PRICE
Sold
WATCH SCORE
9 / 10
KEY FEATURES
First Memovox Automatic Date
SERVICES INCLUDED
CERTIFICATION REPORT
BLOCKCHAIN CERTIFICATE
APPRAISAL BOOK
EXTRACT OF ARCHIVES
The reference E 855 has been included in the Jaeger-LeCoultre documentation from 1960 all the way to 1974, even if the exact year it was discontinued is not known precisely.
This example is a 2nd generation model, characterized by its dial with the Jaeger-LeCoultre logo at 12 o’clock and ebony applied markers, and by the baton hands (the 1st generation had an applied 12 on top, steel markers and dauphine hands).
It is in very good condition and all its parts are conform.
About the model
Since the very first Memovox appeared on the scene in 1950, this iconic model has been the source of a long line of Jaeger-LeCoultre mechanical watches equipped with an alarm.
Memovox reminds, notifies, and wakes up. This is how an advertisement from 1950 highlighted the merits of the watch that Jaeger-LeCoultre had just commercialized. During the years of economic recovery following the Second World War, the Memovox – the Voice of Memory – was designed to help businessmen remember their meetings through its chiming function.
With very sober and classic lines, the first model of 1950 (with the manually wound Caliber 489) set itself apart with an additional crown to control the alarm function. In 1956, Jaeger-LeCoultre enriched its Memovox line by developing the first automatic watch in the collection that incorporated an alarm function (with the Caliber 815). Finally, in 1960, the most iconic Memovox movement was introduced: the Calibre 825, which is a 815 with the addition of a date module. The two defining features of the Caliber 825 are the so-called “bumper” winding system and the hammer-based alarm. The Memovox ref. E 855 was the very first alarm watch equipped with a self-winding movement and the date complication.
Obviously, Jaeger-LeCoultre didn’t stop there, modernizing the caliber and the alarm mechanism, and creating a number of related watches. These include the famous Deep Sea Alarm, Polaris, and Amvox collection. In 2010, after more than two decades of dormancy, Jaeger-LeCoultre brought the Memovox back in the form of the Master Memovox, powered by the Caliber 956.
