Jaeger-LeCoultre

 

 

If I tell you " Jaeger LeCoultre Chronometers ", what immediately comes to your mind?

 

There are chances you think about this:

 

 

 

 

The Geophysic is the most famous of them, the most sought after, followed by the Geomatic, and the funky Master Mariner Chronometer from the early 70ies, housing the Cal 906 ( Ref 24000-42 and 24002-42 ).

 

Here, a groupshot to be credited to Mr Mehlstretter who did an awesome job on the JLC Chronometry History, featuring, from let to right a very original and rare Geophysic, a Geomatic, another rare Geomatic Tonneau shaped, and the funky Master Mariner Ref 24 000- 42:

 

 

 

 

Historians will also answer that there were some other  important  watches from the " Grande Maison " which can be considered as Chronometers, such as the Torpedo Boat, the Mark 11 and the Cal 170, just to mention them.

 

The Torpedo Boat:

 

 

 

 

The Cal 170:

 

 

 

 

The Mark 11 ( RAAF version ) :

 

 

 

 

When you work on the topic, it really seems that the above list was complete, at the exception of some other other pocket watch calibers which attended the chronometry contests of the era, like the Cal  160 and 162.

 

Here is a link to read, for those who have an interest on the topic:

 

jlc.watchprosite.com

 

That is wrong!

 

There was another Chronometer which was released in the same year than the Geophysic, and which is barely known...

 

I found a hint of its existence while reading  the Geophysic leaflet:

 

 

 

 

" ... Jaeger-LeCoultre Chronometers were used on some Commanders' wrist, such as those of the " Liberty ",  United States, Christoforo Colombo " and some other great ocean liners.

 

One of them, the Captain of the " Liberty ", wrote:

 

" My Lecoultre Master Mariner Chronometer was the finest Chronometer I have ever owned. It is exactly what every master needs to be accurate " "

 

Do you notice the small text on the left part of the leaflet?

 

Here is a close up:

 

 

 

 

An illustration of the " Liberty " ocean liner:

 

 

 

 

So, there was a Master Mariner Chronometer in 1958?!!

 

How can I turn the hint into evidence, now that I have the strong intuition that another Chronometer existed?

 

We often pest again advertisings, but sometimes they are very helpful.

 

Here is what I found, and advertising featuring  J.W Anderson, Master of the SS United States, sporting a ... Master Mariner Chronometer.

 

 

 

 

Did you pay attention to what is written?

 

" ... The creation of the Master Mariner celebrates the 125th Anniversary of the founding of the LeCoultre Watch Factory.... Illustrated is the Master Mariner Chronometer- so accurate it qualifies for rating  as a chronometer by authority of official observatory accuracy certificates.

 

18 K gold $ 395. "

 

Here, another evidence, found on a warranty booklet from the end of the 50ies:

 

 

 

 

Not only the watch existed, but it was also released in 1958 ( The Jubilé Year ),  in parallel with the Geophysic.

 

It seems that the Master Mariner Chronometer existed  in Yellow Gold, only.

 

Now, there are several questions which remained unanswered till recently:

 

What is the size?

 

What movement is housed? Automatic, or manual? ( It has been answered in the ad: Self Winding. But what kind of automatic movement, knowing that the bumpers were used till 1960, and then let place to the rotor? )

 

What were the production years?

 

How many were made?

 

I searched everywhere, on the net, at the Manufacture, everywhere, and nothing, not the smallest information about this watch.

 

Till... I found one collector, a friend of mine, who offered me to let me play with his specimen.

 

Ladies and Gentlemen, let me now introduce you the Master Mariner Chronometer!

 

 

 

 

1/ Case and case back:

 

As previously said, I highly doubt there was a SS version, but as this watch was destined to Master Mariners, why not releasing it in solid gold?

 

The case is 36mm big, and has a very uncommon appearance.

 

It is a blend of strenght and elegance, not very thick ( I'd say around 8 / 9 mm ), so the volumes are harmonious.

 

The lugs are very long, and strongly bevelled, as you can see here:

 

 

 

 

The bezel is flat, and surprisingly large for such a watch, giving it a strong look, as a reminder of its " raison d'etre ", a toolwatch " De Luxe ".

 

You  will also notice that the crown is particularly integrated to the case, a nice and very elegant detail.

