Today we will be showing you two new watches. They are new in the sense that they are completely never before seen references, with not only entirely new calibers but entirely new calibers built an entirely new way. But these watches won’t shock you – Jaeger-LeCoultre is too clever for that. No, these two watches are a continuation of a theme first set forth by the watchmaker’s watchmaker in spring of 2014. It was then that we saw the rebirth of the Geophysic, a classical watch with a specially tuned movement that would provide amazing accuracy and durability without sacrificing elegance. Today, we take this idea two steps further.Born out of the concept that has made the original Geophysic such a collectible watch are the two pieces you will find in this story – the Jaeger-Lecoultre Geophysic True Second and Jaeger Lecoultre Geophysic Universal Time. These watches, unlike the Jaeger Lecoultre Geophysic 1958 from 2014, will be permanent members of the JLC collection. So, you might think that because they are less limited than last year’s run, they would actually feel less special. You would be very, very wrong.The Geophysic True Second is, to me, something of a contradiction. At the same time, it’s a watch that touches so many points in fine watchmaking all at once. The first thing you notice about the True Second is that it is under 40 mm – 39.6 mm to be exact. This alone gives you an idea of what JLC is up to here. They aren’t creating a watch for everyone, they’re creating a watch for people that know watches and know what they want.That means they’ll look for interesting case finishing – the True Second features a tightly finished case with satin-finished sides and sturdy wide lugs, polished brightly. The dial here is extremely finely grained, and in a nod to the original Geophysic, it is surrounded by a rehaut complete with luminous dots.The minute markers are simple dashes, while the five minute markers are white-gold applied sticks. The hands are a departure for the Geophysic – instead of swords we have luminous dagger hands. For the JLC lover, you might recognize them from the seldom seen Geomatic, the self-winding descendent of the Geophysic.Available in both stainless steel and 18k rose gold, the Geophysic True Second is a simple enough looking watch. You have a date aperture at 3 o’clock, a clean dial, a nice set of hands and a refined case. To end there would be enough, and frankly JLC has ended there in the past. But, as I said, the True Second is something special.One glance at the Geophysic from anyone in the know and you’ll see what’s special about this watch; the second hand on this self-winding watch, made by arguably the most prolific manufacture in the world, jumps. As if it were quartz. It’s not quartz.The Caliber 770 by Jaeger-LeCoultre is a brand new movement, built from the ground up. The caliber found in last year’s Geophysic 1958 was a refined version of an existing movement – this takes things several steps further. What makes it special? Well, as I said, this is a true second caliber, often referred to as a dead beat seconds movement. The second hand ticks each second away instead of floating along quietly. This allows the wearer to measure time more precisely, by the second.Now a handful of watchmakers have made jumping second hands over the years, though few in wristwatches. Rolex did in the 1950s with the Tru-Beat, and more recently Jaquet Droz, Arnold & Son, and Gronefeld picked up the cause. But what makes the Jaeger-LeCoultre unique is its execution, with a full second hairspring positioned near the central axis point of the movement to make this happen. This additional spring allows the caliber to not lose any amplitude at all despite the enormous energy it takes to make the second hand jump 60 times per minute every single day of the year.But the caliber 770’s flourishes don’t end with just the True Second mechanism. The very heart of this movement is special, and one that is uniquely JLC. Eight years ago, Jaeger-LeCoultre showed a concept watch called the Extreme Lab. The Extreme Lab, and the Extreme Lab 2 (reviewed here) were highly limited in nature, and true concept watches in their purest form. We saw innovative escapements, completely lubricant free, new chronograph pushers and engagement systems, and material progress. One of the most interesting concepts to come out of the Extreme Lab was that of the Gyolab balance wheel. What’s funny about the Gyrolab balance wheel was that it’s not a wheel at all – instead of a round shape like we’d normally see, the Gyrolab is shaped like a rounded H.This semi-circle of a balance wheel allows for increased precision and due to its smaller size, better energy management. And now, eight years after we saw it only in a concept watch, the Gyrolab balance wheel enters commercial production, and solely in the Geophysic line of watches.To give you an idea how special the Gyrolab is, a traditional balance wheel requires six different tools to produce, and about one minute to cut. The Gyrolab requires 14 machines, and 10 minutes to cut. The Gyrolab is leaner and meaner than any traditional balance wheel, and it gives the new Geophysics not only a quickly identifiable trait from the rear, but also provides considerable chronometric benefits. Oh, and since this is Jaeger-LeCoultre, everything about it is made 100 percent in-house in Le Sentier.Something else you’ll notice about the new Caliber 770 from JLC? The finishing has been upgraded, and now the oscillating