Jaeger-LeCoultre Odysseus – the world's smallest chronograph

Text/Photo: Aleksandar Mladenovic

Earlier this year I came across a very odd chronograph signed Jaeger-LeCoultre which I bought from another happy enthusiast who also shares my love for odd birds. But it was not just an odd creation in a case of tantalum, in fact this was once upon a time something really revolutionary…

Introduction

There are some similarities between this odd Jaeger-LeCoultre from their Odysseus collection and the watch I wrote about a few months ago on the same theme, namely the IWC Romana Perpetual Calendar. Both watches are really the result of what both brands invested rock-hard in during the quartz crisis. IWC with Kurt Klaus at the forefront developed a perpetual calendar module in 1985 and Jaeger-LeCoultre introduced the world's smallest mechanical chronograph in 1988, but with a little twist… It is namely a so-called mecha-quartz chronograph.

Mecha-quartz is nothing we raise our eyebrows at today, masses of micro manufacturers make use of this type of movement in their chronographs to keep the cost down in manufacturing. Seiko's movement VK64 must be one of the most frequently used movements among this type of microbrands that make chronographs. Nothing wrong with that movement whatsoever, but as said nothing one raises one's eyebrows at today.

It was different in 1988 when Jaeger-LeCoultre launched their completely new Odysseus collection which contained a range of different models with different complications, everything from thin and manual "two-handers" to perpetual calendars. But from a technical perspective their Odysseus chronograph was probably the very most impressive.

The Odysseus collection contained the following models:

– A perpetual calendar

– A triple calendar with moon phase

– An automatic, ultra-thin with date

– A manual, ultra-thin without date

– A manual, ultra-thin with sub-second

– Chronograph with or without moon phase in gold or tantalum

The first watch from Jaeger-LeCoultre in tantalum

Before we burrow down further into the watch we need to talk a little about the material it is made of, namely tantalum. The Swede Anders Gustaf Ekeberg discovered this material in 1802 in a mine in the Stockholm archipelago. The material is exciting in itself and has a very high melting point and high corrosion resistance. It is almost as heavy as gold and a difficult material to work with but one that was a little "in" in the watch industry for a period where among others Audemars Piguet made a couple of different variants of the Royal Oak with tantalum involved. As demand for the material increased in other industries as well as problems with illegal extraction and the fact that it is a metal that is difficult to work, most manufacturers stopped getting involved with tantalum. I did think it was a bit fun though when Omega launched a Seamaster a year or so ago in a combination of tantalum and rose gold, just like on this Odysseus. I hope we get to see more watches made in tantalum in the future.

The case measures in at a tough 34,5mm – a size that was common during this time period and with a pleasant thickness of only 7,5mm. What characterised all the watches in the Odysseus collection was that contrasting details were used on among other things the case around the crystal ring in 18k rose gold (all the models in the collection had a case in 18k yellow gold except this version of the chronograph). The chronograph models also had a crown and pushers in rose gold.

In addition to the beautiful case, the dial is something that stands out with this model. At first glance both I and many others have thought that it is made of meteorite, which unfortunately is not the case. To quote Jaeger-LeCoultre's Heritage department, with whom I have had diligent email contact to learn more about the history around this interesting model, they described the dial like this: "the dial and its mineral grey tone are achieved thanks to fragmented slate, which is then polished and varnished." The indices are applied by hand and both they and the hands are made in rose gold. Instead of a tachymeter scale they chose the doctors' favourite, the pulsometer scale.

As far as I know there are two different versions of this "meteorite" dial for the model, one with silvery sub-dials like the example in the pictures as well as a version with dark blue sub-dials. The Odysseus Chronograph was available to buy both with and without moon phase and in a smaller size of 30mm for the ladies. These models had a cream-coloured dial with cases in yellow gold.

A revolutionary movement

But it was neither the design nor the material that was the biggest talking point regarding this model at the introduction at the Basel fair is 1988, rather it was mostly about what was hiding under the watch's caseback.

Jaeger-LeCoultre's movement calibre 630 was the first mechanical chronograph movement with a diameter of under 24mm (23,2mm to be exact) and which measured only 3,7mm in thickness. The movement's volume amounted to only a third of a normal, mechanical, chronograph movement and was 40% smaller than a comparable quartz chronograph movement.

A very successful combination, and probably the best of two worlds, where a movement that for the most part consists of mechanical components (233 of them) has been combined with the precision that a battery-driven movement brings. From first concept to finished product it took 3 years for the skilled watchmakers in Vallée de Joux to develop this impressive movement.

The model in tantalum was limited to a number Jaeger-LeCoultre asked me not to go public with but the short production time of only 3 years hints that the collection perhaps did not become the success they had hoped for. Apart from the correspondence I have had directly with Jaeger-LeCoultre there is not much information about these watches to read about, so see this article as a little introduction to the collection.

The Odysseus collection contains quite a few interesting models and for those who have a fondness for slightly unusual watches I want to make a pitch for this model series, which contains quite a few interesting models with high finish and pleasant design, that can still be sniffed out for reasonable prices.

Technical specifications

Brand: Jaeger-LeCoultre
Model: Odysseus Chronograph
Reference number: 165.9.30

Diameter: 34,5mm
Thickness: 7,5mm
Case material: Tantalum & 18k rose gold
Water resistance: 30m

Dial: Meteorite effect
Bracelet: Leather strap
Buckle: 18k rose gold

Movement: JLC cal. 630
Complications: chronograph, moon phase, date
Winding: Quartz with mechanical chronograph

Price: Market price aroudn 50,000 kronor depending on condition and accessories