Jaeger-LeCoultre has always been an important actor in the industry horology. It is recent (10 years) that JLC is adapting to its exposure as an important watch manufacturer and it climbs as near as possible to the top brands podium. Its past and the value of his pieces were not a discussion, most people would purchase a JLC watch based on horology connaissances, need or sentimental values.
In today’s world things have changes, people purchase ‘stuff’ and want assurance that there aren’t spending money on item that turns out to be price-less.
JLC continuously innovates and releases watches that only dreams could create, but their current and vintage watches are fighting to find proper and probably deserved estimations against other brands that have long been established in terms of their fixed, set and known values.
In the last 10 years we all saw some (most) JLC vintage watches jumping from coins to bills, the progresses are huge, not yet to the deserve values, but in 10 years a enormous progression.
The Grande Maison is not like most of the reputable valuable brands. JLC never involved itself in getting its pieces value-established.
JLC is more a purist minded maison than anything else.
Of course JLC is learning and know the importance of the patrimony it houses, as well as the importance it represents to its followers, but it takes time to change, changes that I hope will happen sooner or later, because today for most it is value that grants recognition.
It is sore for some to see the results of this last auction, we would all have preferred it differently, but what counts more is that we for sure know that it was not interfered. 319 lots sold and 246 lots unsold, that is not bad considering the amount and the quality of the lots offered. Lucky for those who could get what they wanted which could have turned up differently if the auction had been broadcasted worldwide. Unlucky are those who did not sale their ‘trendy stuff’ or did not manage to recoup on their recent investments. Still the last auction makes JLC progress and its value is getting closer to eventually find its deserved marks.
What I see with JLC watches, is that many discoveries and explorations are yet to see the light of day, and this thanks to the likes of our PP JLC Moderator we will not be kept in the dark.