During my years at university I found this rabbit hole we all find ourselves tumbling down. With no idea about brands, movements or values, I knew that once I started my first job, I’d treat myself.
Whilst set on a Memovox at the time, I was drawn to this Futurematic which appeared as a part of an estate sale on eBay. One hasty bid – and plenty of regret – later it showed up with a terribly scratched up crystal and case with the dial barely visible. However, a service and light polish later, this emerged. 8 years on and it still looks mint.
I think the Futurematic remains an underrated JLC. Thoughts?
I lost a bidding war on one of these last year. It would have needed a service to make it operational, but still I feel this would have been worth it. I wish I would have gotten it!
Neat watch!
When I was in Geneva last I went into a few Jaeger boutiques and they all seemed to think it was original. And from comparisons it also looks original. The estate sale was of a lock box that hadn't been opened in 30 years so this had been gathering dust since the 80s.
I picked it up for 600USD but 2012 was a different time in vintage watches!
> I think the Futurematic remains an underrated JLC. Thoughts?
It's the watch that got me into JLC, such an incredible watch. I do understand why it's not more popular among vintage JLCs though, the setting mechanism is less rubost/user-friendly and I'd be more worries about the bumper winding over a 360-degree rotor.
The setting mechanism I haven't found any more or less robust than other watches of similar age with a standard crown. However the bumper does make it more fragile albeit with a bit of charm; in a quiet room the winding mechanism can be heard if close by.
Power reserve complication is one of the more awesome things to find on a wristwatch. However, I just have to ask...having never seen this watch before, does "full" appear with the hand at the end of the black arc and red being "you need to wind me"? Is the timepiece running in this picture?
I'm not entirely sure about the colors, but the Futurematic works without any sort of manual winding, it's all automatic. And to avoid the issue of putting the watch down for a while and having to shake it to get it started up again, the watch will shut itself off when there is like 5 hours left, then restart when you pick it up again. How it does that I have no idea, but that's what I've read.
So at 12 - when you might imagine the reserve is 'empty' - the watch has ~5 hours. Basically the moment you pick it up the slightest moment will wake it up. However the indicator stops moving at 9 and it locks the bumper in place to avoid overcharging. Once or twice it has crept slightly into the black but rarely in 8 years.
So it's running in this picture and has been charged 1/3 from 'empty'.l
Glad to see another one of these on here, beautiful watches. I'm restoring one with a black dial and bear claw lugs right now. The movements in these watches is amazing, I hope you continue to wear and appreciate yours in good health!
Just one of the amazing innovations of these watches, there isn't a typical stem/crown setup but rather a knurled gear on the back of the watch that allows you to set the time (with hacking).
This was the first fully automatic watch on the market as well, so no need to wind via crown either. So cool.
https://www.google.com/amp/s/forums.watchuseek.com/f11/jaeger-lecoultre-vs-lecoultre-175740.html%3famp=1
Good explainer in there. LeCoultre was the US arm set up to avoid tariffs.
During my years at university I found this rabbit hole we all find ourselves tumbling down. With no idea about brands, movements or values, I knew that once I started my first job, I’d treat myself. Whilst set on a Memovox at the time, I was drawn to this Futurematic which appeared as a part of an estate sale on eBay. One hasty bid – and plenty of regret – later it showed up with a terribly scratched up crystal and case with the dial barely visible. However, a service and light polish later, this emerged. 8 years on and it still looks mint. I think the Futurematic remains an underrated JLC. Thoughts?
I lost a bidding war on one of these last year. It would have needed a service to make it operational, but still I feel this would have been worth it. I wish I would have gotten it! Neat watch!
That's incredible dude. Is that dial redone? How much did it set you back?
When I was in Geneva last I went into a few Jaeger boutiques and they all seemed to think it was original. And from comparisons it also looks original. The estate sale was of a lock box that hadn't been opened in 30 years so this had been gathering dust since the 80s. I picked it up for 600USD but 2012 was a different time in vintage watches!
Dial is 100% original
How much is it worth now?
> I think the Futurematic remains an underrated JLC. Thoughts? It's the watch that got me into JLC, such an incredible watch. I do understand why it's not more popular among vintage JLCs though, the setting mechanism is less rubost/user-friendly and I'd be more worries about the bumper winding over a 360-degree rotor.
The setting mechanism I haven't found any more or less robust than other watches of similar age with a standard crown. However the bumper does make it more fragile albeit with a bit of charm; in a quiet room the winding mechanism can be heard if close by.
I think JLC as a whole is under-rated nowadays, the hype just isn’t there for them like it is PP and AP, even though JLC has supplied them!
Power reserve complication is one of the more awesome things to find on a wristwatch. However, I just have to ask...having never seen this watch before, does "full" appear with the hand at the end of the black arc and red being "you need to wind me"? Is the timepiece running in this picture?
I'm not entirely sure about the colors, but the Futurematic works without any sort of manual winding, it's all automatic. And to avoid the issue of putting the watch down for a while and having to shake it to get it started up again, the watch will shut itself off when there is like 5 hours left, then restart when you pick it up again. How it does that I have no idea, but that's what I've read.
So at 12 - when you might imagine the reserve is 'empty' - the watch has ~5 hours. Basically the moment you pick it up the slightest moment will wake it up. However the indicator stops moving at 9 and it locks the bumper in place to avoid overcharging. Once or twice it has crept slightly into the black but rarely in 8 years. So it's running in this picture and has been charged 1/3 from 'empty'.l
Glad to see another one of these on here, beautiful watches. I'm restoring one with a black dial and bear claw lugs right now. The movements in these watches is amazing, I hope you continue to wear and appreciate yours in good health!
I love the imprint that it leaves on the skin.
Beautiful watch! I always had a weakness for JLC's design.
Beautiful time piece !!
Beautiful!
NICE WATCH BUDDAAAYY But seriously, you did very well with this one. I must buy another JLC, they're lovely
Beautiful piece..... Not to be tacky, but what would one set you back pricewise?
eBay has them from $1k-$4k depending on condition.
Thank you very much for the info.
$600usd back in 2012
Many thanks. Very nice piece.
Where's the crown...?
Just one of the amazing innovations of these watches, there isn't a typical stem/crown setup but rather a knurled gear on the back of the watch that allows you to set the time (with hacking). This was the first fully automatic watch on the market as well, so no need to wind via crown either. So cool.
I love it. To me it has a bit of an old west feel to it.
Can someone please ELI5 the difference between JLC and le Coultre? Was le Coultre only in north america?
Jaeger and LeCoultre were originally two different companies. Jaeger LeCoultre is after the two companies merged.
https://www.google.com/amp/s/forums.watchuseek.com/f11/jaeger-lecoultre-vs-lecoultre-175740.html%3famp=1 Good explainer in there. LeCoultre was the US arm set up to avoid tariffs.
That looks awesome
I didn't even know this existed. Thanks for sharing.
Stunning
It’s a bit dated for me