Geophysics, the study of the Earth’s physical properties, was at its peak in 1958 which has gone down in history as the “International Geophysical Year” (IGY). At the time, scientific research carried out by several nations was supported by Jaeger-LeCoultre namely through its Geophysic® chronometer: an accurate, reliable, and anti-magnetic timepiece. The 2014 model comes in a steel or rose gold 38.5mm case housing a self-winding 898/1 calibre made in the Vallée de Joux. On the subtly sandy white dial there’s a slim black minute track and 8 hour indices separated by the figures 3, 6, 9 and 12. The indices are rhodium-plated on the steel model and gold-plated on the rose gold model. Two sword-shaped hands coated in luminescent material point to the hours and minutes whilst a long central second hand counts down the seconds. Price: 8’400 CHF (steel) – 18’400 CHF (rose gold)