Jaeger-LeCoultre Vintage Watch Boxes Guide

We are always complaining about modern boxes, which take too much place in regard of our small environment.

In a certain way, we are right.

Except in some very few cases, when boxes are really magnificient, and are worth invading our house, there is a better solution, in my opinion, mainly if we have a look on what were boxes in the past.

Hence this post...

1/ If you want to travel with a watch box on you, so the etui is THE solution for you.



For the elegant man who wants to change his watch for a special event, dinner, as you change your clothes.

This etui was made for several watches from the 60ies, like the Futurematic, or the Memovox.

2/ The small carton box, conceived for small watches, is less elegant than the etui, but it offers the same advantages:



It was used for Chronos like the Jaeger.



Is it cumbersome?

You just have the place for your watch, no less, no more...

3/ The Master Mariner Box:

3 times thicker, but as large as the Etui, it is a beautiful blue box with some golden decorations.





Designed for Master Mariner watches only, it demonstrates that it doesn't have to be big to be appealing.

4/ An array of Memovox boxes:

For manual or automatic Memovoxes, from the 60ies to the 70ies, from the etui to the traditional boxes, the diversity is not only linked to watches, but also on the packaging.

The big " cubic " brown box was dedicated for a Memo HPG, from the 70ies, while the flatter brown box was used for a Memo from the 60ies, and the flatter blue one, for a Memo from the 70ies.

The Etuis were destined to use Memos from the 60ies, too.



5/ " Jubilé " boxes..

1958 was an important year, for JLC, as it was the 125th birthday of the " Grande Maison ".

To celebrate this event, JLC released some great watches, such as the Géophysic or the 2233, and packaged them with an interesting box, shaped as a book you can store on your shelves.

You certainly know the one on your left, which housed the Geophysic.



As for the one on the right, even if it is written " For 125 years ", it is not strictly speaking a Jubilé box, according to my understanding, but rather a packaging reminding that the Manufacture celebrated its 125th Anniversary.

So, this last box was not dedicated to one of the " Jubilé Collection " watch.

6/ The Chronometers boxes:

As we speak about the Geophysic box, we don't have to forget that JLC made a special box for their other Chronometer, the Geomatic:



Here, on the picture, on the right of the Geophysic box, of course, and on its top, the symbol designed like a planisphere, the same thah the one you find engraved on the Geomatic case back:



6/ The Vintage JLC Diving watches:

That series of boxes is interesting.

From the left to the right, you have the box of the Deep Sea Alarm US ( I don't know what is the box for the Deep Sea Alarm Europe, by the way ), the LeCoultre Polaris, the LeCoultre Chronograph so called Shark, and on the top, the box of the Jaeger-LeCoultre Polaris/ Polaris II or / and Chronograph.



Of course the outside writings " Jaeger-LeCoultre match with the inside writings.

They are not specially fine, except the box of the Deep Sea Alarm US, but a least they don't take too much place.

The Deep Sea Alarm US in its box, with its papers:



The place...

Take the boxes of the Duometre / MMR and add the box of the Navy SEALs Alarm, for example.

Now, compare these two boxes with the 14 Vintage boxes, and you will immediately see that these old packaging take much less place than the 2 modern!



Despite this interesting journey in the Past through these Vintage boxes, I think there is a lot to think for the " Grande Maison " about the conception of their boxes...

Do you think we are please or annoyed by the size of the modern packaging?

This is a tough question:

If you're an occasional buyer, you may be please to see that you'll receive a huge box for your watch, and you will store it easily.

But if you have several watches, are these big boxes a good thing?

Would your opinion depend on the watch, or on the quality of the box?

Food for thought.

To end with this topic, let me show you a real rare bird, a box conceived in the 50ies, which was used for watches and jewelry.

I don't really know which was the watch dedicated to this box, but I assume that any of your " most exceptional watch in the world " would deserve such a marvel.

If you don't have any jewelry, you could use the unused place to store your beloved straps, papers and Vintage Buckles!

Credit pictures: Greg B.





Best,

Nicolas This message has been edited by amanico on 2011-05-02 00:01:39 This message has been edited by amanico on 2011-05-06 01:53:51