Jaeger-LeCoultre puts up rare watches on auction

Kolkata: Jaeger-LeCoultre, one of the world’s most renowned watch manufactures, that has developed and produced over 1,242 calibres, ranging from ultra-thin movements to the most sophisticated Grand Complications ever since its inception in 1833, will now put up two rare Jaeger-LeCoultre timepieces at the auction— Polaris Memodate at Phillips Geneva in November 2019 and Lucky 13 at Phillips New York in December 2019.

“As these two rare watches from the mid-20th Century demonstrate, every decade has brought fresh ideas and solutions, reflecting the spirit of the times. Among the many changes brought by the 1950s and 60s – represented by each of these watches–were, on one hand, tremendous advances in technology and aerospace, and on the other, the transformation of diving from a challenging pursuit to a widely practised leisure activity,” top company officials said.

This coincides with the iconic timepiece brand identifying India and Indian collectors as one of the fastest growing markets for luxury watches.

Interestingly, as far as Jaeger-LeCoultre is concerned, India holds a very important place in its heart because it is in India that the idea of the iconic timepiece- Reverso was born, when a polo player asked for a watch that could resist the toughness of his favorite sport. It also has in its Museum a 1946 Reverso engraved with the insignia of the Rajputana Rifles, the oldest elite rifle regiment in the Indian army, founded just after the World War 1. It also has a 1936 Reverso personalized with an enameled portrait of an Indian lady whose story remains cloaked in mystery but which is a testament to the intrinsic beauty and durability of enamel.

The iconic brand is currently present in India via a network of multi brand retail stores in Mumbai, Delhi, Bangalore, Chennai, Kolkata, Hyderabad and Chandigarh.

“India is as big as a continent automatically makes it an important market for us. We witness a steady growth ...the watch collectors market is also definitely growing and more and more requests for our most exclusive timepieces come from India. Also, we see a growing desire for personalisation: personalising their watch is a unique way for owners to make it their very own,” CEO, Jaeger- Lecoul-tre, Catherine Renier said.