Jaeger-LeCoultre Memovox Tribute To Deep Sea Alarm

Vulcain might have been the first manufacturer to produce a wrist alarm in the form of the Cricket in 1947. But JLC took the concept and perfected it with the Memovox, released in 1950. 

Like the Cricket, the Memovox utilizes a unique twin-crown system (the top crown to wind and set the alarm, the bottom to wind and set the time). But JLC developed a different alarm mechanism: a hammer that strikes against a post that is directly welded to the caseback, unlike the Cricket, which uses a resonant, dual-caseback design. In so doing, JLC set itself apart, and created one of the most iconic models of post-War watchmaking. 

Such an icon of horology lends itself very well to adaptation for many different purposes. In the late 1950s, brands such as Rolex and Blancpain released some of the first dedicated dive watches: the Submariner and the Fifty Fathoms, respectively. JLC followed suit with the Deep Sea Alarm. Released in 1959, this was the first automatic wrist alarm intended to be worn underwater.

Rated to a depth of 200 meters, the Deep Sea Alarm was unmatched by any other manufacturer until Vulcain released the Cricket Nautical 1961. Two versions were released: one, for the European market, bore the full name of Jaeger-LeCoultre but lacked "Deep Sea Alarm" on the dial. The U.S. version, however, marketed under the name LeCoultre, bore the model name: "Deep Sea Alarm Automatic." 

Regardless of execution, the Deep Sea was rare, with only 950 pieces produced in its two-year run. Examples that find their way on the vintage marketplace often suffer from signs of wear, particularly in the bezels. Many a collector dreams of finding one in excellent condition — at a Goodwill, maybe — but those examples are few and far between.

Fortunately for us, JLC re-released the Deep Sea in 2011. Though the proportions might be slightly bigger, JLC otherwise clung closely to the look and feel of the original. Like the Deep Sea, the Tribute was released for the European and American markets, with the same differences in the dial as the originals. While 959 examples were released in the European market, only 359 were made of the American version, one of which we are fortunate to offer here.

Measuring 40.5mm in stainless steel with a sapphire crystal; a fixed steel bezel with a 12-hour insert and luminous quadrant indices; an unsigned alarm crown; and an unsigned winding crown, it features a luminous, satin-black dial with a fully graduated chapter ring and a satin-silver outer ring; a rotating alarm indicator section; and a matching ‘syringe’ handset. Paired to a black carbon-motif leather strap with a stainless steel pin buckle, it comes with its inner and outer boxes.

Coupling superior vintage looks and a high grade in-house automatic movement (the Caliber 956), the Tribute to Deep Sea is a no-brainer for the lover of vintage-inspired modern pieces. 

Few watchmaking concerns are as storied as Jaeger-LeCoultre. Though the maison is not technically a member of the “Holy Trinity” of Patek Philippe, Audemars Piguet, and Vacheron Constantin, one could easily make the argument that it should be: After all, it was JLC that supplied movements to Patek from the beginning of the 20th century through the early 30s.

Founded in 1833 by Antoine LeCoutlre in Le Sentier, Switzerland, the firm became the Jaeger-LeCoultre we know today when it merged with Parisian watchmaker Edmond Jaeger’s business in 1937. The two horological concerns collaborated on numerous projects before cementing their partnership, the most important of which was no doubt the Reverso. A sport watch with a reversible case, this ingenious timepiece was designed to offer protection to the watch dial — when engaged in sport or otherwise dangerous activity, the wearer would simply flip the case over, exposing its back to the world, rather than the vulnerable crystal.

But the Reverso is far from the only significant timepiece brought to market by JLC: The firm also produced the world’s thinnest pocket watch in 1907, powered by the Caliber 145. In 1929, the maison released the Caliber 101, still today the smallest mechanical movement. (Queen Elizabeth II wore a Caliber 101-equipped wristwatch to her coronation in 1953.) And perhaps no other watchmaker is world-renowned for their production of a clock in the way that JLC is famous for the Atmos. Invented by Jean-Léon Reutter, it’s powered by miniscule changes in atmospheric pressure — Edmon Jaeger acquired the patent and licensed it beginning in 1936. The Atmos is still produced in numerous forms today, and remains the Swiss government’s foremost diplomatic gift.

From classic, near-centuries old designs like the Reverso and the Atmos to modern über-complications such as the brilliant Master Gyrotourbillon, Jaeger-LeCoultre remains on the cutting edge of horological technology nearly two centuries after its founding.

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