

The capsule opens when the Reverso was born, with a 1933 example dating to the model's debut year. It’s powered by the Calibre 410, which was the first in-house movement built specifically for the Reverso and the one that features a small-seconds subdial at six o'clock. 

What’s most attractive about this watch is the dial, arriving in a rich chocolate brown that, according to Jaeger-LeCoultre, was only available by special request. Its slim stainless steel case has survived the best part of a century in impressively good condition, and the watch is paired with a modern brown calfskin strap that nicely accentuates the warmth of the dial. Price: €48,400

If the Reverso is all about matching tones, this Triple Calendar from 1947 is a study in contrasts, featuring a 33mm stainless steel case that’s topped with a pink gold bezel and a copper-tone dial. Made between 1942 and the early 1950s, the Triple Calendar was one of the first complications that entered serial production, housing the Calibre 494 that Jaeger-LeCoultre describes as the “gold standard of useful complications”. Perhaps apart from a GMT, I’d have to agree. Price: €31,500

The star of the show in this capsule collection is this Triple Calendar ref. 2726 from 1952, which was the first time Jaeger-LeCoultre offered the complication in a rectangular case shape. It’s not just the case shape that makes this one special, as the hour markers are engraved and black lacquered directly into the yellow gold case, the pointer date ring is printed in blue, and the expression in the moonphase display could be a reminder to live your days with serious intent. 

What’s particularly touching about the ref. 2726 is that it was launched in 1949 to commemorate the passing a year earlier of Jacques-David LeCoultre - whose surname is on the dial. Not only was he Edmond Jaeger’s business partner, but he was a key figure in the watchmaker’s international expansion, including into America, making it one of the more important references to own for US-based Jaeger-LeCoultre collectors. Price: €42,400

In the late 1940s, automatic watches were still in their infancy, and to help sell the American market on the idea that they didn’t need to wind their watch by hand every day, Jaeger-LeCoultre launched the Powermatic collection. It stood apart from the other automatic watches that were available at the time thanks to its power reserve indicator at 12 o’clock, which was possible thanks to the patented Calibre 481. Its yellow gold-filled case measures 34.6mm in diameter, and thanks to its angled lugs, it earned the nickname "Nautilus" about a quarter of a century before another watchmaker popularised the name even more. Price: €18,200

The sibling to the Powermatic Nautilus is this second Powermatic, also featuring an interesting set of lugs, but this time inspired by jewellery design from the 1940s. Its “beetle” lugs brought that extra touch of flamboyance the American market preferred at the time, while the rest of the watch is more familiar, with a 14K yellow gold case, black dial and red power reserve indicator thanks to the same Calibre 481 inside. Price: €21,800

During the 1950s, scuba diving saw significant advancements in the technology that made it possible, which transformed it into a leisure pastime for anyone who loved swimming. Meeting this emerging market, Jaeger-LeCoultre’s line-up of civilian-specific dive watches over the following decades included this Master Mariner Deep Sea from 1968, which, according to archival American catalogues, earned the nickname “Barracuda”. It features a stainless steel tonneau-shaped Super Compressor case and a crown-operated inner rotating bezel, while powering it was the Calibre 883 with a date. Price: €30,300

Not long after the Barracuda, the Shark Deep Sea pushed the brand’s dive watches into new waters as the brand’s first to be equipped with a chronograph. Powered by the much-loved  Valjoux Calibre 72, the black dial features a tachymeter scale and framing it is a diving bezel (the Shark Deep Sea was originally offered with diving, telemeter and world time bezels). The 40mm stainless steel case originally promised 120m of water resistance, and it now arrives paired with a black rubber strap. Price: €36,300

Arguably the funkiest member of The Collectibles VIII collection is this 100m water-resistant Memovox Polaris II, which features a massive stainless steel case measuring 43mm in width and a lug-to-lug of 50mm. It’s also got a Memovox alarm (designed to warn a diver they need to surface) and is paired with a three-link stainless steel bracelet, but my favourite detail is the bright gradient-blue dial and a sky-blue rotating bezel that would pop on the wrist. Powering it is the Calibre 916, which was Jaeger-LeCoultre’s first in-house automatic high-frequency movement, beating at 28,800vph. Price: €30,300

Possibly my personal favourite of the nine watches in the collection, this Coin Watch from the early 1980s is cased inside a hollowed-out 18K gold United States $10 coin that measures a mere 30mm in diameter and just 4.3mm in thickness. It’s powered by the ultra-thin Calibre 839, with the dial revealed after pushing a release button at 3 o’clock to pop open the heads side of the coin. Interestingly, it also features the full Jaeger-LeCoultre signature, perhaps as a reference at the beginning of the transition away from the LeCoultre logo on the brand’s American-destined dials. Price: €24,200

The Collectibles VIII is on display in Jaeger-LeCoultre's flagship boutique at 701 Madison Avenue from 6 to 20 November, with all nine pieces available worldwide through the brand’s website. At the time of writing, the Memovox Polaris II, Shark Deep Sea, Master Mariner Deep Sea "Barracuda", Reverso and the circular Triple Calendar are all already sold. If you’re keen to add one to your collection, you’d better move quickly. 

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