Posted by There has always been a bit of mystery and confusion around exactly the relationship between Jaeger-LeCoultre, Vacheron & Constantin, Longines and Wittnauer in the U.S. market during the 1950’s and 1960’s…
There are some information to be found on the Internet, but very little of the information is backed up with anything solid…
I will not claim to have any solid answers on the topic either, but I will guide you through what I have found so far in documents from the time.
Prologue –
That there is a form of relation between Jaeger-LeCoultre and Vacheron Constantin today is no big secret, both brands belongs to the Richemont group, but are managed as separate manufactures. Looking at the brands today there are no obvious shared areas and they are targeting customers from different angles.
This has not always been the case. There are many examples that the T.W.O brands have a linked history but it’s hard to find any hard facts and unless they decides to open their archives, I guess we will never really know all…
The first document indicating any kind of relationship I have in original paper form is this 1939 New York World Fair catalogue “Watches of Switzerland”.
Inside, in the description of the smallest watch in the world, Jaeger-LeCoultre is mentioned in full name – naturally it is the Calibre 101.
In the list of exhibitors, LeCoultre is used and distributor is Vacheron & Constantin and Allied Watches Inc..
Some claim that Vacheron & Constantin was a subsidiary of Longines-Wittnauer in the U.S. from 1932 up until mid 1980’s. Possible that behind “Allied Watches Inc.” is Longines-Wittnauer…
On a side note, Longines is not one of exhibitors at the fair.
My interpretation is that one part of the relation in the U.S. between Jaeger-LeCoultre and Vacheron & Constantin was about the right to import and distribute LeCoultre watches, not directly related to the manufactures in Switzerland.
To my understanding, there were a relationship also between the manufactures in Switzerland as well, but I will not go into that subject in this report…
Here are the watches presented in the 1939 New York World Fair catalogue, quite similar offerings. One interesting detail is that the name on the dials is Jaeger-LeCoultre and not LeCoultre.
Next document I like to show is an LeCoultre ad from 1948, showing Vacheron & Constantin-LeCoultre, division of Longines-Wittnauer watch company.
So at some point Longines-Wittnauer must have required the agency rights to import and distribute Vacheron & Constantin and LeCoultre watches from Allied Watches Inc. or they were bought and renamed.
What is a bit confusing here is that some sources state that Longines bought Wittnauer in 1950, two years after this ad. Same source say that in 1995 when Swatch bought Longines, they ended a 125 years long collaboration…
Regardless, the Longines-Wittnauer in the U.S. might well have been same as for Vacheron & Constantin and LeCoultre, import and distribution – not actual ownership of the manufacture in Switzerland.
And I guess marketing twisted the facts a bit back then…
Like in this LeCoultre ad from 1949: Vacheron & Constantin-LeCoultre, watches & clocks made continuously since 1785…
Well, Vacheron & Constantin was founded in 1755 and all Jaeger-LeCoultre aficionados knows that the magic number for Jaeger-LeCoultre is 1833! So, I am not sure why 1785…
I think there was a bit of confusion also back in the 1950’s or at least a bit unclear how LeCoultre should be presented…
During the mid part of the 1950’s Vacheron & Constantin is not included in the presentation, but they were still a part of the LeCoultre imports as both brands share the same import code on their movements, I will return more on this in the next part of these U.S. market reports.
Here is an example of this – LeCoultre, Division of Longines-Wittnauer.
Even if not mentioned in the ad of the LeCoultre Galaxy, Vacheron & Constantin is engraved on the case back!
But LeCoultre was not only advertised separately, there were also joint advertisements –
Like in this catalogue from the early 1960’s. Mostly Longines and Wittnauer watches, but not very surprising since Jaeger-LeCoultre didn’t make any own chronograph movements during this period of time.
And here, another example, a Christmas catalogue from 1961 featuring watches from Longines, Wittnauer and LeCoultre.
Even if Vacheron & Constantin were not included in the marketing material, I think that they were still a part of the Longines-Wittnauer Watch Company because in the early 1960’s Vacheron & Constantin started to be included again…
1962 Vacheron & Constantin-LeCoultre Watch Inc., Division of Longines-Wittnauer Watch Company:
During the 1960’s a change is happening, which is reflected in the marketing material. Catalogues are printed referring to LeCoultre Watches Inc. without any mentioning of Vacheron & Constantin or Longines-Wittnauer!
This example from 1969 illustrates this, including yet another change, the name Jaeger-LeCoultre is introduced on the U.S. market- “Sold in foreign countries under the name of Jaeger-LeCoultre”.
A more correct description might have been: “Jaeger-LeCoultre, sold in the U.S. under the name LeCoultre“…
Jaeger-LeCoultre is taking over the LeCoultre U.S. … This transition was completed in the mid 1970’s.
During a period there were a mix of Jaeger-LeCoultre and LeCoultre which can be seen in this catalogue from 1973.
Front cover and inside cover, Jaeger-LeCoultre…
But inside the catalogue is a mix of LeCoultre and Jaeger-LeCoultre on the watches.
Last example is not an official Jaeger-LeCoultre ad, it is by a retailer, S. March & Sons, but it do reflect the change that had happen during the first part of the 1970’s, Jaeger-LeCoultre is the name used both in the ad and on the dial.
Epilogue –
As stated, my interpretation is that one part of the relation in the U.S. between Jaeger-LeCoultre and Vacheron & Constantin was about the right to import and distribute LeCoultre watches.
In this report I have only show some examples of documents which indicates changes over time. In my next report on the subject Jaeger-LeCoultre and the U.S. market I will look closer on the LeCoultre watches.
Stay tuned for more!
Footnote: Vacheron & Constantin changed the name in 1970 to Vacheron Constantin.
The Blomman Watch Report 