C.1956 vintage LeCoultre 34mm Wrist Alarm pre-Memovox manual winding in Steel with leather strap

Description

Vintage. No box or paper & a Passions box or pouch will be given.

This LeCoultre is a pre-Memovox (voice of memory) made for the American market, dating to 1956 and named wrist alarm that is printed at the bottom of the dial.

The watch is distinguished by its twin crowns: one for winding the watch and setting the time, the other for winding the separate alarm spring and setting the desired hour on the central rotating disc. When the time comes, a tiny internal hammer strikes a post on the case back, creating a distinct and delightful mechanical buzz.

This is an interesting Post-War watch with historical evidence of Jaeger LeCoultre and Vacheron & Constantin together. The movement has the US import code VXN for the Swiss manufacturer which belongs to Vacheron & Constantin and they were the agent for LeCoultre watches in North America under Vacheron-LeCoultre.

This watch has two barrels, the top crown is for winding the the alarm function while the lower crown is for the main spring giving life to telling time. Both takes about 25 winds to full reserve which is very long.

The Jaeger-LeCoultre brand name was only adopted for global sales from 1985 onwards.

Case has been polished in the past and retains the factory profile with no visible rust while the crystal is an old piece with a fracture and some marks but adds a character to the vintage vibe but this can be replaced with a modern acrylic at no extra cost. The dial is in near mint condition with aged lume that matches the hands and the movement shines as seen.

A very attractive vintage alarm watch by a pedigree brand.