Here's an example where the opportunity presented itself and I grabbed it without hesitation. Those were the circumstances for my finally acquiring this very interesting vintage watch from the 1950s with an in-house Cal. 497 bumper automatic movement. It is a Jaeger LeCoultre Futurematic, one of the most sophisticated self-winding (i.e., automatic) watches made from that time and perhaps even to the present.
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| Elegant dial on this watch showing the power reserve indicator and a sub-second dial, and bull head lugs |
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| Side view showing there's no crown where there is usually in other watches |
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| The other side view also showing no crown here, too |
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| The watch's back with the crown cleverly located here - one of the innovations for this watch model |
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| Close-up of the flat crown located at the back whose function is only for adjusting the time. |
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| The watch the first time I wore it on my wrist |
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| It is an everyday watch for me but because I also have to care for it (its more than 60 years old), I wear it on special occasions or whenever I want to. :) |
The movement runs at 18,000 bph with an original power reserve of 40h. It runs well and keeps time. Not bad for a luxury watch produced sometime between 1951-1958. I will have to bring it for maintenance soon but I'm bracing myself for the cost considering these watches with their in-house movements cannot be brought for routine maintenance just anywhere including our "suking" watchsmith whom I entrust with other watches in my collection. I guess that's a price I have to pay for this not so inexpensive hobby.
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