THE ESSENTIALS

MAKE: JAEGER-LECOULTRE
MODEL: E2643
YEAR: c1968
BOX/PAPERS: NO/NO
CASE DIAMETER: 40.5MM
CASE MATERIAL: STAINLESS STEEL
BRACELET MATERIAL: LEATHER
MOVEMENT: MANUAL WIND

If you were to describe the following to a vintage chronograph enthusiast: 1960s, reverse panda dial, Valjoux 72 movement, the first watches that come to mind would likely be the Rolex Daytona 6239, Heuer Carrera 2447, or the Universal Genève “Evil Nina.” Add in a 40.5 mm case and a rotating bezel, and the answer would seem obvious: a Heuer Autavia 2446.

Well, in this case, you’d be wrong. Part of the reason for my (Tommy’s) love of chronographs from the golden age of the 1960s and ’70s is the sheer number of fantastic models from different Swiss brands that share similar traits. The Jaeger-LeCoultre reference E2643 is one such example: echoing the design language of the Autavia, yet remaining unmistakably unique and far less well known.

Introduced in Europe under the name “Vogue” and signed Jaeger-LeCoultre, and in the United States as the “Shark” (signed LeCoultre, as seen on this example), the E2643 is the kind of watch that makes you wonder why modern JLC doesn’t revisit designs like this. The reverse panda dial features a classic Valjoux 72 layout, with chronograph minute counter, hour counter, and running seconds at 3, 6, and 9 o’clock respectively, along with a tachymeter scale on the rehaut. The dial on this example is particularly clean, with all tritium lume plots intact and aged to a beautiful creamy hue. The 40.5 mm case—large for its time—remains exceptionally full and sharp, as does the bi-directional rotating minute bezel.

The movement arrived in excellent health, running at +3 seconds per day with 281 amplitude and a 0.2 ms beat error. Here at Falco, we’ve always had a soft spot for Jaeger-LeCoultre, and we’re proud to be offering several in the coming weeks: starting with this beauty.