1950s LeCoultre Automatic Powermatic 'Gold-Filled' Cal. 481

Antoine LeCoultre created the LeCoultre brand in 1833, originally creating movement blanks—or unfinished movements—for some of Switzerland's most prestigious watchmaking houses, including Vacheron Constantin, Audemars Piguet, and Patek Philippe.

In 1937, LeCoultre merged with Jaeger to form Jaeger-LeCoultre and went on to become the brand we know and love today (though until the 1980s Jaeger-LeCoultre reserved the name “Jaeger” only on their watches destined for the United States). The brand has crafted myriad iconic and timeless watches, but one of the more interesting pieces is the Powermatic. The Powermatic cal. 481 was the first wristwatch to offer a power reserve indicator, with 40 hours of power reserve when fully wound. This piece is a fantastic, clean example of this iconic watch, featuring a 10k gold-filled case and an amazing set of blued hands – and the power meter at 12 o'clock adds a little mystery to watch for the uninitiated.

Stock #		JLCPM481
Brand		LeCoultre
Style		Powermatic
Model		Cal. 481
Serial		35XXXX
Size		Men's
Material		10K Gold Filled
Dial		Brushed Silver
Millimeters		34.5
Strap		2pc Leather Strap

CASE & BRACELET

The 10k gold-filled case is in remarkable condition. It has been lightly polished in the past but retains full and even lugs and factory dimensions. It features its original unsigned crown. The case back is in excellent condition with some subtle tool mark wear. The watch comes supplied on a 2pc handmade leather strap.

DIAL & HANDS

The brushed silver dial is in excellent condition overall and shows subtle age and gentle patina in the lower area, which is expected for the age of the watch. The power meter sitting at 12 o'clock is white when the watch is fully wound, then switches to red as the movement gets low on power. The original radium lume Arabic numerals display a handsome tan coloration, under UV light inspection the 9 o'clock numeral exhibits some degradation with the rest of the plots remaining fully intact. The original blued steel kite hands are beautiful and retain the original radium lume which has taken on a lovely dark beiger color and shows no degradation when inspected under UV light.