October 2015: Jaeger-LeCoultre chooses an unconventional month to introduce some beautiful novelties, far from the International watchmaking fairs. We are talking about the new watches from the Jaeger-LeCoultre Geophysic collection: the True Second and the Universal Time.

Before introducing the novelties, a fascinating digression about the current Geophysic collection, that is becoming a true watch family within Jaeger-LeCoultre product offer. The collection’s name comes from the historical Jaeger-LeCoultre  Geophysic watch made in 1958 to celebrate a special double anniversary: it was the 125^th anniversary of the Grande Maison, and it was the International Geophysical Year. Great investments were made by 67 nations to support scientific exploration and experimentation in the fields related to geophysics, such as seismology, electromagnetism, glaciology, radioactivity, and solar activity.

This is why the watch was conceived as a solid tool, able to face the hard conditions that extreme scientists and explorers could encounter. The Geophysic mechanism guaranteed chronometric precision and featured anti-shock, stop-second function, a balance wheel made in Glucydur, to absorb changes in temperature, that allowed micrometric regulation. All this was placed in an amagnetic case up to 600 gauss and water-resistant.

This special watch was on the wrist of the Captain of the Nautilus, the first nuclear powered submarine that exactly in 1958 completed an incredible challenge: a submarine transit of the North Pole, tracing a new way from Atlantic and Pacific Ocean.

The Jaeger-LeCoultre Geophysic was back on 2014, with a three hand watch as a new edition of the historical version, with three different options between case material and dial. An high-quality automatic caliber beats inside an amagnetic case, exactly as in the original watch.

This year the Geophysic becomes a collection with two new references: the Geophysic True Second and the Geophysic Universal Time. The first one celebrates the chronometry, the latter the Earth’s exploration: those are the historical connections with the original Geophysic from 1958. Let’s have a deeper look at them.

The Geophysic True Second is, apparently, an ordinary three-hands watch, even if in a very nice box. Yet.. the second hand makes a sole jump each second. Just like the quartz watch. Yes, but it is a mechanical watch. And this regular yet jumping movement entails a very refined complication for watches: the dead beat second mechanism. Here achieved with a new technical solution, thanks to a second hairspring needed not lose any amplitude at all despite the energy needed to let the second hand jumping.

Another novelty is the balance wheel design, starting from the point it is not a wheel. Jaeger-LeCoultre introduces the Gyrolab, a new balance with the shape of a curved H, lighter than the usual wheel in order to gain vibration quality and caliber efficiency. The Gyrolab was firstly seen on prototype-watches: Jaeger-LeCoultre decided to adopt it for the first time in a series production watch within a technical family such as the Geophysic one.

The movement is also enriched by a solid gold rotor and fully decorated. All this said about this caliber, we remind it is fully made in the Jaeger-LeCoultre “Grande Maison“, their manufacture in Le Sentier.

The same caliber of the Gephysic True Second is the base for the caliber of the Geophysic Universal Time, that features the additional complication of the universal time indication. 24 time zones are indicated contemporarily, corresponding each one to a world city, on a rotating disk easily controlled by the crown.

In those watches a true passionate can find all the needed features: the right size of the case, measuring 39,6mm, intriguing mechanical solutions, a nice aesthetic. And both of them, despite the mechanical complications, are available also in a stainless steel version. Jaeger-LeCoultre is today among the very few manufactures that still produce classy and dressy wristwatches with leather strap in stainless steel versions; today even with cultured complications.

We look forward to welcome you in our Hausmann & Co. store in Via del Babuino to discover the Jaeger-LeCoultre watches inside the dedicated window.