Why We Love It

In the 1960s and 70s sporty chronographs were all the rage. The popularity of sports like race car driving and sailing meant that watch manufactures were churning out sporty chronographs, many of which followed the templates set by the Omega Speedmaster or Heuer Carrera, with large, sturdy steel cases and streamlined dials.

As the decade wore on, many other brands capitalized on the success of these watches by releasing versions of their own, capturing the spirit of 1960s and 1970s design with a unique flair.

The timepiece we have presented here is a rare steel cushion case sports watch from the 1970s, branded by LeJour and featuring a PVD case with matching black pushers and crown, a beautifully well-preserved dial and handset, and a Valjoux 7750 automatic-winding movement. 

All of these factors make this chronograph a strong value proposition, and a stunning historical example of the chronograph's golden era, when distributors such as LeJour brought amazing watches to the States.

The Story

As far removed from Switzerland as we are here in the States, many have this impression of the Swiss watch industry as being closed-off and protected from the outside world. While that might have applied in the industry’s early days, when it was a cottage industry (quite literally), the advent of mass machining in the Industrial Revolution busted down the borders. Where dozens of watches might have been produced in a single year, by the 1930s they were in the thousands.

All of those watches had to go somewhere, so the Swiss watch industry turned its collective might on the United States. Thousands of Swiss-made watches flooded into the country, already reeling from the Great Depression. The once-mighty American watch industry foundered.

So the U.S. government passed the Smoot-Hawley Tariff Bill in the 1930s. Under the bill, Swiss tariffs on Swiss imports were raised to 53%. As a result, Swiss exports to the States fell 48%.

Where, you ask, does LeJour come into all this?

In order to get around the tariffs, many Swiss watch companies entered into relationships with distributors, either based in the U.S. or with ties to the States. LeJour was one such company. It was founded in the 1960s by French brand Yema, best known for the , its sporty line of regatta timers.

LeJour also had a relationship with that chronograph powerhouse, Heuer. The two companies entered into an agreement in the 1960s, where Heuer would manufacture watches for LeJour to sell under their own label in the U.S. Additionally, giveaway contests with American Express or Jeep made these watches quite popular in the States.