Jaeger-LeCoultre Memovox NOS Corporate Dial

DaMctosh · 2012-08-17T13:39:52Z

Discover DaMctosh's unexpected NOS Jaeger-LeCoultre Memovox find with a rare corporate dial and original packaging. A unique vintage JLC acquisition.

DaMctosh

WPS member · Jaeger-LeCoultre forum

20 replies4101 views0 photos

DaMctosh shares an exciting acquisition: a New Old Stock (NOS) Jaeger-LeCoultre Memovox with a unique corporate dial. His post captures the thrill of an unexpected vintage find, complete with original packaging and documentation, offering a rare glimpse into JLC's past collaborations.

20 collectors discussing this on the WatchProSite forumJoin the Conversation →

Been away for a while and missed a bit of the action here.

First off, congratulations to Nicolas for his fantastic find. The Polaris is indeed a rare one and being the great guy he is, he has been rightfully blessed with great buddies. Fantastic addition, Vlad, and thanks for sharing that with us!

Back to my unexpected find, I was not looking to buy anything (really, that's what I keep telling my other half) but recently I came across an unusual JLC. I gotta say that at first I hesitated as it was not what I was looking for (again, not that I was looking for anything really!).

To add further to my hesitation, I’m pretty much a vintage virgin - especially when you compare with multi-medal vintage Olympians Nico, Blomman and Clavi. But it was - gasp, a complete set and new old stock. Who could resists such a package.

Anyways, I know - where are the pics, stop talking already. I'll get on with it and stop being an old fart telling a long story.

When something's meant to be yours, it somehow ends up in your hands.

And so, let me let the pictures do the talking. Starting with the highly anticipated delivery and careful yet rapid box opening.

As they say, it's not the prize or the value but the hunt. I didn't really camp out 2 weeks in the hills wearing pampers to get this but you can imagine the incredible excitement I felt when I saw the green box.

Opening it, the black case. Excellent condition. So far so good. Getting closer!

OK, a bit of a tease before I show you the watch, look at the inside of the box!

Look at the papers!

Alright, before you cuss me, finally, here’s the watch…

OK, OK the other side you say

Wait a second, is that a JLC?? A closer look.

It doesn’t have JLC anywhere on the dial! What's all this stuff on the dial?

This was part of the reason for my hesitation – this was a watch commissioned by the Western Reserve Life Insurance company.

Notice that the unique 3-6-9-12 and other hour applied markers are moved into the inner dial and the hour and minute hands are accordingly shortened. I was concerned this would look really crossed-eyed but it somehow is balanced.

Look at the condition of the dial and the hands (apologies that’s as macro as I can go with my point and shoot). Also the fine lines on the gold plated bezel between the hour notches.

Okay the signed crowns, familiar caseback and stamped strap give some assurance this is a JLC (ha, like there was any doubt!)

The strap is in unused time-capsule like condition, amazing.

The buckle detail for the OCD ones out there.

But have you noticed it appears like there is no alarm? Actually, the entire inner dial rotates and the top of the balance scale points to the alarm time. In the pic below, the alarm is set for 9am/pm. Funnily, unlike other JLC compressors I've handled, this one does not give a perceptible ‘click’ when you rotate the alarm disk to the current time. But the alarm works fine and is quite clear and loud. Time keeping so far without a time trial appears to be running more than 5s slow a day.

A few more other details below. Here you see the pristine carbon paper for the guarantee booklet. ‘Open’ papers!

The instruction manual and the booklet describing some of JLC’s firsts.

OK, that’s it for now. Apologies for the small pics as lord knows I’ve tried many times to use the picture loader with no success whatsoever. And my Mac crashed while trying to do this so it's been a really test of perseverance.

Hope you enjoyed this little pictorial as much I did when I took the pictures.

Damien

Key Points from the Discussion

The acquired Memovox features a unique corporate-commissioned dial for the 'Balanced Program Club' by WRL, a mid-western company, which was a more common practice for manufactures in the past to boost sales.
The watch was originally sold by Sidney Mobell in San Francisco for $250, as indicated by the original price tag, which also mentioned 'growth potential provided by the stock market'.
This specific version of the Memovox is unusual, featuring a date window at 4:30 and a mix of JLC and LC markings on the box, hangtag, and strap, raising questions about its originality and the production location of the dial and case.
Despite some unique characteristics, the watch is considered a 'great find' and an 'ugly duckling' by seasoned collectors, especially given its NOS condition and complete original packaging.
The case is steel with a gold-plated or filled bezel, and the dial's hour markers are moved to the inner dial, further contributing to its distinctive appearance.
The author expresses satisfaction with the NOS vintage acquisition, comparing it favorably to acquiring a new, plastic-wrapped piece directly from the manufacture.

The Discussion

amanico

Aug 17, 2012

As often when you don't know a watch, and that you can source some objective informations about it. Interesting catch, my friend. With the box and the papers from the same era, that is certainly a time capsule. Enjoy! Is this a gold filled case? Best, Nicolas.

DaMctosh

Aug 17, 2012

I suspect it was really put aside all this time, rather than repackaged. I definitely had my doubts but overall it was a fun acquisition, although of course not on a Geophysics/Polaris 65 scale but one to help scratch a small itch :). It's nice to have a Memo from that era even if it's a bit of a Franken dial. I figured worse case I have the dial changed even though that's a bit sacrilegious for vintage guys. Only the bezel is gold (plated I think but could be filled). If you look at the case si

patrickmaniac

Aug 17, 2012

Educational to learn the history behind it. Cheers PAt

DaMctosh

Aug 18, 2012

Hi Patrick, I don't think it would be necessary to verify it. This looks to be just a specially commissioned dial for a corporate customer, not unlike all the LEs for the retailers. But I dont think you'll see this today for a smallish company like WRL. Agree with you that the history would be interesting. Anyone here from the mid West familiar with WRL or the Balanced Program Club?

amanico

Aug 18, 2012

Do you remember the Memovox made for Ford? Best, Nicolas

DaMctosh

Aug 21, 2012

Hi Nicolas, I think these special corporate dials were more common back in the day when the manufactures were more receptive to such requests to move more pieces. Today, it'll be rare for the brands to do it for a non-Fortune 500 company unless it's an AD, and a big AD at that. And alas, now the special ones (I'm thinking eg red Reverso) are boutique only! The only consoloation is that JLC has thankfully not seen the Paneristi madness yet when it comes to boutique pieces.

Continue the conversation

This thread is active on the Jaeger-LeCoultre forum with 20 replies. Share your knowledge with fellow collectors.

Join the Discussion →

Jaeger-LeCoultre Memovox NOS Corporate Dial

Key Points from the Discussion

Continue the conversation

More from this Forum