Jaeger-LeCoultre U.S. Market Futurematic 'Porthole'

$3,250.00 Reserved — Inquire for Availability
REF E501
Automatic-winding
35 MM
– Show less
SKU AS11462
Article Number 40980129
ref E501
case size 35 MM
movement Automatic-winding
approximate age 1950s
dial color Champagne
material Yellow Gold
style Dress
category Vintage
bracelet Leather
lug width 18 MM
Includes Brown lizard leather strap with gold pin buckle. Also includes Jaeger-LeCoultre: The Ultimate Guide For The Collector by Zaf Basha.
overall condition Great condition overall. Case is in excellent condition with only light wear noted throughout. Dial and handset are in great condition with minor wear noted.
REF E501
Automatic-winding
35 MM
– Show less
SKU AS11462
Article Number 40980129
ref E501
case size 35 MM
movement Automatic-winding
approximate age 1950s
dial color Champagne
material Yellow Gold
style Dress
category Vintage
bracelet Leather
lug width 18 MM
Includes Brown lizard leather strap with gold pin buckle. Also includes Jaeger-LeCoultre: The Ultimate Guide For The Collector by Zaf Basha.
overall condition Great condition overall. Case is in excellent condition with only light wear noted throughout. Dial and handset are in great condition with minor wear noted.

Why We Love it

**This watch is currently in service. It will ship promptly upon completion to ensure accurate timekeeping and functionality. Please contact our sales team for more details.

If the original Futurematic was Jaeger-LeCoultre’s midcentury moonshot, the later “Porthole” Futurematic is the version that feels like the brand got even weirder — and, frankly, even cooler.

Produced during the final years of the Futurematic’s run (1951–1958), this rarer execution takes everything that made the model such a cult favorite — crownless design, unapologetic engineering, futuristic intent — and distills it into a dial that looks like it belongs on the dashboard of a 1950s concept car.

This example is housed in a 10K gold-filled case, typical for the North American market, where these were sold with the "LeCoultre: signature. The proportions remain perfectly midcentury at around 35mm, with long, slightly angular lugs that give the watch more presence on the wrist than the measurements suggest.

The main event, though, is the dial. Unlike the earlier Calibre 497 Futurematic with traditional subdials and hands, this later version replaces them with two small “portholes”: At 9 o’clock is a color-changing power reserve disc marked "Réserve de Marche," and at 3 o’clock, a rotating seconds disc adds motion without clutter.
The result is a watch that feels both minimalist and deeply technical — as if Jaeger-LeCoultre were trying to redesign how time itself should be displayed.

Inside is the Jaeger-LeCoultre Calibre 817, an evolution of the Futurematic concept, which is part of what makes this variant so collectible today. It’s a watch built around the idea that self-winding should be truly self-winding — no crown, no manual winding, no compromises.

In a decade full of safe dress watches, the Futurematic “Porthole” is the one that dared to look forward. And somehow, it still does.

This spectacular piece comes from the collection of Zaf Basha, a noted authority on Jaeger-LeCoultre who has published two books: Vintage Military Watches: A Guide for the Collector and Jaeger-LeCoultre: The Ultimate Guide for the Collector. Over the years, Basha put together one of the most impressive assemblages of vintage JLC timepieces in the world, and we're thrilled and honor to offer many of them for sale on Analog:Shift. 

Brand Story

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Few watchmaking concerns are as storied as Jaeger-LeCoultre. Though the maison is not technically a member of the “Holy Trinity” of Patek Philippe, Audemars Piguet, and Vacheron Constantin, one could easily make the argument that it should be: After all, it was JLC that supplied movements to Patek from the beginning of the 20th century through the early 30s.

Founded in 1833 by Antoine LeCoutlre in Le Sentier, Switzerland, the firm became the Jaeger-LeCoultre we know today when it merged with Parisian watchmaker Edmond Jaeger’s business in 1937. The two horological concerns collaborated on numerous projects before cementing their partnership, the most important of which was no doubt the Reverso. A sport watch with a reversible case, this ingenious timepiece was designed to offer protection to the watch dial — when engaged in sport or otherwise dangerous activity, the wearer would simply flip the case over, exposing its back to the world, rather than the vulnerable crystal.

But the Reverso is far from the only significant timepiece brought to market by JLC: The firm also produced the world’s thinnest pocket watch in 1907, powered by the Caliber 145. In 1929, the maison released the Caliber 101, still today the smallest mechanical movement. (Queen Elizabeth II wore a Caliber 101-equipped wristwatch to her coronation in 1953.) And perhaps no other watchmaker is world-renowned for their production of a clock in the way that JLC is famous for the Atmos. Invented by Jean-Léon Reutter, it’s powered by miniscule changes in atmospheric pressure — Edmon Jaeger acquired the patent and licensed it beginning in 1936. The Atmos is still produced in numerous forms today, and remains the Swiss government’s foremost diplomatic gift.

From classic, near-centuries old designs like the Reverso and the Atmos to modern über-complications such as the brilliant Master Gyrotourbillon, Jaeger-LeCoultre remains on the cutting edge of horological technology nearly two centuries after its founding.

A:S Guarantee

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Our Pledge

Analog:Shift stands behind the authenticity of our products in perpetuity.

Condition

Since our pieces are vintage or pre-owned, please expect wear & patina from usage and age. Please read each item description and examine all product images.

Warranty

We back each Analog:Shift vintage timepiece with a two-year mechanical warranty from the date of purchase.

International Buyers

Please contact us prior to purchase for additional details on shipping and payment options.

Shipping & Returns

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All of our watches include complementary insured shipping within the 50 states.

Most of our products are on hand and will ship directly from our headquarters in New York City. In some cases, watches will be shipped directly from one of our authorized partners.

We generally ship our products via FedEx, fully insured, within 5 business days of purchase. An adult signature is required for receipt of all packages for insurance purposes. Expedited shipping is available at an additional cost. We are also happy to hand deliver your purchase in Manhattan or you may pick it up at our showroom.

Returns must be sent overnight or by priority international delivery, fully insured and paid for by the customer. A restocking fee may apply. Watches must be returned in the same condition as initially shipped.

We welcome international buyers, please contact us prior to purchase for additional details on shipping and payment options.

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Jaeger-LeCoultre U.S. Market Futurematic 'Porthole'

Jaeger-LeCoultre U.S. Market Futurematic 'Porthole'

Inquire for price
Jaeger-LeCoultre U.S. Market Futurematic 'Porthole'