I was musing about JLC on another thread the other day, and suggesting that it might be my favourite watch brand of all. Thinking about it subsequently, it most definitely is and I realised actually that the little family I've collected would make a perfect trio of watches on their own if push came to shove and I had to liquidate some to raise funds (I'm self-employed, so trust me when I say that it's a possibility). I won't prattle on about the brand itself as to get to understand it takes a little bit of research which anyone can do if they so desire. However, if you want heritage, outstanding build quality, movements to die for and genuine value for money - well, you really don't need to look much further.
So, how about a collection of three; one sport, one dress and one vintage?
Memovox Tribute to Deep Sea
http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y12...a/IMG_7982.jpg
It doesn't seem right to call this a sport watch, because the Memovox Tribute to Deep Sea has an obvious elegance about it that means you really could wear it for almost any occasion and with anything. However, it clearly has diver DNA although to my mind it offers something substantially different from that generic diver style that most of us know and love. It's a very faithful homage - even down to the fixed bezel - to the watch that JLC introduced in 1959 to offer a challenge to the new style of underwater watches that had been released by Rolex and Panerai and I think that the got it spot on with this one. In fact, there are 4 homages to JLC's original Polaris and Deep Sea in total, and all of them are beautiful pieces.
Reserve de Marche
http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y12...IMG_7111-1.jpg
I've known Tim (Java) for quite a while now albeit that he's relatively new to TZ-UK. In fact, it was Tim that started me down the road of admiring more complicated watches and Tim who first introduced me to the Reserve de Marche. As a dress watch it gives me absolutely everything I want, although it wouldn't fit the traditional dress watch definition of old. However, we don't live in those times anymore, when even centre seconds were considered slightly tacky (thank god) and the RDM works beautifully with a lounge suit, a dinner suit and in fact everything else down to a pair of shorts. For me, this is almost the archetypal JLC and it's one of my firm favourites.
E393
http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y12...3/IMG_6958.jpg
This little thing from 1965 (the model is actually E393) was something of a happy accident. Many months ago I had decided that I'd put on hold any purchase of the Tribute to Deep Sea whilst I went on a search for a vintage original, or at least a vintage Memovox of similar design. I hunted far and wide without success but then stumbled across this mysterious beauty, which was over in Ireland at the time. It had just been serviced by none other than John MgGonigle (
McGonigle Watches - Home - really) and I just loved it the moment I saw it. It took a while to sort out the acquisition and a while longer for it to arrive, but it was even lovelier in the metal than I had hoped. The movement is almost legendary in its own right and it keeps fantastic time as well as looking like its lived most of its life wrapped in cotton wool. I doubt I'll ever see anyone else wearing one of these either!
So that's my JLC family - I could live with just these watches quite happily and they'd easily serve every purpose I might have for them (well, I'd have the Riseman too, of course!). I'd also suggest that anyone who's thinking about trying JLC as an alternative to the more popular/mainstream alternatives should just give it a whirl. I doubt they could possibly disappoint, in fact.
Kolega s foruma TZ-UK malo se htio pohvaliti svojom skromnom kolekcijom.Satovi su mi prekrasni pa sam kopirao post da se i mi malo divimo njegovim satovima.
