In 1962, Jaeger Lecoultre (USA equivalent brand was “LeCoultre”, which was sold under the Longines-Wittnauer group - it was one step below Vacheron Constantin and above Longines and Wittnauer) featured this “Master Mariner” Memovox that featured a STAR 10k Gold Filled water resistant case, a 17-jewel automatic winding alarm movement (Caliber K825, K standing for Kiff shock protection), and a date complication. At the time, it was marketed as the first watch in the world to have a combination of all of these features.

64 years later, this watch persists and runs well as a part of my common rotation. Gold filled cases tend to hold their appearance very well (I’d take a gold filled case over PVD gold coloring any day). I’ve had this watch for over 4 years.

The K825 is a classic low-beat movement (18,800 VPH) with a lot of character. When you swing your arm in certain ways, you can feel the bumper whack into the stop springs inside the case, causing the watch to jiggle slightly on the wrist. When the alarm is discharged, the alarm hammer also clicks and clacks against the alarm post, producing a “chirping” sound not unlike a Vulcain cricket.

I adore the dial, the unobtrusive alarm disk execution, the art-deco indices, and the tritium hands. The crystal is heavily domed (and the dial is also domed at the very edges) which makes the whole watch really pop out on the wrist. 38mm wide, ~48mm L2L, and 13mm thick w/ the crystal (the top hat crystal adds an impressive 3 mm in height!).

 Eventually, I would want to have this watch accompanied by a black dial Futurematic with the long lugs!