 

It contributes to the purity of the case, but it is not very practical if you have to wind the movement, or to set the time.

 

A nice detail on the crown: It bears the " JL " Logo, which is designed  in a very pleasant way, looking a bit like an anchor.

 

 

 

 

At the contrary of what it seems to be,  you don't have a screw in, but a snap case back:

 

 

 

 

Inside, you have the traditional engravings: The name of the Brand, here LeCoultre, the serial number, and, as it is a gold watch, the hallmarks  indicating that the case is  made in solid gold, and a much less common " Brevet + " we rather see on some Rolex from the same era ( 6536, for example ).

 

Why this mention " Brevet + ", this is another mystery to me, even if I saw it on another Vintage JLC....

 

 

 

 

2/ Dial:

 

 

 

 

Firstly, I have to say that several ( at least 2 ) dials came with the same case.

 

If you compare the one I am introducing here with the one featuring in the warranty booklet, you will notice some differences in the shape of the applied indexes and the fact that roman or arabic numbers were used.

 

Let's focus on my friend's specimen.

 

As for the case, the dial is something unusual.

 

At the center of the dial, two small Dauphine hands, slightly fitted with some radium to make them glow in the dark, and a not much longer thin  central second hand, both of them looking like they are a bit lost in this generous dial.

 

But the minute and second hands are touching the  very centered minute indexes, which are punctuated each five minutes by a radium dot, and each 15 minutes by a  square applied golden index.

 

The applied golden hour markers have a very original  and quite unique shape, too: Losange at their base, then spade.

 

For the good measure, and to well fill the dial, you have the 3 / 6 / 9 / 12 hour markers, which are also applied.

 

The white dial turned a bit off, and is attacked by the moisture, which is quite common for watches of this era.

 

At least, all is authentic and correct, here, and its condition is the counterpart of its adventurous life.

 

For sure, it may have some nice stories to tell!

 

 

 

 

These big hour markers counterbalance the impression you have when you see the small hands, though.

 

A clever element of design, in my opinion, which makes this watch so special.

 

 

 

 

3/ Movement:

 

The MM Chronometer houses the Cal 476/3, whose first virtue is not, obviously, the finish and the decoration, but is it the most important for a Chronometer?

 

 

 

 

It is a 17 jewels bumper movement,beating at 18 000 vibrations per hour, adjusted to 5 positions, 29, 56 mm large and 6, 15 mm high ... Officially Certified, with an important detail: the movement doesn't hack.

 

A funny detail: You have the mention " Adjusted to Temperatures " without adding the precision on how many temperatures it was adjusted!

 

Another witness of these times, the " VXN " code, which was  proper for JLC movements imported in the U.S.A, at this moment.

 

An accurate " work horse ".

 

On the following picture, you will notice how much the crown in integrated to the case.

 

 

 

The movement number being 1 310 xxx, it allows us to confirm that the watch was indeed released in 1958.

 

It is interesting to keep in mind that the 1958 Geophysic movement numbers are not very far, as they belong to the 1 33x xxx range.

 

Another evidence that these 2 chronometers are " brothers "...

 

4/ General thoughts and conclusion.

 

Discovering a missing link in an interesting thema is always an exciting thing.

 

Proving its existence is  an even more intense experience.

 

On the many questions I had about this watch, I could get a few answers, about the size, and the movement.

 

The mystery remains unsolved when it comes to the years of production ( it is now clear that 1958 was the birth year of this model  but till when was it produced, I still don't know ), and to the numbers of watches which were made ( my guess is that it was quite rare, as the example I took in picture was the only one I saw in the last 5 years ).

 

Beside its historical interest, it is also the only Chronometer coming from the Grande Maison with a bumper, all the others Chronometers being manual winding, or, when automatic, they had a bi directional rotor ( Cal 881 / 883 and Cal 906 ).

 

Aesthetically speaking, its blend of class ( case, lugs, and crown ) and strenght ( large bezel, thick applied hour markers ) is somewhat unique.

 

The wrist test was very conclusive, too, even if I'm not a fan of colored gold watches, by far, but I would really make an exception for this one:

 

 

 

 

It was time to re instaure its legitimity, don't you think?

 

Looking forward to reading your comments and thoughts,

 

Best.

 

Nicolas.

 

PS: I would like to give some special thanks to the collector  who let me play with his watch and allowed me to put it on line.

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