LeGant Watches

LeGant: Department Store Brand, Valjoux-Powered Sleeper

Let’s be honest — if you walk into most vintage shows and say “I collect LeGant,” you’ll get some raised eyebrows.
 But say you’ve got a LeGant-signed Valjoux 72 chronograph? Now you’ve got people’s attention.

LeGant wasn’t a watchmaker — it was a private-label brand, likely owned or distributed by U.S. retail chains in the mid-20th century. The name showed up on everything from simple dress watches to full-blown chronographs. Most were Swiss-made, mass-distributed, and built for department store sales.

But here’s the twist: some of them were absolutely legit, especially during the 1960s–70s.

In the vintage market today, LeGant is what you’d call a deep-cut value find — the kind of brand that never got its flowers, but occasionally surprises with serious mechanical pedigree hiding behind the logo.

Brand History: A Name for the American Middle Market

LeGant isn’t tied to any single Swiss manufacturer. It was a re-badged brand, most likely sold through U.S. chains like Montgomery Ward or Sears, and featured Swiss movements inside cases that were mass-produced and private-labeled.

Like a lot of department store brands (Clebar, Baylor, Tradition), LeGant pulled from the same Swiss case suppliers, dial makers, and movement houses as the bigger names — but without the marketing.

What does that mean today?
 That a LeGant chronograph from 1968 might be mechanically identical to a Heuer, Clebar, or Wittnauer — but at half the price (and a third the collector hype).

Collector Highlights: Movement First, Nameplate Later

  • Valjoux 72 Chronographs – These are the crown jewel of the LeGant back catalog. Often with 2- or 3-register layouts, steel cases, pump pushers, and signed dials. The exact same movement found in the Rolex Daytona and early Heuers.

  • Landeron / Valjoux 7733 Chronos – 1970s models with colorful dials, cushion cases, and solid build quality. These pop up regularly and are excellent starter chronos.

  • Time-Only Swiss Automatics – Not collectible in the traditional sense, but fun to wear. Usually housed ETA or FHF movements, often with classic silver sunburst dials and modest 34–36mm sizing.

  • Heuer-Style Cases – Some LeGant chronos share the same case formats used by Heuer and Zodiac in the 60s/70s — including compressor-style pushers and sharp lug transitions.

Are they rare? Not exactly.
 But finding one in clean, all-original condition with a Valjoux 72 under the hood? That’s a legit collector find.

Why Collectors Should Care

  • Sleeper value — You’re paying for the movement, not the brand tax

  • Legit Swiss calibers — Especially Valjoux 72, 7733, and Landeron variants

  • Shared supply chains with better-known brands — often built in the same factories

  • Perfect entry point for vintage chronograph collectors

  • Still off most people’s radar — which means pricing is reasonable (for now)

LeGant isn’t hype. It’s not haute horlogerie. But it is real-deal vintage Swiss, hiding behind a department store dial.

What They’re Making Now: Nothing — and That’s Fine

The LeGant brand, as it existed in the 1960s–70s, is no longer active.
 Any LeGant watches you see today are vintage, and anything “new” with that name is likely just a shell brand or resale.

So this is one of those closed-era brands — and that’s part of the appeal.

Fed’s Take

LeGant is one of those names that reminds me why vintage collecting is still fun.

No hype. No waitlists. No gatekeeping.
 Just an honest mechanical chronograph that punches way above its weight because nobody’s paying attention to the name on the dial.

I’ve handled LeGant-branded Valjoux 72s that were as clean as early Heuers. And I’ve seen 7733-powered pieces in compressor cases that wear better than watches twice the price.

If you’re hunting for a movement-first, collector-on-a-budget win, LeGant is one of the best places to start.

Unknown Name. Unmistakable Value.

If you're in the market for a vintage chronograph that’s all guts and no glory — but built like the real thing — LeGant belongs in the box.

Delray Watch occasionally sources vintage LeGant watches — especially Valjoux-powered chronographs from the 1960s and 1970s.

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