A vintage Jaeger-LeCoultre hand-wound men's watch adapted for women

The Appeal of Vintage Jaeger-LeCoultre Hand-Wound Watches

・Vintage Jaeger-LeCoultre
■Specifications
Case: 35mm (excluding crown)
14K Gold Plated
Back: Stainless steel
Windshield: Acrylic
Lug width: 18mm
Movement: Hand-wound (mechanical) Cal.480cw
Era: 1948~


It is said that everyone who loves vintage watches knows about it.
Jaeger-LeCoultre has been a favorite for a long time

At the time, the vintage men's watches of LeCoultre were
While large case designs to suit Westerners were in vogue,
They continued to produce watches that exuded elegance and style.

Thanks to that, today, this vintage LeCoultre watch is a watch that looks good on women, too.
In fact, it would be more accurate to call it a unisex watch.


This time, we have received overwhelming support from vintage watch enthusiasts.
I would like to talk about "Vintage Jaeger-LeCoultre" from a woman's perspective .

The fascinating LeCoultre watch

Here, I have introduced it as LeCoultre,

Jaeger-LeCoultre to vintage Jaeger-LeCoultre,

There is a difference in the branding on the dial, and the Jaeger-LeCoultre I got is

It was a vintage hand-wound watch labeled "LeCoultre" like the one in the image above, so

That is what I did.



-This is the vintage hand-wound watch, with just the brand name "LeCoultre".
■Specifications
Case: 32.2mm (excluding crown) 14K gold plated
Case back: Stainless steel
Windshield: Acrylic
Lug width: 18mm
Band: Genuine leather, black ( not genuine)
Movement: Hand-wound (mechanical) Cal.480cw
Era: 1948~


By the way···.

・This has the emblem "JAEGER LECOULTRE".
■Specifications
Model: Master Marina
Case: 35mm (excluding crown) 18K
Back cover: Stainless steel
Windshield: Sapphire
Lug width: 18mm
Band: Genuine leather (original)
Movement: Automatic mechanical　CAL K880
Era: 1957s~

*Some versions of this "Master Marina" only have "LeCoultre" written on the dial.

I will answer this question later, but all of the mechanical watches shown above are for men.

However, it doesn't feel strange at all when worn by women.

One of the reasons I decided to get this vintage LeCoultre was,

I saw a female celebrity on TV wearing a large case watch.

There were several female celebrities around me wearing beautiful jeweled watches,

The first thing that caught my eye was a large-cased leather strap watch.

Anyway, it just naturally catches your eye.

At first glance, I wanted to get one for myself.

It's a gentleman's watch with a large case and leather strap, but when a woman wears it,

It has been reborn as a "stylish and cool" watch.

Is it the stylists who are amazing, or the women who wear them that are amazing?

Either way, there's no doubt that it's a good idea.

For this reason, the case is large but not affected by trends.

When I was looking for a wristwatch, I ended up with a vintage hand-wound men's watch from "LeCoultre."

This watch has been ticking for a long time, and when you hold it up to your ear, you can hear the characteristic ticking sound of a hand-wound watch.

I can hear a sound.

This sound is also great.

A manual winding watch will stop if it is not wound for a day, but it will start again if you wind the mainspring.

Time starts from there.

If you take good care of it, it can last for decades to come.

Jaeger-LeCoultre movements and calibers

Even if the watch has a large case, there are quartz watches and cheap watches that can be purchased for a few hundred yen.

That's quite counterproductive.


Personally, I believe that "appearance is important, but what's inside is also important."


As mentioned earlier, let’s start by talking about the branding on the dial.

To put it simply, both movements are manufactured by LeCoultre.

The watch distributed in Europe is "Jaeger-LeCoultre".

The brand that was manufactured for the American market is "LECOULTRE".

The reason why there is such a difference is that

Jaguar and LeCoultre were originally separate companies.

This ultra-thin caliber was developed by Edmond Jaeger in 1903.
We asked the long-established watch company, LeCoultre, to cooperate in the production of the watch.

