Jaeger-LeCoultre

Hi all!

It's been a loooong time since I last posted over here... even tough I always come back to take a look and read the posts...

I wanted to show you a watch that I was lucky enough to buy, and then to get it restored, even tough it seemed an impossible task...

First of all, a quick look at the original watch...

This is the pic the seller sent me :


Not quite appealing, huh ?

But enough to make go for it. I call back the seller, we agree on the price, and since he lives 5 minutes away from me, it's quite easy to meet.

We spend 2 hours talking about the watch... It was his father, who was a cook for a maradjah in the 30', who ordered the watch, brand new !! He came back to france, got married, and eventually gave this watch, 30 years later, to his grandson, for his first communion. The watch was repaired at that time, but not by JlC.

The boy wore the watch for at least 10 years... But one day it finally gave up, and also lost its glass at the same occasion. It went back to a little box, where it stood for 20 years more...

And one day, being in need, he decided to sell the watch. He didn't use the watch, and could not afford a restoration... Selling was definitely the best solution. Of course, knowing the situation, I paid exactely the price he wanted for it, I didn't try to get it any lower.

So, here are the first pics I took of it, once I got home :







Still not quite appealing...

But I knew who could get it restored. 3 professionals (and friends) worked on it, one for the case and movement, one for the dial, and a third one to rebuild the missing parts (center seconds wheel).

It took me about a year to get it finished... but now I'm really proud to be able to wear it, and I always think of those friends who made it possible :









So, I just wanted to share it with you, this little vintage Reverso, from 38-39, and now ready to go for 50 years more...

Bruno
This message has been edited by bruno_brazil on 2009-03-21 02:59:53

What a great story, and an amazing restoration. Fantastic. Thanks for sharing it!
Tim

A beautiful watch with a wonderful history to match.  What a find!!!

Thank you for sharing!

Absolutly fantastic, how you all were able to restore this watch from present condition to a real beauty! You can be very proud of this fantastic watch and especialy about the restauration! CONGRATULATION! Regards, Herb

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Wow, what a come back!

This is an awesome job, here.

It looks like N.O.S.

Superb watch, my friend.

Best,

Nicolas

...three very talented friends and an extremely beautiful Reverso. Congratulations.
N

Congratulations!

- SJX

That's a real labor of love and all credit to you for doing this. I love to see older possessions become new again. Restoring old watches and old cars - a lot of heartache but when you see results like this it's an inspiration not to throw anything away but to give it a second life.

very very sweet piece and the pictures are enlighting this watch for sure. Well done.

I was just wondering if the dial was the original dial re-done or if you found another dial for the watch.

anyway, more beautiful pictures, please.

Hi all !

Firts of all, thanks Nicolas for the warm welcome back!

One thing I forgot to mention, is that in 2008, in june, I had a severe car crash... A very very bad one, that kept me in a hospital for several months, and of wich I am still recovering (still undergoing face and leg surgeries). After my accident, those friends wanted to help me recovering, so they were extremely motivated to get this watch as perfect as possible... Receiving it, at the hospital, was a special moment in my recovery, you can believe me...

Nicolas, you got it right: when I bought the watch, my objective was to make it not just like new, but just like NOS... that's slightly different !

And for the dial, this is the original one, restored !

Thanks again for your replies !

Bruno

wishing you all the best on your recovery as well

And that's why I'm so happy to welcome you here.

But I didn't know that your friends gifted you such a nice present.

Fantastic.

Well, here is like your home, my friend.

Happy to know that now, things are ok.

Best,

Nicolas

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Bruno,

That is one fantastic watch and what a restauration your friends did. I'm happy to see what is possible with the restauration of watches, I'm even more happy to hear that you made such a recovery. In the end that is all that counts, but in good health what is better than wearing a great watch.

By the way this is one of the nicest Reverso's I've ever seen.

Best,

Starman

Hi Bruno,

Welcome back here!

Your Reverso is really superb! A great work done!

My only wish is that your own "restoration", if I dare say, will bring such outstanding results! 

Best regards

Dje

Hi Dje !

Nice to see you here !

In fact, Things are not finished yet... I had a face surgery last monday (they're still working on rebuiding my upper jaw), and in 10 days I will have a foot surgery ! After that, I will have a "plastic boot" for 6 weeks... But after that, I'll have at least 6 months without hospitals !!

BTW, thanks again you all for your warm welcome !

Bruno

with great story behind it. Thanks very much for sharing and posting the beautiful photos.

Andy

Hi Bruno,

This is an amazing restoration: of course, the watch looks now very nice. But what I like the most is the story behind it!

The job performed by yours friends is really impressive. Congratulations to them!

Kind regards,

 

 

 

This is an amazing Reverso. Perfectly restored as it should be ... congratulations on such a beauty and we all wish you a great recovery ..

Greetings, wear this one in the best of health ....

Filip

Wear it, and I mean this more than ever, in the BEST of health.

Best,

Jed

WHAT a project - what a stunning result !!  CONGRATS !!

. . . grace this forum, Bruno . . . the restoration of the watch completed in tandem with the restoration of the man who owns it. Thank you for sharing this story of devotion and courage with us . . . with admiration, Art

... for your own restoration first of all!

While I was contemplating over the pictures of this amazing Reverso restauration,

I was wondering whether there was any meaning to the fact that the dial was not

done to it's original looks - adding "Fabrique en Suisse" below Jaeger-LeCoultre

and railway-track style seconds.

 

Cheers

Christian

Hi Christian !

In fact, it is nearly 100% identical to the original dials !

It was built using an original dial as a model, and this is how an original "center seconds" dial should look like in 38/39 ! Also, if you take a look at the book "Reverso, the living legend", You'll see the "fabriqué en suisse" under the logo.

My inital dial was a 50's/60's redial, quite common in those Reversos.

The only difference concerns the font itself : the number "1" is slightly different. That's all. This makes sure that we're not pretending it's an original dial. I'd call it a "restoration" rather than a redial, since the work done on it is substantially higher than on a "simple" redial. This is a 3D dial, with different textures , a specially tainted luminova... I tried to get it done in Tritium like the original, but no one paints on Tritium anymore !

Thank you all guys for your kind messages.

Bruno

... restoration has been done very thoughtfully and to high standarts!

Though I know the dial layouts of the center-second Reversos from Fritz's publication

in general, I did not notice that you were using a different font: a very subtle reminder

that this is not the original dial indeed.

Also I did not know that your Reverso had been redialed in the past. I thought it had a

variation of the center-second dial layout that came with and without "Fabrique en

Suisse" but mostly with the railway-track-seconds your actual dial now shows.

Great job!

Enjoy to wear it, Bruno!

Christian