The first wristwatch designed never to be manually wound. No crown: setting the time is done via a flat disc on the back of the case. A 1953 example intended for the American market, original black lacquered dial, 10K gold filled case, complete with its box and papers.
IN BRIEF
Model: Jaeger-LeCoultre Futurematic, ref. E501 — American market, dial signed LeCoultre
Year: 1953 — movement no. 939087
Calibre: LeCoultre 497, bumper automatic, 17 jewels, 18,000 alt/h, ~30 h power reserve
Functions: hours, minutes, small seconds at 3 o'clock, power reserve at 9 o'clock, stop-seconds
Feature: no crown on the case — time setting via the disc on the back, engraved « SLIDE - DO NOT LIFT »
Case: 10K gold filled, made and cased in the United States, snap-on back
Dimensions: 35 mm diameter, 44 mm lug to lug
Dial: original black lacquered, unrestored, applied gold arrow indices, original radium
Hands: gold dauphine
Glass: domed plexi
Condition: superb dial, healthy plating, no significant wear
Service: July 2026, complete
Delivered with: period Jaeger-LeCoultre box, international warranty booklet, gold JLC tag, period black lizard strap
Rarity: 52,500 examples of the calibre 497 produced between 1951 and 1958, all configurations combined
THE DETAIL
Case: 10K gold filled, made and cased in the United States, marked inside the back "10K GOLD FILLED" and "CASED AND TIMED IN USA BY LECOULTRE". Snap-on dome back, absolutely bare case, typical faceted flared lugs of the model.
Dial: original glossy black lacquer, unrestored, with its concentric golden circles, its power reserve indicator at 9 o'clock with red sector and its small second at 3 o'clock.
Indices and logo: applied faceted arrow indices in gold, golden signature "LeCoultre / Futurematic" under 12 o'clock, "POWER-RESERVE" in an arc, "SWISS" at 6 o'clock.
Hands: golden dauphine hands, matching small second and power reserve hands.
Crown: none on the case. The time setting is done via the flat steel disc housed in the back, engraved "SLIDE - DO NOT LIFT". It is pushed laterally towards the centre: the gearing disengages and the second hand stops. You set it, push it back out, and the watch resumes to the exact second.
Glass: domed plexi.
Case, dial, indices, hands, luminescence and time setting disc are original.
Condition: superb dial for its age — deep lacquer, complete and sharp gold prints, no retouching, no missing parts. The lume of the indices and hands is original radium, never retouched: verified with a gamma spectrometer, clear radium signature. Indices and hands without oxidation. The plating is intact across the entire case, with no through wear or visible brass; a few fine usage scratches on the case and on the edge of the bezel, visible up close, normal for a gold filled watch over seventy years old. Very clean back, engraving of the disc perfectly legible. Plexi with slight superficial marks.
Dimensions: 35 mm in diameter, 44 mm from horn to horn.
Calibre: LeCoultre 497, bumper automatic, 13¾ lignes, 6.3 mm high, 17 jewels, 18,000 alt/h, bi-arm Glucydur balance with screws, Nivarox hairspring, KIF shock absorbers, approximately 30 hours power reserve. Movement no. 939087, marked "SEVENTEEN 17 JEWELS - LE COULTRE Co. - UNADJUSTED - SWISS", with the "497" stamped on the bumper mass: this calibre number marking on the mass is specific to pieces intended for the United States, the versions signed Jaeger-LeCoultre lack this. As for the "UNADJUSTED", it is not an admission of mediocrity but a customs optimisation: American import duties increased with the number of jewels and the number of adjusted positions, so it was marked simply what was in reality carefully adjusted.
The 497 is the most unreasonable movement of its generation. Without a crown, no winding stem: the space gained allowed for a balance approximately 20% larger than that of a comparable calibre, an accuracy argument that the brand has hammered home in all its communication. Without manual winding, there is no slipping clutch either: it is a hook that locks the mass when the barrel is fully wound, and the spring remains an ordinary spring, like on a manual winding watch. And above all, the stop-work, the real find: the watch stops itself while retaining about six hours of reserve, which keeps the spring within its useful torque range and allows it to start immediately — and accurately — as soon as it is put back on the wrist, without having to shake it. This is what the hand at 9 o'clock tells: when it enters the red, there are still those six hours of backup. Such refinement came at a price: the development, costly, has remained in legend as one of the projects that nearly took down the manufacture.
Serviced in July 2026 — complete disassembly and cleaning, detailed lubrication, adjustment. The watch works perfectly.
Delivered complete: vintage blue Jaeger-LeCoultre box with the gold JL logo, international warranty booklet Jaeger-LeCoultre / LeCoultre (Geneva / New York / Paris) — never filled, it is a blank vintage booklet and not personalised — and the gold JAEGER-LECOULTRE tag still attached to the buckle. Vintage black lizard strap, gold pin buckle.
Delivery is subject to the special margin scheme. VAT non-deductible.
1 year warranty
