clavi
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the Deep Sea Alarm
My long search for the holy grail of the JLC memovoxes series has come to an end today (big thank you to the previous owner who will probably read this).
Launched in 1957, the Deep Sea Alarm ref E857 is (to my knowledge) the first diving watch fitted with an alarm (before the Vulcain Cricket Nautical and the Memovox Polaris).
Produced in fairly limited quantities from 1959 to 1961, very few have survived until today, and most of those which have are often found in rather bad condition (as a result of hard use and a maybe a too delicate bezel for a heavy sporty usage).
6 years after this first model of underwater alarms, JLC launched in 1965 the E859 Polaris, which was fitted with an internal bezel (case were outsourced to Piquerez which made all the cases of the many watches fitted with the Compressor system which Piquerez had patented).
Around 1600 Polaris were produced between 1965 and 1969, significantly more than the Deep Sea Alarm (and therefore, the Polaris is much well known, as it has also been published in many books whereas the Deep Sea has never been to date I believe)
The Deep Sea alarm is fitted with the calibre 815, which is the first automatic alarm movement (launched in 1954)
Its size is 40mm, so just perfect for a standard wrist, and makes it very wearable by today's standards of large cases.
Now, for JDM who wanted information on the exact colour of the bezel luminous markers, mine have been re-lumed at some point, so their coulour could be different from origins (mine are maybe too greenish, though it will probably difficult to say exactly how they were when new, and what coulour original luminous dots would be now after 45 years)
Here is some pictures of the beast.
(sources of most of the information in this post is Zaf Basha)
and now the inevitable wristshot
the Deep Sea Alarm
