Jaeger LeCoultre Vintage Geophysic E168 Circa 1958

This is a very fine and rare stainless steel Geophysic E168 circa 1958 by Jaeger-LeCoultre (JLC). 

This highly attractive example is an honest and faithful example of the iconic reference. The watch features a chronometer grade, manual caliber P478/BWSBr movement, with 17 jewels, fitted with a spirale Breguet, including a stop-lever design that enables the wearer to hack-set the watch. In keeping with the spirit of the watch as a tool for scientists and explorers, the movement is not decorated, but it exudes an emphasis on accurate time keeping rather than fine cosmetics. In the end, the movement of the Geo was directly descended from the military grade JLC 488 SBr with some refinements such as added shock absorption.

The Geophysic was designed with a double case and screw-back for water resistance. The inner case is made of “soft iron” to achieve magnetic resistance of 600 Gauss. The dial is pressure-fit with retaining screws at 4 and 11 o’clock. One way verify the dial is refinished is to look under a loop at the first “R” in CHRONOMETRE which was not fully formed due to some quirk in the production of this iconic series.

This timepiece comes with sharp lugs and some surface wear – no scratches or dings. The raised numerals and markers are original, as are the luminous hands and crown. The dial is slightly discolored around some of the markers due to exposure to humidity at some point in its life, but we recommend against cleaning the dial because that would detract from the overall charm of the watch. Also included is an appropriate 125th Anniversary box from year of production and a rare vintage LeCoultre buckle. 35.5 mm diam.