LeCoultre - Cal 839H - Unisex - 1950-1959

A truly rare watch, for those who really want to stand out and own something truly exclusive and unobtainable, moreover one of those Blasons that perhaps today is the most sought after. On many occasions here on Catawiki I make purchase offers even well below my reserve price, but in this case I won’t do it; this is a watch I am parting with with great regret, and it’s a piece whose Extreme Rarity, with a mechanism more unique than rare, combined with the Maison’s Blazon and the almost incredible aesthetic conditions, majestic as they are, will convince me to part with it only at the value it deserves, to someone who understands and would value it as I do. Lecoultre, Jaeger LeCoultre, Military/military-style chronograph, and I want to emphasize the Extreme Rarity of this Movement, which some sources considered reliable by Google’s AI claim is derived from Vacheron Constantin, but since there is no certain data, and having very little information about this Caliber, also using AI, I don’t want to take this as a fact, and I want to report only what I could gather. I almost felt compelled to give up; it seemed I was dealing with a legendary movement, but then I found an identical model to the one I’m offering, with an 18-karat gold case, offered on Sotheby’s, and I verified that it wasn’t a legend, but simply an extremely rare movement. A watch that will undoubtedly be an excellent conversation piece, capable of sparking very interesting debates among enthusiasts, I personally guarantee. A watch of the highest watchmaking and from a brand among the very best, in excellent condition with a wonderful visual impact (remember we’re around 1955), but above all its Extreme Rarity makes it a watch an investment, I’ll go out on a limb and say definitely and locked in. Nothing to do with the 839 movement from Jaeger LeCoultre, which was made in 1975, and was an ultra-thin non-chronograph movement (beware of confusing this if you search the web); it was also used by some Vacheron Constantin models, but I repeat, these are two movements with no connection. The Cal. 839 H is a tri-compax from the 1950s, extremely rare and unobtainable. Currently, on the entire web, in the entire world, only one other watch uses this caliber, this is to highlight the rarity of the presented object. This LeCoultre has a Swiss movement and was designed for the United States market. The inscription VXN on the mechanism identifies all LeCoultre and Vacheron Constantin watches made for the US market. The only difference distinguishing this model from those for the European market is that those for Europe carried the full inscription Jaeger LeCoultre. Usually these models came equipped with the already rare and sought-after Valjoux 72, even the few that can be observed on the web today are indeed fitted with that caliber. I, with the 839 H, after extensive research, found only 2 models, and one of the two is the gold model I mentioned earlier, sold on Sotheby’s with estimates in four figures. This watch is moreover in excellent aesthetic condition and is functional. I should note I have not tested the watch long-term; it has such good condition that I wanted to touch it as little as possible. I believe it functions well, because I’ve tested the watch and the chronograph, including resetting, and everything is normal. I do not exclude that it may require lubrication/cleaning, but I say this in advance; it may not be necessary. Regarding shipments to non-EU or EU countries subject to customs controls, any possible shipment will be evaluated individually and discussed with the purchaser. A truly rare collectible watch with prestigious Blazon. In the last photo I added a screenshot found on the Web of a Vacheron Constantin chronograph from the same era (also with two counters); I included it to show you the similarity of the mechanics and the same wording “VXN,” testifying to what I have reported in the listing.