Last week, I was offered to make a test on one of my Vintage JLCs.

I had a long time thinking about which one I would submit to the test, and finally chose the Master Mariner Deep Sea.

The watch was serviced and restored by JLC, it was logical to complete it with an extract.

One week after, it was in my mail box!





Some thoughts:

1/ The extract from the archives is superbly presented in a nice folder cardboard.

2/ The document inside contains the main informations about your watch:

The number of the case and of the movement, the Reference of the case and of the movement, the main characteristics of the watch, the production date, the functions, and the name of the watch.

3/ Though, it is not a certificate of authenticity:

JLC is thinking about delivering a certificate of authenticity, too.

To fullfil this purpose, it will be necessary to send the watch to the Manufacture, for the experts to fully examine the watch.

Will the certificate be delivered with the mention of some minor problems, like replacement hands or bezel, I still don't know, and have to wait for an answer.

4/ It is a totally new service for the Manufacture.

Before, we had the possibility to contact the Vintage Dept by email to ask them some questions on our beloved treasures, and generally, an answer was given in a reasonnable time.

Still, I don't know if this possibility still exists, or if it is replaced by this new service.

A precision: An answer will be given in a maximum of 3 months from the payment of the fee ( 300 CHF, which is around 220 Euros, or 285 USD ) because only 2 experts are allowed to deliver such certificates, and they can be very busy at some periods of the year.

5/ It is pricey, indeed, but it brings something more to the time keeper which will be linked with the JLC patrimony.

This extract from the archives is a piece of JLC history, in my opinion, and it can add a value ( sentimental, mainly ) to your most beloved Vintage watches.

Personally, I would do it for some important pieces, such as the Polaris, the Geophysique, some Military Watches, the Deep Sea Alarms, some pocket watches or Clocks, but also on some of my dearest Vintage JLCs, like the Memovoxes.

I think JLC should go further, and work on the idea of a certificate of authenticity, as previously said, to enhance even more the link between Collectors and the Manufacture, and to feed its own history.

I would also add some more informations, as the location of the delivery, and some nice scans of the catalogs of the era, or ads, with a brief summary of the watch, like the number of pieces made and the years of production.



The first extract was delivered a few months ago, with the Geophysic " 1959 - 2009 " which was auctioned for a noble cause:



It is the beginning of the experience.

Let's wish the best for it!

I will, of course, keep you updated with the many questions we have, and the answers we're waiting for.

Nicolas
This message has been edited by amanico on 2010-07-28 00:11:10 This message has been edited by amanico on 2010-07-29 04:52:34 This message has been edited by amanico on 2010-07-30 11:45:17