Jaeger Clock 73 and some Jaeger-LeCoultre history

What is easy to miss when it come to Jaeger-LeCoultre is the fact that clocks played a very central role in the manufacture history!

Already in the 1920’s Jaeger made clocks and mechanical instruments for air-planes, cars and ships. This tradition was kept through all the way, well into the 1970’s, even if more and more focus were put on wristwatches.

Today, mainly the Atmos remains in the Jaeger-LeCoultre catalogue, representing the clock heritage.

Back in the 1960’s, it was a different story!

Here is an advertisement from 1962, showing the broad spectra of watches and clocks offered by Jaeger-LeCoultre. In the ad it’s easy to see what big and central part clocks held at this point.

Here is a Google translation of the French text:

The ever-expanding Jaeger-LeCoultre collection
From the perpetual clock to the smallest watch in the world

There is only one factory that can respond so efficiently to the needs of your stock of watches and clocks: Jaeger-LeCoultre. There is only one factory – Jaeger-LeCoultre – which gives you the certainty that your sales staff will always be able to say: “but of course we have this in store”, even if your customer asks something unusual – an automatic watch with alarm and calendar for example.

There is only one factory that gives you this triple profit: quality, style and variety: Jaeger-LeCoultre, Geneva

Something unusual – an automatic Memovox? Yes, remember the ad is from 1962, automatic Memovox were introduced only T.W.O years earlier.

Jaeger-LeCoultre ad – watches and clocks 1962

The watches and clocks shown in the picture are far from all had in the catalogue at this point. An automatic Memovox is not even included in the picture… Did you notice that the ad says: Jaeger-LeCoultre, Geneva? Not Valle de Joux or Le Sentier…

One clock that is in the picture is the clock reference 73 encircled in red. One of many clocks during the 1960’s with an eight day’s movement and an alarm.

The reference 73 came in a small leather case, good to keep the clock safe while travelling.

The case is made of gilt brass, 47 mm in diameter and as you can see in the picture, the dial i very three dimensional – almost like an inverted cone.

With a white dial, a black alarm disk and lume dots on each hour mark you almost get a Memovox feeling of this clock.

Due to the deep dial, the clock is quite thick, 24 mm. On top is the button to stop the alarm.

And on the back, all you need to wind, adjust and set the time and alarm.

Inside is one of the Calibre 2XX, based on the Calibre 201, 15 pierres. Since the clock works perfectly, I have not opened and checked…

Just to verify the reference – number 73.

Here is a scan from the 1960 Jaeger-LeCoultre catalogue showing the clock 73. The clock reference 69 from the Jubilé Collection is also shown, you can read about it here: clock 69