The first automatic wristwatch with a power reserve, the Powerwind was a hugely popular Jaeger-LeCoultre.  Calibre 481.

HOW DO WE DATE THIS WATCH?

From the serial number on the movement we can accurately date this watch to being made in 1953.  The Powerwind series were made from 1948 to 1959.  Approximately 75% of total production went to the USA and were just sold as LeCoultre (as Jaeger was deemed to difficult for Americans to pronounce!).

CONDITION

The Powerwind series was a very successful model for Jaeger-LeCoultre, with roughly 100,000 watches made over the eleven years of the model life.  It is easy to see why – automatic watches were still relatively rare, and the window at twelve reassuring you that the watch had enough power helped those not used to trusting the watch was sufficiently wound enough.  Now they could see the number of hours of wind left, and the dial even turns red once you drop into the last 12 hours.  This movement is calibre 481, a bumper automatic, that can also be manually wound so it is easy to top up any winding, even if you just want to see the dial move out of the red!  Everything is working perfectly well.  The case has unusually wide lugs, giving the 10k gold filled case extra wrist presence.  The case does have some dents around the bezel, shown in both the photos and the video.  The dial does have some marks and patina, but it is all original – confirmed by our Geiger counter that shows the presence of radium on the dial and hands.  The crown is not signed, but neither are any of the examples we have seen in the reference books.  The leather strap is new, and could be swapped for a different colour or material if preferred.  The watch is signed on the dial, case, and movement.

This watch will be supplied with our branded presentation box and our Certificate of Authenticity.

This watch has been checked against the Watch Register and has not been reported as lost, stolen or implicated in fraud, and a copy of that certificate will also be included.

Please see the HD video for more detail.  All photos and videos are part of the description and are of the actual watch unless mentioned.  We do not photoshop any pictures, and the images are copyright of birthyearwatches.com and should not be used without permission.

​SIZE

Width with crown  36.9 mm

Width without crown  34.0 mm

Between lugs  17 mm

Lug to lug length  42.0 mm

Case Thickness  12.5 mm

All sizes are approximate.  The watch is photographed on a wrist of 190mm/7.5 inches.

Included with this watch is a 3 month guarantee and free delivery to UK addresses.  If you live outside the UK we can still deliver to most countries.  Please see our Worldwide Shipping information, or Contact Us.   Payment can be made by most credit or debit cards, bank transfer or PayPal.

From 1st September 2021 we will be planting a tree for every watch we sell, working with the International Tree Foundation (Est 1922) to make this business positive on carbon.  By buying anything pre owned you are effectively reusing what already exists, but this takes it further and makes us feel good.

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