First ringing into the watchmaking scene in 1950 with one of the most practical horological complications to date, an alarm, the Jaeger-LeCoultre Memovox has become a truly iconic piece from “the watchmaker’s watchmaker”. While not the very first alarm wristwatch, the Memovox was marketed as a watch for businessmen with meetings and such to attend. However, JLC soon expanded upon the collection to other use cases, like the Memovox Parking in 1958 and the Memovox Deep Sea in 1959, the first diver’s watch with an alarm. Offered here as an expansion of that earlier diver’s watch is the Memovox E859, launched in 1965 and produced until 1970 in a run that is believed to have made roughly 1714 pieces. Featuring a trio of winding crowns, one for its inner bezel, one for its normal winding and time-setting and one for its alarm, the E859’s 42mm stainless steel construction is certainly commanding, especially when we consider how big watches were at the time of its production. Fitted with a large black dial with luminous indices and Arabic numerals, the Memovox championed legibility and functionality in a world where watches were normally much smaller and traditional.

Watch is in very good overall condition. Case show some surface wear, with a few small dings and scratches visible. The midcase shows some scratches between the upper and lower lug where the notches are. Caseback has some scratches, but the "STAINLESS STEEL" engraving is still visible on the surface. Beneath the crazed crystal, the dial is in excellent condition. There are some small areas of discoloration in the luminous, but the dial surface is generally free from any significant marks or signs of aging. The watch comes fitted on a generic bracelet.

An iconic watch that can seamlessly work its way into a modern collection thanks to its massive design, for-the-time, the E859 finds itself as one of JLC's most desirable vintage sports watches.