A Jaeger-LeCoultre Born From the Cold War
The Jaeger-LeCoultre Geophysic / Credit: WatchProSite user amanico
The 1950s were an important time for the scientific and horological community. In 1958, scientists from 67 nations across the world gathered for the International Geophysical Year. The world was divided into two political spheres due to the Cold War at the time, both the United States of America and the Soviets were militarizing in preparation for a potential armed conflict.
Much to the surprise of the entire world, the United States was also secretly developing the world’s first atomic submarine. This was the USS Nautilus and was the world’s first submarine powered by nuclear energy.
The USS Nautilus in the New York Harbor in 1956 / Credit: Library of Congress
On August 1st, 1958, the USS Nautilus set off on its secret mission. It sailed under the ice that covers the Arctic becoming first vessel to travel underneath the North Pole.
Following this expedition, the Captain of the USS Nautilus, William Anderson, and his crew members, needed timepieces that would be able operate in the North Pole despite the affect of magnetic interference. The powerful magnetic fields of the region were too much, rendering the common wristwatch useless.
Thus, in 1958, the International Geophysical Year, and the year of the first successful voyage by the USS Nautilus, Jaeger-LeCoutlre released the Geophysic. A model that also marked Jaeger-LeCoultre’s 125th anniversary.
The Jaeger-LeCoultre Geophysic was a chronometer that protected against magnetic fields, water, and was built with shock absorbent technology. It was a manual wind watch capable of withstanding the increased magnetic interference of the North Pole. The original JLC Geophysic was produced relatively briefly with only about 1,000 ever made. The watch was made to withstand forces of up to 600 Gauss. This Jaeger-LeCoultre Geophysic release was part of a larger trend of Swiss watchmakers creating ‘real world’ tool watches for their customers.
The Jaeger-LeCoultre Geophysic / Credit: Analog/Shift
To develop the Geophysic, JLC took a few design considerations from a previous model, the Mark XI, which was a military watch for the British RAF. The LeCoultre Cal. 478/BWSbr was fitted to endure drastic changes in temperatures, shock, and included a feature for micro adjustment. The key feature needed during this time, was the iron inner casing that protected the movement from the effects of magnetism.
Within the Geophysic’s short life span, it travelled on the first nuclear-powered submarine and visited both the North and South Pole. In 2014, Jaeger introduced three new models to pay tribute to this legendary model. 800 pieces of the Jaeger-LeCoultre Geophysic in stainless steel, 300 in rose gold, and 58 in platinum. The Jaeger-LeCoultre Geophysic homage was given the name ‘Geophysic 1958’.
Due to the direct links to the USS Nautilus and the International Geophysical Year, the Jaeger-LeCoultre Geophysic is a great icon of the 1950s – both in terms of general history and horology history. It was a time when scientists were teaming up to get a better understanding of the links between our planet and the sun, the space race was just beginning, and deep-water sea exploration was starting to confirm theories of tectonic plates. It is truly a historic watch. Another reminder of why Jaeger-LeCoultre is often referred to as the ‘watchmaker’s watch’.
By: Eric Mulder
Read more:
“International GeoPhysical Year.” NASA, February 2nd, 2005, https://history.nasa.gov/sputnik/igy.html.
“USS Nautilus—world’s first nuclear submarine—is commissioned.” History, February 9th, 2010, https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/uss-nautilus-commissioned.
Clymer, Benjamin. “Found The Jaeger-LeCoultre Geophysic Worn By Captain William Anderson On The USS Nautilus.” Hodinkee, August 25th, 2015, https://www.hodinkee.com/articles/the-jaeger-lecoultre-geophysic-worn-by-captain-anderson.
“The Geophysic Durability and the North Pole.” Timeless Breakthroughs, http://timelessbreakthroughs.economist.com/future-number-2/.
Beccan, Christopher. “IN-DEPTH: HANDS-ON WITH THE JAEGER-LECOULTRE GEOPHYSIC 1958.” Bexsonn, March 4th, 2015, https://www.bexsonn.com/hands-on-with-the-jaeger-lecoultre-geophysic-1958/.