My partner has been given a watch that no-one wanted as it was just going to be chucked in the bin.
I am not sure if it’s got any value attached to it now but the mechanism seems to be working fine - just the front looks a bit worse for wear.
Google seems to suggest that it’s a LeCoultre Momovex Calibre 916 made back in the 70’s.
Any got any idea whether it’s worth anything or whether it’s one for the bin…
I’d say it’s something a bit special from one of the great watchmaking houses. It’s an automatic alarm watch which offers a fairly discrete, and unique, level of functionality and when fully working it’s both worth a fair bit and an absolute pleasure to wear which is perfectly capable of modern levels of performance. It’s a proper watch and you are a lucky man.
Keep it away from the bin .
I’m not sure if this is a joke or not.
Definitely not a joke - I just wasn’t sure if it was something that was worth repairing or not.
It seems like it might be worth it, although I’m not sure how much it would be to get sorted.
If anyone has any recommendations, please do let me know as it would be great to restore it back to its original glory and wear it.
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ICYMI...916 References.
Wow! Any more LeCoultres going free?
Was expecting a Timex!
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A bit like saying ‘I found a classic Porsche in the barn, the paint’s a bit faded but it runs fine - off to the scrapyard or keep it?
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Fair comments and I appreciate it is from a reputable watch house:
I only know from past experience that a lot of vintage watches, although lovely to own, do not have much in way of value and it’s not really worth the costs of repair.
Amazing ?
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The movement looks clean as a whistle. Nice piece of horological history.
I'd get it straight off to a reputable indy for a wash and brush up, then wear and feel lucky to have been handed a gift.
Yes the movement seems to be working fine and keeping good time - the alarm function is also quite an interesting feature which sets it apart from other vintage watches I have had in the past.
Shame about all the scratches to the face but I am going to take it into Russell Talerman near Bond Street on Monday next week to see what he would recommend.
The original question was if it was worth anything or if it should be thrown in the bin. As the watch currently sits as a sum of its parts will easily be north of £500 and restored around £1000 given the condition of the dial. I'd expect a service to cost £300 plus whatever parts it might need (I can't see if the case is complete) so would likely be best to sell it as is.
I respectfull disagree.Originally Posted by mr.chef
The gold plated one's are quite common and seem to go for £1200 to £1800. Weirdly, stainless steel Memovoxes are harder to find and sell for £1600 to £2000 ish.
Of course to achieve £2000 it would need a pristine original dial & the correct crowns.
I don't know the significance of the "P" on the dial, perhaps it was a branded presentation watch. Is there an inscription?
I think that dial is too far gone & will need to be redone. Ultimately the value of the watch when refurbed will come down the the quality of the repainted dial.
Thanks all for the steer.
The 'P' on the dial seems to be quite an interesting feature - Google suggests that it is for a parking meter and linked to the alarm inside which you set with the top crown. When it goes off it buzzes quite a bit and makes quite a distinctive sound.
It also has the original branded crowns but I agree that the dial is probably too far gone and I am not sure if it can be sympathetically repaired or not. Let's see what response I get next week when I take it into London for review.
These are the closest examples I can find on Chrono24, although none of these are just 'LeCoultre' branded:
https://www.chrono24.co.uk/jaegerlec...id26259189.htm
https://www.chrono24.co.uk/jaegerlec...id25917739.htm
https://www.chrono24.co.uk/jaegerlec...id26329911.htm
We're not really comparing the same thing then are we? I agree with a nice original dial and a 37mm steel case the watch would be worth more but as it stands with a damaged repainted dial the value will be a great bit less
The dial has previously been reprinted so the "P" is irrelevant in this case
Parking dial watches do exist, but generally they have a count down mechanical alarm with a max period of a couple of hours. (I do need one of these for the collection, saw one a coupel of years ago with a window just like the old street parking meters.)
The Memovox is a 12 hour alarm. It's actually quite difficult to set with better than +/- 5 minute accuracy. You may be well right, if it is a parking meter, it would make a crap one. And frankly it would be far cheaper to just pay the fine than buy one of these to avoid getting fined!
Here's a gratuitous shot of my 1960's memovox. For no real reason other than that I'm bored:
You could be right. I find it difficult to tell with all the damage. But yeah, to me what is there doesn't look good enough.
Last edited by mikeveal; 2nd December 2022 at 16:39.
Well you live and learn. Thanks for that Tony.So far as I can tell there were indeed Parking Dials denoted by the letter P, but they had 2hr countdown timers on the inner ring. The printed square is blue in all the examples I can find.
I went away and Googled. It isn't really a countdown timer, it's a standard Memovox inside with a 12hour alarm.
