A work of high artistic and creative content, the seventh edition of the Jaeger-LeCoultre Yearbook showcases exceptional timepieces through photographs and images.
JLC just released their annual yearbook entitled the Yearbook SEVEN, for the seventh year of production. Introduced in 2007, this year book illustrates 180 years of JLC horology and innovation. A very cool book, but not cheap. You can order it here: http://elibrary.jaeger-lecoultre.com/, and until January 10, 2014 there’s free shipping with the promo code: YB2014 on all JLC publications.
Yet another guilty pleasure watch.. the U-Boat Thousands of Feet Chronograph LE. The flightdeck was big and obnoxious, but the Thousands of Feet is EVEN MORE so. Think of U-Boat meets Bell & Ross, and then juice it up with some steroids and you have it. Is it cool? Yes. Is it practical? No.
The Thousands of Feet Chronograph is a limited edition, much more rare and limited in production than the regular Thousands of Feet which is a manual winding model. It features a gigantic 50mm case, and is quite thick, affording the wearer a lot of wrist presence. The watch also stands out and can sometimes skirt the line between Fashion Watch and Horological Timepiece… and that is often the predicament I find myself in when selecting the timepiece of the day. Sometimes I find certain watches just look too much like Fashion Watches and that’s just not the statement I want to make.
From an overall design perspective, the watch is not loud, and it features a fairly balanced overall appearance. The black matte sandwich dial and PVD coated stainless steel case are all features that would generally minimize attention. However, put all that into a 50mm Square watch, and you have about as much elegance as a bull in a china shop.
The crown is the pushdown type, but still allows the watch to achieve 100m water resistance. Pushers and crown are located on the left hand side of the watch, which is always a welcome change for me. While its harder to adjust, I just find it adds a subtle layer of interest to the watch. Also, it means sometimes you forget and start to put the watch on backwards, which keeps your mornings interesting.
Here’s a shot of that side-mounted sapphire exhibition window that lets you observe the side of the movement, which also has the U-Boat logo and some horizontal lines printed on the inside of the glass. The serial numbering for the model is also etched in here next to the viewing glass.
And there is the exhibition back, which is tinted, but still clear enough to see the ETA/Valjoux 7750 chronograph movement inside. The movement is with little decoration, and is mostly bone stock aside from the signed rotor. The back interesting, and though you barely see it in the pics, it has the Overall Diameter (50mm), Water Resistance (100m), Made in Italy, Steel Type (316L), and the movement (ETA 7750) inscribed on the back in case you forget. Handy!
And finally the all important wrist shot as seen on my 6.75″ wrist. For a square 50mm watch, it wears pretty good. One of my problems with this watch is the strap to head size ratio. I find that the strap is too thin and weak for such a big and bold watch head. It cries for something stronger… perhaps digging into my Panerai strap drawer will yield some positive results. It has a lug width of 24mm, and I have a lot of 24mm straps! Perfect.
Specs:
Movement/Caliber: ETA 7750
Power Reserve: 44hr
Case Material: Stainless Steel PVD Coating
Case Diameter: 50mm
Waterproof: 100m
Posted the video review of my beloved Cartier Calibre. One of my favorite watches in my collection, and continutes to be one of my go-to staples. I really enjoy this watch. For some reason the video is showing up squashed, but Youtube has been having some problems for me lately.
The Chronolog 2014 is available!
The new Chronolog 2014 is now available at your nearest official Breitling retailer.
Jaeger-LeCoultre created two custom objects to support (RED)TM AUCTION featuring icons of design and curated by Sir Jonathan Ive and Marc Newson.
The Atmos 561 by Marc Newson clock and the Memovox Tribute to Deep Sea watch now feature unique red accents and will be auctioned at Sotheby’s New York to benefit The Global Fund to fight against AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria.
