With its dedication to push precision and reliability to the highest possible levels in horology, Jaeger Le-Coultre launched the new Master Compressor Extreme LAB 2, especially developed for use in the most extreme environments. This model is heir to one of the manufacture’s emblematic watches, the 1958 Chronometre Geophysic.
The 1958 Chronometre Geophysic has an interesting legacy behind it. The International Council of Scientific Unions had propositioned a series of global geophysical activities from July 1957 to December 1958. The International Geophysical Year (IGY) was born. 67 countries observed geophysical phenomena and secured data from all parts of the world. IGY research contributed to improve meteorological and seismological prediction, and glacier-analysis. In the spirit of those advances, Jaeger-LeCoultre developed the Chronometre Geophysic. It perfectly suited the demands of the researchers since the timepiece was resistant to magnetic fields, water and shocks.
The City of Geneva presented this watch in 1958 to two US citizens for their contribution to the IGY: the commanders of the submarines U.S.S. ‘Nautilus’, the first submarine to complete a submerged transit across the North Pole, and U.S.S ‘Skate’ that operated under the North Pole ice and became the second ship to reach the Pole.
The new Master Compressor Extreme LAB 2 has an easy to use function selector regulated through the crown, a patented jumping digital minutes counter for easy readability, 60 hour power reserve and a GMT-function make this chronograph usable anywhere. The watchmakers also tackled an age-old problem of time deviation through magnetism. They found an innovative way of shielding the watch from magnetic influences. To test their ambitious project, JLC sent the Master Compressor Extreme LAB2 out into the wild with a mountaineering expedition called ‘Expedition Geophysic’ to conquer a virgin peak in the Himalayas, which has been christened the Antoine LeCoultre’s Peak.
High tech materials transform the watch into a state-of-the-art timing instrument. The black zirconium ceramic bezel together with the sapphire glass forms an almost indestructible upper section. A titanium alloy, called TiVan15, is used as the case material. The alloy made of titanium and Vanadium has extraordinary physical resistance to tension, torsion and scratches and is 15 per cent more effective as compared to traditional titanium alloy.
Price: INR 30 lakhs
Available at: Ethos Summit, Mumbai; The Rose Salon, Breach Candy, Mumbai; and Johnson & Co, Connaught Place, New Delhi
