On November 29, 2011 – at the Hotel Marcel Dassault in Paris, in conjunction with Jaeger-LeCoultre, Artcurial (France’s foremost auction house) will be offering over 250 exceptional Jaeger-LeCoultre timepieces.

One of the most interesting pieces is the Jaeger-LeCoultre Geophysic Chronometer which “was created in 1958 on the occasion of the Manufacture’s 125th anniversary. It was intended for the scientists of the International Geophysical Year, an unprecedented scientific operation. In the middle of the Cold War, several thousand researchers from 67 countries combined forces to lay the groundwork for sharing knowledge in the Earth sciences.

They set up numerous bases in the Arctic. With its precision, toughness, and resistance to magnetic fields, the Geophysic Chronometer accompanied their explorations.”

There will be two versions available at the upcoming Artcurial sale. Model E168 and model 2985. The latter being an extremely rare model, also called the Geophysic Luxe, of which only 103 examples were ever made. This is the first time model 2985 will be seen at auction in ten years.

The Geophysic Luxe is powered by Jaeger-LeCoultre 478BWSbr caliber that offers very high accuracy. Features include indirect central seconds, stop second, Glucydur balance wheel, “swan-neck” adjustment system (with regulator spring and set screws), shock absorbers, precision end curves, anti-magnetic escapement, unbreakable spring, 17 jewels, an 18-carat yellow-gold case, silvered dial, appliqué hour-markers and gold hands.

Estimate: $8,248- $12,372