Vintage Lecoultre Powermatic - bargain? Help

Jr86 · Sep 13, 2020

Hi all,

im pretty new in the vintage world. My birthday is coming and my wife bought me, my first JLC, a vintage Lecoultre powermatic, I believe from 1948.

I have been reading about jaeger lecoultre vs lecoultre vintage watches, and how the American market watches have a worst reputation.. I’m not sure if I did a good buy. my goal was to have a project that I could “work on it fix it and be proud of it. My wife paid 400 euros for the watch, however it needs a review and a new crown.

I have a few questions, not sure if you can help:

Purchase: did I do a good purchase at that price range? How much should I expect to spend extra?

Crown: How can I find the details of the correct crown for that watch (size, shape)?

Dial: I know this topic is a very controversial, however should I leave the dial with that patina or should I redial it and make it look new?

Any other points that I should be taking into account? Cheers

janice&fred · Sep 13, 2020

Oh man she is a beauty and I would merely get the mechanicals fixed and keep it original. 👍

X350 XJR · Sep 13, 2020

Jr86
the American market watches have a worst reputation

They use the same movements, so not quite sure what you mean by this.

Even if is just needs a stem and crown and a basic service you're looking at several hundred euros, but it could easily cost what you've paid for it and then some to put it right if it needs parts, which are becoming scarce and expensive.

JohnLy · Sep 13, 2020

I just looked at the archives of a local auction house and they were auctioned off at $350 - $500usd all in working order, some original dials and others refinished. Tough call what to do but I feel it may cost you much more to get it serviced and running properly. Good luck and let us know what you ultimately decide.

Jr86 · Sep 19, 2020

Thank you so much for all your comments.

I received the watch and I love it, as it is.. looks much better than on the photos.. the watch is keeping good time, and the power indicator works fine.

I saw that they sell in USA for 600 ish dollars, currently. In Europe, as they are rare, these watches are quite expensive.

The plan is: do a cleaning/review the movement and find the right crown/stem. I have been thinking of buying the LeC crown, however I’m not sure what is the right size for this watch.

do you have any references on the sizes/diameters of the stem and crown? Need some help with that pls..