Zoom Media Gallery
LeCoultre 'Gambler' Dress Watch
Authorized Luxury Retailer
Renowned for expertise in luxury watch retail, Watches of Switzerland embodies the highest standards of craftsmanship and service. With a history dating back to the 1700s, the company offers a curated selection of premier timepieces and commits to excellence in customer experience grounded in a legacy of trust and industry proficiency.
Authorized Luxury Retailer
Free Expedited Delivery
Free Expedited Delivery on Orders $300 and Up (Estimated 1-3 Days)
Our secure shipping service operates Monday through Saturday, from 8:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. For security reasons, an adult signature is required for for orders over $300 USD. Watches of Switzerland does not deliver to P.O. boxes or third-party forwarding services. For more information about delivery, click here. Tracking information will be made available upon shipping.
*Additional shipping fees may apply to domestic orders shipped outside the continental United States.
$15 Flat Fee on Orders Under $300 (Estimated 1 - 2 weeks)
Monday through Friday, from 8:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. For more information about delivery, click here. Tracking information will be made available upon shipping.
If you have any questions or concerns regarding your order, please contact the Watches of Switzerland Client Services.
Free Expedited Delivery
Easy Returns
Our commitment to you does not end at delivery. We offer the following return services to make your experience as pleasant as possible.
10-Day Returns For Timepieces:
Timepieces purchased online can be returned or exchanged within 10 days from when they are shipped or collected.
30-Day Returns For All Other Purchases:
All other online purchases can be returned or exchanged within 30 days from when they are shipped or collected.
On presentation of the original receipt, your purchases may be returned or exchanged at any of our store locations. Alternatively, you may elect shipping to our facility with all the original paperwork. All refunds must be credited to the same tender used for the original purchase. To return the online purchases through secure shipping service, please contact our client service team who will provide you the shipping label, free of cost*.
All returns or exchanges must be in new, unworn condition, with no scratches or markings, not sized or adjusted and in their original packaging and with warranty cards / certificated and instruction booklets.
*For order under $300 and all international returns:
Return Shipping: Clients are responsible for shipping items back to our U.S. facility, including all associated costs such as duties, taxes, and carrier fees.
Refunds/exchanges only in the country of purchase.
Please refer to our Return Policy for details on eligible items, return timeframes, and conditions.
Easy Returns
Jaeger-LeCoultre LeCoultre 'Gambler' Dress Watch - (Ref. 40980160 AS12329) Product Details
Overall Condition: Great condition overall. Case shows only light wear consistent with age and use. Dial and handset are in great condition.
There was a time when watchmakers treated lugs as opportunities rather than necessities.
The 1940s and 1950s produced some of the most imaginative case designs in horological history, an era when even a simple dress watch could be transformed into a miniature work of sculpture. This extraordinary LeCoultre—known among collectors as the "Gambler"—is a perfect example.
At its heart, the watch is everything one could want from a classic mid-century dress piece. A beautifully restrained silver dial features applied Arabic numerals at the cardinal positions, faceted triangular hour markers, elegant blued-steel hands, and a small-seconds register framed by a subtle crosshair motif. The overall aesthetic is clean, balanced, and unmistakably sophisticated.
But let's be honest—the dial isn't why you're here.
The watch's distinctive, oversized "bow" lugs and elaborate modernist dial give it a bold, flashy presence. Collectors felt it looked exactly like the kind of showy, "dress to impress" statement piece a high-rolling poker player, gambler, or stylish gangster would wear at a casino table in the 1950s. Whether seated beneath the chandeliers of Monte Carlo or holding court at a Las Vegas card table, this is the sort of watch that commands attention without saying a word. The nickname stuck—and one look at the watch explains why.
What sets this LeCoultre apart are those remarkable white gold lugs. Sweeping outward from the case in a series of interlocking geometric forms, they create an appearance somewhere between Art Deco architecture and high jewelry. Bold without being ostentatious, they transform what could have been a simple dress watch into something far more glamorous. It's easy to imagine this piece peeking from beneath the cuff of a dinner jacket during the golden age of postwar style.
The polished white gold case remains wonderfully elegant in proportion, allowing those spectacular lugs to take center stage while maintaining the refined profile expected of a LeCoultre from the era.
Produced during a period when LeCoultre was creating some of the finest dress watches in the world, pieces like this remind us that mid-century watchmaking was often as much about aesthetics as mechanics. The best examples blur the line between timepiece and jewelry.
Paired with a warm tan leather strap, this "Gambler" feels every bit as charismatic today as it did seventy years ago.
General
Condition
Pre-owned
Brand
Jaeger-LeCoultre
Reference
40980160 AS12329
Year
1950s
Family
Gambler
Product Code
40980160
Watch Display
Analog
Case
Case Size
33 mm
Case Material
White Gold
Lug Width
17 mm
Dial
Dial Color
Silver
Movement
Type
Manual-winding
Bracelet
Bracelet Material
Leather
What People Are Saying
4.7 Average Star Rating
Shipping was ok
Shipping was ok
Eva H.
Perfect gift for my son
Perfect gift for my son
HAROON M.
Absolutely top notch service with
Absolutely top notch service with Watches of Switzerland. My watch was overnighted for free because it was over $300. On a Saturday, even! Impeccable.
Christopher S.
Thank you very much
Thank you very much
Wooin S.
Amazing service
Amazing service
Devon R.
We needed to get this
We needed to get this in about 24 hours before he left for school. It arrived right on time.
Linda S.
Great experience!
Great experience!
Shabnam M.
Kevin Phillips was really helpful
Kevin Phillips was really helpful
Rieko O.
102
Years of Service in Luxury Timepieces
2000+
Five Star Reviews
191
Showrooms Across the Globe
50+
Luxury Timepiece Brands
As Featured In
