LeCoultre Triple Date Moonphase, cal. 494/1A, 1940s

— Astronomy on the wrist —

A legacy of the era when the Swiss masters sent their work to America, and a model said to have been favoured by Picasso: a special piece in which Jaeger-LeCoultre's design thinking is taken to its conclusion.

A moon phase smiling quietly on the dial, and a triple calendar giving month, date and day. Complicated, and yet held in happy proportion inside a 33.2mm case.

— A face the years drew —

The dial wears the beautifully even patina that is the proof of a long journey, and that only vintage offers.

A warm gold bezel against elegant stainless steel, and teardrop lugs curving gracefully — a classical kind of glamour at the wrist.

— A first-rate Swiss heart —

Open the case back and the craft is genuinely arresting. Calibre 494/1A is a celebrated hand-wound movement: a very high-grade base of the kind supplied to the greatest houses, with complications built onto it. The traditionally finished bridges state the pride of the period without a word.

The ageing of the dial is particularly good and raises the whole watch. The movement continues to run well — a valuable piece of archive.

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