gatorcpa
438
To correct a misconception...
...about the Harwood, the first mass produced automatic wristwatch.
I've seen it reported in a number of locations around the Internet that the movement had a very low power reserve, anywhere from 10 to 12 hours. I recently purchased one of these watches and had it serviced by a master watchmaker here in the USA.
After service, I'm getting somewhere between 30-35 hours after placing the watch back in the box.
That being said, all the Jaeger-LeCoutlre automatic movements shown above are generations removed from the Harwood. The company went out business during the Great Depression and beforb Messrs. Jaeger and LeCoutlre merged their respective companies to form the modern house of JLC. Though I like to think the Futurematic is a more modern version of the Harwood. Both are among the few automatics without manual winding crowns (Harwood is set by rotating the bezel) or slipping clutch mainspring protection.
I love my Futurematics and Powermatice as much as this Harwood, the father of them all.
Take care,
gatorcpa
An interesting page of JLC History: Automatic watches.
When we do our home work on the topic of automatic movements, we learn that this technical solution was found since the end of the 18th Century, by a certain Mr Sarton, in 1778, to be precise, very close followed by Mr A.L Breguet, in 1782. But when it co...
re: History
Cool to see an evolution of the brand. It would be interesting to time them and check accuracy improvements as the manufacture evovled over the years. -MW
About accuracy.
A well adjusted Cal 881 / 883 is very good, in terms of accuracy, and can easily compete with current JLC movements. But we have to keep in mind that the Master Tourbillon won the Chronometry contest, in 2009, with some splendid results. Best, Ming. Nicol...
Another gem of a post
from Laboratory of General Alladin :) Marvelous photos and info All the best Damjan P.S. I think that it will be intersting to see blommans input ;)
Well, let's see what Blomman has under his sleeve... ;)
The Futurmatic you know... The E855 you know... The Geomatic you konw... Hm... And the Powermatic you know very well...! ;) This one is new in the forum, I never showed this here before... This one is brand new (to me) with help from a dear friend. Case s...
Wow! Your P 476 looks a lot like mine!
And great to see that you got the E 329! Surprises, surprises! Best, my friend. Nicolas
Moving out from the Memo...
Into Autos? ;) Working several themes right now... Hopefully I will be able to show some here before end of summer! :) Best Blomman
Yes! That is the fun part! ;)
The journey even including some Reversos! :) Best Blomman ...
That is a great idée! ;)
Thank you for all your help and support, dear friend! :) Best Blomman
I like your 'never seen before'
[Quote Blomman] This one is new in the forum, I never showed this here before... Well, I think this other one was never showed before... (sorry for the bad iphone pic, I just happened to have the watch and book at hand... but not the camera !) ...
Your watch is a bit too much to the left... ;)
Hey Clavi ! Nice photo, love the backdrop! :) Best Blomman
Thank you Nicolas for another beautifully writen piece.....
of history. Yes the mouvement of the Geophysic is superb and the Cal 476 and Cal 481 are not bad looking at all. I do not understand however how the calibre on the picture just below the Futurematic works. Pardon my complete ignorance but is there a piece...
It is an automatic movement, with a bumper, my friend, not a rotor.
You were looking for a rotor, it is a bumper. ;) Thanks for your kind comments, my friend. Nicolas
Thank you Nicolas, yes, bumper, that's what I am.....
looking for, like the 476 and 481...I still don't figure it out....perhaps I need a whisky :) Cheers my friend Francois ...hic!
The bumper bears the Jaeger Lecoultre wording. You see it?
If not, you need a serious whisky! ;) Best, Nicolas
:):) Whisky makes me see things much clearer.......
I thought so but wondered about the absence of springs and if the springs would be in place, then the travel of the bumper would be very short, but with the clarity of view acquired from my Whisky:) I guess that the springs mechanism may be somewhat diffe...
It's interesting looking at the 881...
knowing that the 920 came out 6 years later and has been called "the most beautiful automatic movement in the world" by a few brands (and many more admirers), and was probably in the germination stage when this was released (since new movements were 5-to-...
This is something which crossed my mind.
Funny to see that JLC, at this time, and somewhat nowadays, always improves their products. Best, Dean. Nicolas
learning a lot Nicolas, thanks for this article !
this was the first E 329 I've seen, nice ! No knowledge to add, just some more watches .... the Powermatics are lovely pieces, let me share one of mine, early without the "Powermatic" branding: and the Futurematics; quirky, slightly crazy, highly innovati...
That is what I call an impressive collection of Memos and Futurematics!
Which would be your next step? JLCs? Best, and thanks for your breathtaking addition in this post! Nicolas
Nicolas, the E501...
... is freakin' so cool. How do I get one of those? Great report, my friend. Hope we get to see each other soon. - Scott
Getting one is not too difficult, but a nice one, that is a bit tougher.
I will show it to you next time we meet! Best, Scott. Nicolas.
Beautiful and very educative post ...
Nicolas, Another high class post. Thank you master, a post to save for future reference. You made me to regret for letting go a Memo bumper. Cheers, Nilo
The Memovox should be in every collection.
Ok, as a JLC moderator, and a big fan of the Memo, I am a tad biased. ;) But, well, there is a part of truth in these words. There are some splendid Memos, + the friendly complication = a must have watch. All the best, Nilo, and thanks for your kind comme...
Superbly written .. Notably educative.. Highly enjoyable !
It is really nice to see that 6-pack, different but connected by a common denominator. The evolution is also full of pleasures, featuring different aspects. I am always specifically intrigued by the Powerwind/ Powermatic and of course the Futurematic, in ...
There is a lot to love, here.
I have a big weakness for the brown dialed Auto P 476, and the E 329. The Futurematics are already icons. As well as the Geomatic. There are many more to rediscover! All the best, my friend. Nicolas
Thank you for another great post, Nicolas!
That is a great lineup! The half "dirty dozen" ala JLC! ;) There is a lot to discover here. Auto, Auto + Power reserve, Auto + Alarm, Auto + Alarm + Date, Auto + Chronometre.... It easy to loose yourself only around the automatic movements! As for your Q?...
And we didn't even include the auto diving watches! :)
Can't wait to see what you have under your sleeve, my friend. Best, Nicolas
To correct a misconception...
...about the Harwood, the first mass produced automatic wristwatch. I've seen it reported in a number of locations around the Internet that the movement had a very low power reserve, anywhere from 10 to 12 hours. I recently purchased one of these watches ...
Thanks for your input, gatorcpa. And for posting a photo of the Harwood movement.
Which is not often seen! Best, Nicolas.
like this interesting page very much which shows...
.... which really shows how competent and technically strong in developing outstanding movements. thanks a lot for putting them together so nicely. however, you may have missed out one more automatic movement which is the Cal. 906 chronometer grade calibe...
I sure have a few darlings in your list...
... Very interesting "work through" my friend Best Hans
