1950s LeCoultre ‘Cornes de Vache’ Chronograph

Why This Watch Matters This is the type of chronograph that could only be born in the hey-day of mechanical watchmaking – the 1950s. It features a solid gold case with epic "Cornes de Vache" lugs and an almost flawless dial. This one comes from LeCoultre, but if it had a different name on the dial, this would be a six figure watch (and in fact it was this past November).  The Full Story A simple look at this watch tells you everything. The lugs are gorgeous and incredibly uncommon – you may recognize them from Vacheron Constantin’s use of exactly the same case for the very rare and desirable reference 6087, dating to the 1950s. This early reference was celebrated this year with the Historiques Cornes de Vache 1955, (which we reviewed here). Okay, so this may be only a LeCoultre, but it still features the very same screw-back case in yellow gold. Topping it all off? It is powered by the famous lateral clutch, column-wheel controlled Valjoux 72, an icon in itself. A historical note: LeC