A Little Potted History Of The Memovox & My Recently Acquired Cal 911

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Aside from this thread, this is the only other thing I have found online -->http://forums.timezone.com/pdf.php?th=997
.Other than that, you sort of piece things together by googling about different models.

Outside of the web, there is Zaf Basha's JLC history book, which has a decent section on memovox(i?). It can be ordered from classicwatch.com.
 
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Aside from this thread, this is the only other thing I have found online -->http://forums.timezone.com/pdf.php?th=997
.Other than that, you sort of piece things together by googling about different models.

Outside of the web, there is Zaf Basha's JLC history book, which has a decent section on memovox(i?). It can be ordered from classicwatch.com.
Thanks.
 
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Lol, you realise that is this thread!
OMG 😲 The perils of reading forums on a small iPhone screen! Didn't page backwards... ::facepalm1::
 
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Alot of good info. I would love to get my hands on another JLC alarm. Would like to keep it under $100 though.
 
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Alot of good info. I would love to get my hands on another JLC alarm. Would like to keep it under $100 though.
I would say that'll never happen...but you've already proved it possible!😎
 
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Does lightning strike twice in the same place?

Yes, all the time. Never got that one.
 
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Does lightning strike twice in the same place?
Ask a golfer. They stand outside holding metal lightning rods over their heads. Sometimes wearing metal spikes, too.

Never got that one either.
gatorcpa
 
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Since this thread has some good Memovox info, thought I would add to it with a couple more pics. This one is a caliber 910, and the monocoque case in which it resides. So many variations....
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Hi everyone, i'm new right here, great discussion, thanks in advance for all of this.
I would like to ask you some advice about this pink gold Memovox i just found.
The seller told me it's a 1958 Cal.815, i think the crowns may have been replaced, may be even the dial, but i'm no expert. Can you guys evaluate a price for this one?
Here some photos:




Thanks
 
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This discussion has been extremely helpful to me. I bought a Jaeger leCoultre Memovox today and now know that it is a caliber 911 but I can't find any examples on the internet that look like my watch in the attached photo. Has anyone seen an antimagnetic Memovox/Memodate before? I would like to make sure I don't have a Frankenwatch before I invest any more money into it. The watch face looks like it used to have hour indicators around the outside. The watch runs and keeps good time, so I have hopes of a little restoration and a lot of wearing it in the future. Any information would be greatly appreciated!
 
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I would say that you have a hideous re-dial 🙁

It may be worth restoring if you can find original dials but.........
 
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I would say that you have a hideous re-dial 🙁

It may be worth restoring if you can find original dials but.........
Thanks for the reply. Hoping to hear better news.....
 
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I would like to ask you some advice about this pink gold Memovox i just found.
The seller told me it's a 1958 Cal.815, i think the crowns may have been replaced, may be even the dial, but i'm no expert. Can you guys evaluate a price for this one?

This watch looks to be from just before the "JL" logo was adopted. Note that it is not on the dial, which I believe to be original.

Unsigned crowns were likely correct for your watch, but not for most.

Full gold versions are very expensive. The market in these moves rapidly and my info is probably way out of date.

Hope this helps,
gatorcpa
 
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Most versions of the Speedbeat are afflicted by 70's style cases whose designs haven't stood the test of time (and so aren't very sought after)

For New Year, I wanted to use respectful partial disagreement with this assertion in the excellent OP article (for which thanks to its author) to bump this interesting thread back up where it deserves.

As I've said elsewhere, 1970s was the decade that style forgot, and I should know because I was there. TV and spaceman cases are emphatically not my thing, and I struggle to love even a JLC wearing such clobber - like seeing Catherine Deneuve in platform sandals. Scarred by the 1970s aesthetic, I am not a great judge of it. But nevertheless my personal experience is that the only piece that has ever attracted both immediate unprompted curiosity from my daughter, and unfeigned professional enthusiasm from my watchmaker, is this one.

The Snowdrop.


JLC Memovox ref. E877 with cal 916 Speedbeat movement, from about 1970. Frosted finish on one-piece case.



Looks beautiful in natural light - it's almost enough to snap me out of my usual crusty conservative look.



Maybe we make an odd couple, but in the blue dial/ss case execution, I absolutely love it. 🙄

Any other fans out there?
Edited:
 
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The OP dial is re-finished, no? Some of the letters and tick marks look rather inconsistent, and too "human hands-y"

Asking because I'm studying a very similar model, but with date at 6 o'clock (which I believe is still genuine, just rarer)

Would appreciate any and all observations on this watch. Thanks!

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