Watches sold in North America were sold under the LeCoultre name from October 1932 to approximately 1985. After that the Jaeger-LeCoultre name was adopted uniformly worldwide. According to factory records and as best as can be determined, the last movement to be used in an American LeCoultre watch shipped out of Le Sentier in 1976.
There is much confusion over the use of LeCoultre name for the North American market. Some collectors and misinformed dealers go so far as to make the erroneous claim that the American LeCoultre has nothing to do with Jaeger-LeCoultre Switzerland. The confusion stems from the fact that, in the 1950s, the North American distributor of LeCoultre watches was the Longines-Wittnauer group, which was also responsible for the distribution of Vacheron & Constantin timepieces. Collectors have confused this distribution channel with the actual manufacturer of the watches. Outside the actual distribution channel, the LeCoultre product, at the manufacturing level, had nothing to do with either Longines, Wittnauer or Vacheron Constantin. In addition, the LeCoultre trademark was owned by the Société Anonyme de la Fabrique D'Horlogerie LeCoultre & Cie, Le Sentier. The LeCoultre trademark expired and was replaced by the Jaeger-LeCoultre trademark in 1985. |