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amanico
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SIHH 2010 The Memovox is Back!

Or should I say...Memovoxes, as not one but 2 have been presented during this SIHH:

The " Simple " , the Master Memovox:



The Memvox International:



1/ To get the importance of this watch, we need some historical background first.

The Alarm has been THE Jaeger-Lecoultre complication.

Since 1950 to the mid 70ies, then from the end 80ies till now, JLC introduced an impressive number of Alarm watches.

The first Memovox Ref 3150, with its characteristic tubular lugs:



First round, then ovale or square shaped, manual, automatic, simple or coupled to other complications such as the Perpetual Calendar, dressy or sporty, the variations were aesthetically and mechanically outstanding, and we can honestly say that no other brand worked so much on this friendly thema.

The first JLC alarm movement was mechanical, the Cal 489 ( 1950 - 1958 )



The other manual winding alarm movement, the Cal 814, was born in 1953, and was used till 1964: ( Picture taken from the Web...don't know who to credit for )



The Cal 814 was replaced by the Cal 910, which was used till 1979.

It is another manual winding movement, but beating at 19 800 vibrations per hour, instead of 18 000 ( Cal 489 / 814 ).

From the mid 50ies till the end 70ies, JLC also offered an automatic alternative, with the Cal 815 / 825, with a bumper, and beating at 18 000 alternances, or with the Cal 916, which used a more modern circular rotor, and beating at 28 800 vibrations per hour.

The Cal 815 / 825:



The Cal 916:



To give you an idea on the importance of this complication, from 1959 to the end of the 70ies, some 270 000 Alarm movements were made...270 000!

And when the Grande Maison wanted to celebrate its Jubilée, what watch did it chose for that?

Among the 4 men watches released for the circumstance, 2 were ...Memovoxes, the Parking, and the ...World Time!

The World Time, ref 3160 ( pic taken from Zaf Basha's book: Jaeger-Lecoultre, a Guide for the Collector )



The Parking ( Ref 3161 ) :



In the mid 90ies, JLC " fished " into its rich alarm patrimony to re introduce the simple Memovox, declined in 2 models, the Memovox, an alarm without date, and the Master Reveil.

The Memovox, the unique JLC Alarm to get a sapphire case back, showing the Cal 914, a manual winding movement ( Don't remember who to credit for this picture, but certainly one of us ) :



The Master Reveil:



Obviously, these thin triangular indexes are taken from the first Memovox, while the association of a Date to the Alarm makes us think about the Vintage E 855, which also had Dauphine hands, with an evolution of the E 875 movement, the Cal 918.

A couple of E 855:



The actual Memovox International is aesthetically very close to another Vintage model. ( Picture take from the JLC Year Book 3 ) :



2/ The New Memovoxes.

I will shortly speak about the Simple Memovox, as I dedicated a whole post to this watch at the end of November, here:

jlc.watchprosite.com

What I will say is that it is a great idea to see it back in the catalogue, after a LONG absence which lasted...5 years!

Of course, we had some great Memovoxes, like the Master Compressor Memovox, the Tribute to Polaris, and the Navy SEALs Alarm, but they were all sporty, Diving Memovoxes, or complicated ones.

So, this dressy and simple model will certainly be warmly welcomed by its unconditional fans.

PLEASE NOTE THAT THE WATCH SHOWN HERE IS A PROTOTYPE, WHICH WILL CERTAINLY BE SUBJECT TO FURTHER MODIFICATIONS, AS FOR EXAMPLE, THE NAME ON THE ALARM DISK.



This new Memovox is very close, aesthetically speaking, to the former Master Reveil, with a very small difference relative to the hands.

They always are Dauphine, but they are thinner, longer and narrower at their axis.

What really makes all the difference, compared to the former model is the case and the bezel.

On the latest Memovox, JLC opted for the Master Hometime case which has thinner lugs and reworked the bezel to make it slimmer.

The visual impact is immediately effective, the watch gains in elegance, obviously!





Which is also important to know is that while the previous master Reveil was 38, 5 mm big, and 14, 025 mm thick, the new Master Memovox is 40 mm big, but with an almost unchanged thickness ( 14, 08 mm ), which contributes to give more harmonious volumes to this last one.

The Case Back is solid, and shows a new Logo, inspired from the Géophysic / Géomatic one.



As for the new Master Chronograph, what to think about the JLC choice for a solid case back?

In the case of these 2 watches, I think it is a good idea.

As we know which movement is housed in this watch, the Cal 956, I don't get the interest ot see it through a sapphire case back.

It is a good movement, without any doubt, the finish is correct, but I would reserve the sapphire case back for nicer movements.

So, to me, this choice is the good one.

The Memovox is fairly priced, IMO, as it will be around 6, 5 K Euros, and maybe a bit less, while in RG it is aournd twice the SS price tag, and, to be complete, I have to add that the watch is Water Resistant to 50 meters ( 5 ATM ).

The Memovox International shares the same cardinal virtues than the " simple " Memovox.

Same case, thinner lugs and slimmer bezel, same solid case back, same hands, and same Caliber ( 956 ).

Let's say a word about the Cal 956.

As you know, it has been released for the first time in the Polaris, in 2008, then in the Navy SEALs Alarm, in 2009.



The big avantage of this movement, compared to the 918 is that it allows a quick set of the date, without having to go forward and backward between 10 PM and 3 AM to change the day...

The sound of the Alarm is a bit lower, compared to the 918, but more cristalline...

You gain in richness what you loose in power...

The power reserve is about 45 hours, and the Alarm has an autonomy of 17 seconds.

The only difference, but a big one, between the simple Memovox and the Memovox International is the dial:



While the simple Memovox with its silver dial plays the card of Elegance, the black dial is maybe stronger, not more nor less appealing, just ...Stronger.

To be clear, here, the simple Memovox is not available with the black dial, which is only the International privilege, for the moment... at least.

Regardless of the price, it will be hard to make a decision between the Stainless Steel and the Rose Gold version ( around 1500 Euros more in both versions, compared to the SS and RG " normal " Memovox ).

The SS International has a strong, powerful look, while the RG goes more " Vintage ", IMO, and warmer, too.

It will be very personal and subjective, here.

Here, some live pictures of the SS:







And now some RG Live pictures:





Here, no " Faute de Gout ", the hands and indexes match with the color of the case, and the Cities of the World nicely fill the Alarm disk.

A propos, how does the World Time work?

I'd say that more than a complication, it is an indication, on the Memovox.

You have to align the city where you are, or which corresponds to your local time, with the hour hand, then you'll be able to see what time it is all around the world.

BUT, you'll have to do it each time you want to know what time it is all around the world.

At the contrary of a PP World Time, for example, there is no dedicated mechanism which perpetually dispalys the time in the world.

BUT, it is a nice " clin d'oeil " to all the Collectors who run after the Vintage and who are afraid to fall on a fake, which is a current problem with the Vintage JLC WT...

SS or RG...

Damn, for the first time of my life, I don't know...



This will be a Limited Edition of 750 pieces in Stainless Steel, and 250 pieces in Rose Gold.

Aaah, I was on to forget...

JLC made a cool accessory for the new Memovox.

For those who don't want to keep all the time their beloved Alarm watch on their wrist, here's the Manufacture solution, which also amplifies the sound of the Alarm:





( Only available at the JLC Boutiques )

I'm sure that these Memovoxes will be one of the JLC hit this year.

What's your take?

Best,

Nicolas This message has been edited by amanico on 2010-02-15 10:41:18 This message has been edited by amanico on 2010-02-19 10:36:31

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