Vinatge JLC Memovox 855

I find modern JLCs increasingly difficult to love these days, and, truth be told, the watchmaker’s watchmaker hardly produced a handful of models this side of the millennia that I truly found myself lusting after. Vintage Jaeger Lecoultre, however? Well, now that’s a horse of an entirely different color.
In my eyes, the Memovox is the classic, the most iconic alarm wristwatch. Ever. The OG, if you will. It far surpasses the Vulcain Cricket or any other alternative. And it’s also one of the two models, alongside the Reverso, that make Jaeger-LeCoultre what it is, at least to me. When I found this specific watch, complete with its original crowns, hands, and everything else intact, I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to take part in the history of the watchmaker’s watchmaker. Particularly as, for reasons unknown to me, a vintage Memovox will currently set you back about half as much as its modern counterpart.
Now I would be more than happy if this watch were a little thinner, even if it came at the expense of the automatic winding system and the date function (especially since it lacks a quick-set feature, which can get particularly annoying for collectors with multiple watches). But the fact that the Memovox’s movement includes a date and automatic winding is a testament to it being an object of utility in a time when it would have actually been the definition of a tool-watch.

Details
Brand: Jaeger LeCoultre
Model: Memovox
Reference: 855
Year: circa 1960’s
Movement: Automatic Bumper

Dimensions
Diameter (excl. crowns): 37mm
Lug to Lug: 45.5mm
Between the Lugs: 18mm
Thickness: 13mm