weight is made of solid gold. The Geophysic True Second is truly nothing short of haute horology from a technical and aesthetic level and one look at the movement will tell you that.Still, what elevates an interesting watch to a great watch is its wearability and comfort in its owner’s life. The Geophysic has been born with this in mind. Not only do we have a high performance self-winding watch with a date – practicality was one of the guiding principles in the creation of this watch – but it also comes in a 39.6 mm package that is 11.5 mm thick. You have wide lugs that fit the wrist beautifully, and its wrist presence is wonderful.The Geophysic wears well, sure, but it also lives well. When you want to change the time, you pull the crown out to the first position and just the hours are adjustable, not the minutes. This allows you to change time zones without impacting the precision of the minutes or seconds. When you adjust the hour this way, the date jumps both forward and back. Sounds simple enough, but not many movements can do this. This is just another way JLC has created something that is interesting and usable at once.In steel, the Geophysic True Second will come with a butterfly deployant buckle, while in rose gold it will come with a solid-gold tang buckle. The power reserve of this watch is 40 hours, while its caliber holds 274 components. The pricing will be $9,050 in steel, and $17,500 in red gold. What’s more is that the Geophysic True Second will be in stores as of October 1, 2015.When JLC sought to create a full line around the Geophysic, it was clear that there needed to be a connection to its past. We saw that with the 1958 limited edition. It was also clear that there needed to be a tie to the history of chronometric performance, and we see that with the True Second. Finally, with the Geophysic it was necessary to tie the watch to the international exploration and travel that the original was so associated with. This brings us to the Geophysic Universal Time.This true world-timer is based off the True Second as seen above, and features the caliber 772. The 772 is exactly the same as the 770, complete with Gyrolab balance wheel, gold oscillating wheel, and high end performance, but now with an additional complication.The Universal Time displays 24 different time zones at once. The world disc is independently adjustable from the hour, making setting as simple as one could ask for for a world timer – anyone who has used a world-timer knows exactly what I mean. We have the same 39.6 mm case with elegant finishes, and the same wrist presence as found in the True Second.Like the True Second, the Universal Time also comes in steel and rose gold, and in this case, the rose-gold example really shines thanks to the contrast against the globe-themed dial. Also neat about the Universal Time are the two screws that are clearly visible just above and below the center axis, providing a bit of an industrial feel to an otherwise glossy appearance.This is, in many ways, the watch many have been waiting for from JLC. This is the one that will get collectors excited, as well as tick the boxes of those consumers simply looking for a high performance, reliable, functional watch to wear every day. From the collector’s side, I see something that is appealing for its technical know-how and performance. It’s appealing because it truly does house something special, but doesn’t give it away easily. The Geophysic isn’t a brand new Ferrari, it’s akin to an E39 BMW M5, a product that is high performance without much fuss or fan fare. It is quiet excellence. The fact that the watch happens to have a dead-beat mechanism is a fun nod towards the irony of mechanical watchmaking itself – a ticking timepiece that is actually more accurate than those with a sweeping hand. The Geophysic True Second will end up with all the collectors that have longed for an interesting Jaeger but simply didn’t want a Reverso, and I know many of them out there.For the average, informed consumer, the Geophysic offers a lot in terms of universal styling, performance, and overall sex appeal. The well finished case, the gold rotor, the ticking second hand, the quick-set hour hand, the date! These are all things that will attract the average buyer looking to purchase maybe one or two nice timepieces in his lifetime. This is a really, really interesting watch, without being obnoxious about it. It’s roughly 40 mm in diameter, it’s water resistant to 50 meters, and in the True Second variation, it’s had for under $10,000. This bad boy is versatile, interesting, and priced well. It’s hard to see who might be a competitor to the True Second, but I think on some level, it might be the Rolex Explorer for its versatility – though the JLC is a far more interesting watch for a variety of reasons.In all, I think JLC has really succeeded in creating a timepiece that will appeal to collectors and normal consumers alike. As I stated in the beginning, this isn’t going to replace the Submariner or Speedmaster as the token timepiece of every man, young or old, around the world. But, I do sincerely believe the Geophysic True Second and Universal Time will have their place on the wrists of many well informed men who want something beyond what most of us are used to seeing. I would go even further in saying that I believe this might now be the archetype for a modern Jaeger-LeCoultre, and if you know anything about this storied brand, you know what that means.
Jaeger Lecoultre Geophysic
