Vintage timepieces have their own distinct appeal, as any watch collector will attest to. Most of the well-established manufactures have origins dating back to the 19th century or earlier, and invariably have rich historical catalogues that paint pictures of styles and icons of the past—some of which persist today. Although watch manufactures generally acknowledge the horological community’s appreciation for vintage pieces, and often provide support via in-house restoration and servicing departments, the actual buying and selling of these pieces have long been left to third parties. Starting in 2023, Jaeger-LeCoultre began bucking this trend by starting its own in-house vintage programme, The Collectibles.
The Collectibles is intended to be a limited affair, consisting of an ongoing capsule-style set of releases featuring a small, curated selection of historical timepieces. There have been three editions so far: the first featured 12 watches and was launched at the manufacture’s home in Le Sentier, Switzerland; the second saw 11 pieces and was unveiled in Los Angeles; and the third was revealed only a couple of months ago in Singapore.
“The goal with The Collectibles [launch] is so people can see them up-close and personal—in the metal, as I like to say,” explained Matthieu Sauret, Jaeger-LeCoultre’s product marketing and heritage director, during the launch event at The Warehouse Hotel in Robertson Quay. He added that Singapore and its neighbouring regions had an especially positive response to the first two Collectibles editions. “So, of course, it was very natural for us to set this capsule in Singapore. And all the love and appreciation that I’ve seen show that we were right—this place is very enthused by vintage watches.”
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Consisting of 10 pieces, the latest Collectibles is a cross-section of the manufacture’s greatest 20th-century hits. The Art Deco era is represented by the Duoplan, Jaeger-LeCoultre’s first fully assembled wristwatch, and for the first time features two examples of the Reverso—the manufacture’s most iconic wristwatch, dating back to the 1930s. Mid-century finds include a Powermatic with its dial-side power reserve indicator and a Memovox Parking that was designed to sound an alarm when the parking meter was about to run out—both from the 1950s. A 1970 example of a striking blue Memovox Polaris II stands out as a tribute to manufacture’s past experimentation with bold, high-performance diving watches, while the blue lacquer dial of a 1968 Memovox Automatic Calendar makes for an exceptionally eye-catching piece.
According to Sauret, the origin of The Collectibles was something of an accident. In fact, the book came first—the launch of the first capsule collection came with the launch of The Collectibles book, a mighty 500-plus page tome that details the background of 17 of the manufacture’s most important historical models. “The idea came because there were several journalists asking us for information on vintage watches but we didn’t have a source we could easily get information,” he says. From here, the idea of a master reference book came to fruition. “It’s full of storytelling—you really feel like you’re a part of the history of Jaeger-LeCoultre and of fine watchmaking.”
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At the same time, Sauret was managing the brand’s own museum, which frequently saw him getting in touch with collectors and dealers all around the world to acquire historical pieces. Sometimes, he would come across a watch that would have been a great buy, if not for the fact that there was a perfect example of that watch already in the museum. “Leaving those watches that may go unheard about in small auctions, or with merchants that don’t have a wide exposure—because we survey all of them, why not buy them, restore them and put them for sale?” he says.
Sauret is a collector himself, through and through, and the process is something he enjoys. “I’m very lucky to be able to assemble these collections with my team. The hunt is as beautiful as the watches that we find,” he says. “The response has been amazing. We’ve been able to show our clients something different, and when you show something you can buy—it sort of touches you in a different way than when it’s just in a museum. It’s even more emotional, I suppose.” The Collectibles timepieces were available for public viewing in Singapore for 10 days after the launch event, and more than 300 visitors made appointments. Within weeks of the unveiling, virtually all the pieces were sold.
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The Collectibles also comes about at a time when there has been a noticeable uptick in the interest of vintage watches across the industry. “I think people are realising that this is a timeless object that you can wear, even if it’s 60 or 70 years old,” Sauret says. “That’s the beauty of it.”