Jacques-David LeCoultre, who was the head of manufacturing at LeCoultre & Cie at the time,
In response to this order, we created a collection of ultra-thin pocket watches.

This was the beginning of the joint production and development between Jaguar and LeCoultre.

Jaguar signed a contract with Cartier to make all Jaguar movements exclusive to Cartier.

The movement is manufactured by LeCoultre,

Jaguar and LeCoultre have been in a manufacturing partnership for decades,

In 1937 the company name was officially changed to Jaeger-LeCoultre.

However, for hand-wound watches manufactured for the American market from 1932 to around 1985,

The dial is still "LECOULTRE" and is being sold as is.

It was later unified under the name "JAEGER LECOULTRE".

Surprisingly, it was still on sale until recently.

This is the difference in the brand name on the dial.

To be honest, the contents are the same.




・Jaeger-LeCoultre cal.480cw movement

As for the performance of the movement inside, Jaeger-LeCoultre has been

They manufacture over 1,242 calibers.

He holds approximately 400 patents and has hundreds of inventions.

The Jaeger-LeCoultre I got was a product distributed and sold for the American market.

Since it is Cal.480, it was developed in 1948.

The watch itself was made before 1958, between then and the development of the automatic winding system.

It means that it is a manufactured product.



It is installed in vintage Hermes movements,

It has been exclusively installed in Cartier movements,

Just hearing the names of these two famous brands, which are still renowned as the highest-end brands,

Its capabilities are unshakable.


・Cartier Pasha

However, today, Cartier is considered a "luxury jewelry and luxury watch" brand because

Originally, jeweler Cartier asked Jaguar to create a movement for a hand-wound watch.

One of the reasons for this may be that it was manufactured and installed exclusively by LeCoultre.

This certainly made Cartier, Jaguar, and LeCoultre all popular with each other.

In addition, the movements of Hermes' vintage hand-wound watches are jointly developed by Jaguar and LeCoultre.

It is equipped with a movement that was previously manufactured by LeCoultre.

For some reason, Jaeger-LeCoultre is popular among vintage hand-wound watch enthusiasts.
I understand.

If it looks like luxury brands like Hermes and Cartier,

Vintage Jaeger-LeCoultre is what's inside.

As the saying goes, "It's what's inside that counts," doesn't the phrase come to mind naturally?

Replace your favorite hand-wound watch strap

Since this is a vintage hand-wound watch that I managed to get my hands on,

Women want to have a few leather straps for manual winding watches.

As with men and collectors, functionality and historical value are important, but

Fashion is also very important for women.

First of all, Jaeger-LeCoultre's hand-wound watch straps are also available on the Internet under the model name.

If you insert it, you can purchase the genuine belt.

The only drawback is the limited number of belt colors available.

Because it is a sophisticated design, there are limited color variations for the belt.

So, I thought about buying one from a high-end leather belt brand.

The brands that make the straps for watches sold by the highest-end brands are:

Camur Fournet or JC Perrin.

Both brands are based in France, but also have several stores in Japan.

This time I am considering ordering from JC Perrin.



The great thing about this brand is the wide range of materials they use.

There are roughly 18 types.

The color variations vary depending on the material, but there is quite a wide range.

And even the thickness, stitching, thread type, belt backing, end pieces, and spring bars.

You can order with particular attention to detail.

I'm thinking a red suede belt would be nice for autumn.

The most expensive crocodile material is 40,000 yen, while other materials start at around 15,000 yen.

there is.

Each item is handmade and easy to order, so you can get a unique item at an affordable price.

Being able to purchase it is appealing.


Leather watch straps can be seriously damaged during the summer if you use them regularly.

Even good quality products are said to last between one and three years.

The cause is deterioration due to moisture from sweat.

Therefore, it is a good idea to change your belt both for fashion reasons and to prevent it from deteriorating.

Once the belt has been changed, we will introduce it here again.

Just as people's image can change depending on their clothes, making them look more mature or more cute,

A watch can be transformed into a completely different piece just by changing the strap.


* If you are having trouble choosing a belt or have any questions, please feel free to contact us.
We also accept orders for custom belts.