The watch is not found within books on the brand, nor in those focused on the category of alarm watches. Hovever Leonhard Beitl’s compendium ‘Alarm am Arm. Der mechanische Armbandwecker von A-Z’, a Jaeger-LeCoultre catalogue from the 1970s features a similar travel alarm. Presented on the same page as a Polaris II Red E870 and Memovox Snowdrop Speedbeat reference E877 is a model designated as a reference 11076. While the case is also chrome, the difference can be seen in the luminous stick hands. The overall DNA is similar, except it is a calendar model. A variation of the model can be seen in the gilt reference 11074.

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Several months back I expressed an interest to Eric Wind that I had a desire to collect Jaeger-LeCoultre watches in a more serious manner (particularly those within their alarm line). After locating an advertisement which featured the reference 53 Eight-Day Alarm Clock, Wind had alluded to a follow-up timepiece for me to take a look at. It turned out he had sourced a second alarm model from the very same ad! Emphasizing it would be a great addition to my collection, I had little choice but to agree.

Yet there was still information I was eager to know. “What reference number was it? How many variations are there? Is there a specific time frame these were produced? How - and to whom - were these alarm watches marketed?” While some of the basics were fairly straightforward, more interesting details were yet to be discovered.

During a previous correspondence with a European collector, I was informed that advertisements (such as the one below) featured numbers which were “French references”. The codes typically appear to correspond with the movement size (ligne) in some capacity. Yet, they didn’t serve to identify what the more universally used reference numbers were. Within the same thread, I noticed a second ad featuring the pocket alarm watch, but no concrete details on the reference. I was uninterested in settling for the advertisements I had seen published on the internet and sought out others.

Reference 3157 aka “Travalarm”

The first insight came by way of interesting terminology discovered within a full-page ad circulating in American newspapers in 1957. Located adjacent to the iconic Atmos clock is the small travel clock described as the “Travalarm”. It features the same dauphine hands and elongated alarm isosceles triangle on the central rotating disk. If you look closely, it also encompasses the black ring that conceals the majority of the dial upon being enclosed.

Within the text, the watchmaker emphasizes that “a small clock of heirloom perfection can cost as little as $25 [while others can be upwards of] $10,000”! Funnily enough, the perpetual calendar pocket watch featured within the same advertisement cited as “The Most Complicated Watch in The World” is priced at $14,000. Perhaps the $10,000 claim was not including pocket watches or wristwatches. With that in mind, I may find myself hunting old ad copy for an insanely priced clock throughout the 1950s.

Originally retailed at $75, the Memovox pocket alarm wasn’t a cheap horological accessory. Comparatively, the much larger LeCoultre Obelisk (“Obelisque”) clock was only $39.95. As for a “wrist alarm”, one could have expected to pay in the ballpark of $110 - $150 during the late 1950s.

Moving into the early 1960s, a similar LeCoultre pocket alarm came up within a Kansas City retailer’s holiday advertisements. Diamant’s Watches for Christmas included a few interesting watches such as a Wittnauer chronograph, as well as an asymmetrical Hamilton Electric designed by Richard Airbib.

However the Travalarm was different in that it featured a textured hood, and what appeared to be hour markers (likely painted) in a 3, 6, 9, and 12 layout. The watch has a slight premium on it three years later at a whopping $79.50.

Soon after searching into Swiss advertisements, a Türler advertisement featuring the same Travalarm stood out. The advertisement features an assortment of Jaeger-LeCoultre timepieces, as well as a fantastic Audemars Piguet coin watch. Although after noticing the corresponding number, I was not convinced that it was the reference number. The APs and JLC appear to be numbered alongside each other as if these were the product codes for the retailer. Nevertheless, it was an exciting addition to the current list of marketing material.

While learning the American market’s terminology was a success, ultimately finding the reference number the new priority. After searching further into the Swiss newspaper database, I was able to locate primary source material in the form of a 1956 ad published in Der Bund, Volume 107.

Within the ad, several timepieces from the golden era of JLC appeared. The likes of a Memovox reference 852 and reference 3158 pocket watch alarm accompanied the “Travalarm” timepiece designated as reference 3157. Quite notable is the difference in prices for the American market and Swiss market being marked as CHF 195. Perhaps this has to do with the higher production costs in Switzerland, or that the movements were imported to be assembled by US workers.

The caption of the reference 3157 mentions the Miniature Memovox being “an ideal gift for all occasions” and that it is “especially appreciated by ladies.”

1962 Jaeger-LeCoultre Watch Company Geneva Switzerland 1962 Swiss Ad Suisse Advert Horlogerie. Image credit: Ecrater.

Searching into the 60s, one last advertisement was found, again from Türler, which featured the reference 3157. The retail price for the model was CHF 225 and it is promoted alongside a reference E855. In the background, a gentleman is shown busily attending to a phone call.

The style of timepiece seems to have been spoken about with great acclaim within some newspaper articles in the U.S., one particular mention coming from the Lexington Herald-Leader in September of 1958. The article mentions that “Watchmakmakers of Switzerland have designed a pocket alarm watch for women as well as for men. It has a fob chain for pocket wear and converts to a bedside alarm for the traveler.” While no mention of Jaeger-LeCoultre is made, perhaps the reference to Watchmakers of Switzerland is intended to be a more familiar household name in the West during the 1950s. Interestingly, the article reflects many of the Swiss ad’s mentions of being ”perfect for career women”. It would be interesting to learn whether the marketing had played a role in who actually went about purchasing these timepieces, or if it may have just been an attempt to attract women clientele during the era.

Alarm watches were often promoted as being ideal for the busy, working man (and women as we can see within the advertisements). Typically some reference is made to the individual as a being frequent traveler or on-the-road salesperson. In an era in which these travel watches are no longer necessary, it is quite fascinating to learn surprises on who the target demographic was.

To read about other Jaeger-LeCoultre timepieces, see below:

A Vintage Jaeger-LeCoultre Memovox Catalog Circa 1958

Collector’s Guide: Jaeger-LeCoultre Memovox Reference E 875

LeCoultre Chronograph Reference 224115

‘Vintage LeCoultre Memovox Reference 2404 (Circa 1960s)’

‘Vintage LeCoultre 8 Day Alarm Travel Clock Reference 53’

‘Jaeger-LeCoultre Reference 11016 A Clous de Paris alarm clock from Christmas of 1972’

Jaeger-LeCoultre Reference 11012 Retailed by Hermès

Jaeger-LeCoultre Memovox Reference E 851

LeCoultre Memodate: A Vintage Gold-Filled Gift For A 13 Year Old Collector

Watches Within A 1938 Men's Fashion Catalog

Photo Gallery Vintage Jaeger-LeCoultre Reference 2957‘

Parechoc and the P450/4C’: What is Parechoc, and what is it doing in my JLC?