The idea is that you align the 1hr marker with the hour hand to set the alarm to go off in 1 hours time.
It will cost as much as it is worth to make it into something worth having. If one is a vintage watch lover and wearer then it's worth going ahead. Otherwise, sell now for as much as possible and let the next guy worry about it.
"The whole purpose of mechanical watches is to be impertinent." ~ Lionel a Marca, CEO of Breguet
I agree that the dial looks already re-done - "Automatic" looks to be comically bad.
There seem to be lots of loose dials on Ebay; some OK, some good and some suspiciously too good. With a bit of due diligence I would hope you'd find a replacement and I would not let yourself get talked into a redial which will never be right (checks nervously if the sun is over the yard arm in...).
In the Sotadic Zone, apparently.
You may well be right.
I learnt the hard way previously buying a UG Polerouter which I couldn't source a motor for which needed repair - which then sold at a loss. That's why I wanted to check whether it is even worth trying to get repaired or not. I don't really just want to chuck good money after bad!
Any advice on the best place to even sell a watch like this?
Don't bin it.
Give it to me... I will bay it for you. Bin.. sorry.. bin. Not ebay. Bay sorry. :D
It's too sweet to even consider binning.
I would have the movement alone in a glass case on the mantelpiece just to look at.
But I am strange.
List it here, as i'm sure there'll be plenty of love for vintage Memovox (I know I looked for the right one for a good couple of years). Just price it sensibly.
A member called Tribe posted about his some time ago, which I'm sure had a dial refinish along with some other work. It may be worth a search or dropping him (Alan) a line. It was a fantastic job from memory.
I don`t know what I`d do with this if I was restoring it.........probably turn the job down and let someone decide!
I`ve never seen one before, the P seems odd and the 'automatic' script looks wrong. As it stands the dial's a mess and spoils the watch, something needs to be done about it. I would favour finding an original in good condition if that's feasible, no idea how easy that would be and what the cost would be. Alternatively, get the dial refinished by someone good, but first I`d need to find out what it ought to look like and that involves hunting for pics on the internet and convincing yourself you've found one that's original. Here's where original advertising articles are v. useful if they're available. One way or another the dial needs to be right, if going down the refinish route it needs to be good enough to keep the beard-scratchers happy. If you're less bothered about the beard-scratchers and just want it to look sharp and presentable that gives a bit more latitude for the refinisher.
I know nothing about the movement but unless parts are broken it should be possible to get it working to an acceptable standard.
Unless the OP really likes the watch I think it wise to sell it on in it's present condition and let the next guy decide how to sort it out.
Lovely job if a little eye-watering.
https://forum.tz-uk.com/showthread.p...movox-Restored
http://www.watchuseek.com/site/Memovox_Restored.pdf
I agree about listing it here.
In the Sotadic Zone, apparently.
What would be a fair price to list at here does everyone think?
The movement looks in good condition it’s just the dial really which lets it down…
It would be great to see someone restore it but I don’t think I’ve got it in me to get into the vintage world again!
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Not sure but I'd look at Ebay Sold Items using Memovox as the search term.
I'm curious - do you have a picture of the watch with the movement in place? I'd be interested to know how much of the dial damage is obscured by the edge of the crystal.
In the Sotadic Zone, apparently.
Still visible a bit, although not as much
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If it runs and you can get it all back together just do that and leave it as original as possible.
It's patina and it's all the rage.
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Oof - that's not really helping.
In the Sotadic Zone, apparently.
I have a 14ct rose gold JLC Powermatic from 1954. One day when walking the streets of London the winding knob and the attached shaft fell off, so I had to replace it pronto.
I was near Hatton Garden at the time and none of the Indies there wanted to know, the shaft was stepped down to three separate diameters and JLC held on to their spares. Also none of my local Indies wanted to know.
End result was a 5 month waiting whilst JLC repaired the watch in Switzerland and finally a bill for £1200 which included a new dial. Everything was original whether I wanted it or not and they had me over a barrel.
So beware.
Fascinating story, thank you for sharing.
Oh, thanks for that. I'd suggest everyone follow the links and read the article, because it really is worth the effort.
I haven't seen Alan for years, but enjoyed a chat over a pint or two in the Cat & Fiddle in Radlett. Permanently closed now, sadly, although it still stands, boarded up, with no sign as to what its future holds.
I live on the opposite side of the road from the Cat & Fiddle and know the old landlord Dom for many a year. I have enjoyed many a evening there since moving to the area in the eighties.
As far as what it will developed into we have so far heard it might be a doctors surgery, a upmarket restaurant, a pub. My guess would be housing if they can swing the planning permission.
Very sad to see another old fashioned pub disappear. When they are gone they are gone forever.
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