Lot 300

Jaeger-LeCoultre

Memovox Snowdrop

An interesting vintage wristwatch with date, alarm and "Speedbeat" rotorwind movement

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Introduced in 1969, Calibre 916 replaced Calibres 815 and 825 in the Jaeger-LeCoultre Memovox range. This calibre went out of production in 1978 but was eventually replaced by Calibre 919, introduced in 1994. A total of 7,731 watches were produced with Calibre 916.
There were two notable features of Calibre 916:
It was the first Jaeger-LeCoultre alarm calibre to use a high-speed 28,800 A/h balance, giving improved precision and it was the first ever automatic alarm watch with a free-rotating rotor, as opposed to the bumper movements produced previously.
As in other Jaeger-LeCoultre alarm calibres, the alarm hammer struck a protuberance on the back plate, making a distinctive buzzing sound. Even if the alarm was not wound, the hammer rattled freely against the protuberance. In Calibre 916, this protuberance fits through an extra-wide hole in the center of the rotor.