Jaeger-LeCoultre Ladies Cocktail Watch Yellow Gold

In the first half of the 20th century, small ladies’ ‘cocktail’ watches were all the rage. These timepieces — thin, and often in precious metals with matching bracelets — were unobtrusive and elegant, with diminutive dials and mechanical movements whose small size is notable even today. (The famed Jaeger-LeCoultre Calibre 101 is still the world’s smallest mechanical movement, and has held this distinction since 1929.) Though no longer widely produced, this type of ladies’ timepiece remains the perfect accessory to a cocktail dress or evening gown. And as of 2025, vintage styles are making a strong comeback. This particular cocktail watch is from La Grand Maison itself, Jaeger-LeCoultre. Housed in a magnificently shaped yellow white gold case with a protruding, shell-like bezel, an acrylic crystal, and an unsigned back-wind crown, it features a silver dial with applied yellow gold indices and a matching yellow gold 'sword' handset.  Powered by the famed hand-wound Calibre 101, this midcentury gem is paired to a black leather strap with a yellow gold pin buckle.  Unobtrusive and handsome, it’s as appropriate for today’s formal occasions as it was during the Mad Men era!