The Collectibles by Jaeger-LeCoultre: 17 Restored Iconic Watches, Plus A New Definitive Reference Book

Fans of Jaeger-LeCoultre and classic 20th-century watchmaking are in for a real treat today thanks to the launch of La Grande Maison’s new The Collectibles program.

Created to coincide with Jaeger-LeCoultre’s 190th anniversary, The Collectibles is a collection of rare and sought-after vintage models from JLC’s historical catalog that have been carefully curated and thoroughly vetted. Immaculately restored by the Vallée de Joux-based manufacture, the pieces of the new The Collectibles collection give collectors a chance to own not just a slice of the brand’s storied past but also an haute horlogerie icon from the last century.
 

While already taking two years to build, The Collectibles collection will steadily evolve over time. And Jaeger-LeCoultre has chosen to kick things off with a line-up of 17 emblematic models – all restored originals – that span the 1920s to the 1970s, the so-called golden age of 20th-century watchmaking.

The seminal pieces chosen include the Reverso, Powermatic, Memovox, Futurematic, Geophysic, Geomatic, and Shark Deep Sea. They are available to buy now on the Jaeger-LeCoultre website and, eventually, in select JLC boutiques around the world. After the collection’s in-store debut at the brand’s Geneva boutique, some of the pieces will embark on a global tour in the form of capsule collections.
 

What’s more, accompanying this collection of timeless creations will be a new master reference book – also named The Collectibles – researched and written by Jaeger-LeCoultre’s watchmaking historians and archivists.

Besides devoting an in-depth chapter to each of the seventeen models, the book aims to give history buffs a broader understanding of how watchmaking reacted to the significant social changes that took place in the 20th century and the role Jaeger-LeCoultre played in that evolution.
 

Each iconic model will be delivered with a copy of this book, an extract from the Jaeger-LeCoultre archives, and the watch’s original box, papers, and strap or bracelet, if available. Watch enthusiasts will also be able to purchase the book separately via Mr. Porter from February onward. Its price will be €250.
 

Each of the seventeen pieces chosen to begin The Collectibles is not just classic in its own right, but they also act as indicators for the social shifts afoot at their time of production. The accompanying book duly traces the background of each watch, placing it in the historical and cultural context in which it was born.
 

The earliest piece presented is the Duoplan. At the time of its release, this watch’s elegance and miniaturization were a sign of the increasing freedom women encountered in the 1920s, when wrist-worn timepieces (along with radical new styles of dress) liberated them from the stiffness and constraints of traditional patriarchy.
 

In the 1930s, the Reverso – with its Art Deco lines, colored dials, and pioneering reversible case – epitomized the lifestyle of the newly fashionable “sporting gentleman.”
 

The 1950s ushered in new technology and saw the emergence of international air travel, such that Jaeger-LeCoultre responded with automatic movements packing various useful functions: The Powermatic with its power reserve indicator, the Memovox with its alarm function and worldtime display, the “crownless” Futurematic, and the magnetically resistant Geophysic.
 

The increasing popularity of SCUBA diving in the 1960s led Jaeger-LeCoultre to create the robust Master Mariner Deep Sea and versatile Shark Deep Sea diver chronograph.
 

To determine each price, the brand has taken several factors into account, such as the current market value, the curation service by its experts, the incoming condition of the piece and, finally, the level of restoration carried out.