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Jaeger-LeCoultre’s Geophysic True Second watch has a seconds hand that jumps forward just once a second. How did this unorthodox automatic stand up under our close scrutiny? Find out in this review from our archives, with original photos by OK-Photography.
The sustained success of the Reverso allows no rest for the creative minds at Jaeger-LeCoultre. The Reverso, with its distinctive, rectangular, pivoting case, has a seemingly permanent place in the hit parade of watches. But rectilinear designs are just a small part of the watch market. JLC wanted a round model that could become as much a success, and a symbol of the brand, as is the Reverso.
With this in mind, Jaeger-LeCoultre began an experiment in 2014 with the debut of a limited-edition watch that revived the brand’s Geophysic from 1958. JLC made 300 of these tribute watches in rose gold, 800 in steel and 58 in platinum.
It’s fascinating to observe the Geophysic True Second’s seconds hand leaping precisely from one index to the next.
The success of this limited edition encouraged JLC to begin serial production of a new Geophysic family of watches last year. As of mid-January, before the SIHH fair in Geneva, where JLC unveils its new watches for the year, there were two Geophysic models, each available in rose gold or stainless steel. One is the Geophysic Universal Time, a world timer. To convey a global geophysical perspective, the world map on the watch’s dial is drawn in circumpolar projection from an imagined point above the North Pole. Blue lacquer is used to depict the oceans. The other Geophysic watch is the unostentatious-looking True Second. This is the watch we subjected to a close, hands-on examination.
The long, center-mounted seconds hand jumps through 60 increments as if it were powered by the stepping motor of a quartz caliber. The hand’s unconventional jumping lures oohs and aahs from connoisseurs who recognize it as the telltale sign not of a quartz watch, but of a mechanical watch with a true seconds (a.k.a. dead-beat seconds) device, a real rarity.
It’s fascinating to observe the seconds hand leaping precisely from one index to the next. As though the True Second had awakened our inner scientist, we reach for a watchmakers’ loupe and feel our admiration grow as we see how finely made the watch is. The length of the seconds hand is perfect. Even after the hand has come full circle, not the slightest deviation can be detected. The indexes are precisely positioned and the dial is meticulously centered, so there’s never the shadow of a doubt about which index the hand is pointing to.
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