Comments:
caliber 453 family
Paying attention to the history of vintage V&C, there was a movement that must say: caliber 453. Ebauches JLC caliber 450, 12.75 '''
I have seen the following generations in the family:
1. 453C1 2. 453/2C 3. 453 4. 453/3C 5. 453/3B 6. 453/3BW After searching a lot of pictures , the edge of movement 1-4 is uneven, and the structure of movement 5-6 has been improved. But I still can't know the meaning of the three letters C, B and W exactly. Do you have more information ?
1. 453C1 2. 453/2C 3. 453 4. 453/3C 5. 453/3B 6. 453/3BW After searching a lot of pictures , the edge of movement 1-4 is uneven, and the structure of movement 5-6 has been improved. But I still can't know the meaning of the three letters C, B and W exactly. Do you have more information ?
If I recall correctly from some of those great Hour Lounge posts....
I believe the B marked VC movements were their best manual movements.
As far as your more detailed questions, I'll bet Tick Talk will be able to help you.
"W" for WOW!
I have never seen an official explanation for these designations so if anyone has documentation it would be wonderful. Comparing the movements pictured, that "W" resulted in many visible differences from the /3B. Kif-flector, 18 jewels, adjusted to temperatures and positions, and Geneva Seal are the added WOW! factor.
JLC 450
V&C 453
V&C cal 453 and its base ebauche from JLC were 12 1/2 lignes. Another WOW! moment comes when one realizes how much work V&C invested in upgrading the base movement. There are obvious differences when one compares the two but, for me, the best illustration can be seen in a hidden but critical part; the pallet fork:
JLC 450
V&C 453
There are some exceptions.
P453/3B 18j double geneva seals
K453/3B 18j double geneva seals kif flector
K453/3B 18j double geneva seals kif flector
Also worth noting
LeCoultre used BW sub-designation on some movements, just not the 450. Nevertheless, I suspect some feature of the LeCoultre base calibre is the origin. Perhaps a watchmaker that has disassembled these would know.
There are a couple of earlier versions too... oops! ignore first post
The first version had no writing indicating the number of jewels/adjustments. Just the serial number, and the V&C logo.
The second was fully marked, but the reference number had no letter behind it.
Also, at this time, import codes were being introduced to ensure compliance with the laws of the country to which the watch was being imported. This was necessitated by the US instituting tariffs on swiss watches, based upon the number of jewels and adjustments. IIRC, that was 1938.
