Vintage
JJ26 grapples with the dilemma of potentially selling his cherished Jaeger-LeCoultre Geomatic E399/1 K883S, a piece he describes with profound admiration yet admits to underwearing. His heartfelt plea to the community for reasons to keep this rare 1968 chronometer sparks a robust discussion on emotional attachment, practicality, and the enduring value of vintage timepieces.
For me this watch is the undisputed, most beautiful piece ever designed & put into production. It is stunning, truly magical in my eyes. Kudos to JLC for designing this piece & giving it such a stellar hacking movement. The sunburst dial is to die for, the lugs are sensual, the hands are perfect & even the date window brings a smile to my face. The gold medallion on the back is the icing on the cake. Many times I have caught myself just running my fingers over the medallion, chuckling & smiling to myself like a man who has Emmanuelle Beart (pre weirdo surgery) in his arms. Yes, the JLC Geomatic is that special to me.
Here's the thing though. I don't wear it as much as I should. It waits in my safe patiently for me. It gets worn on special occasions only & that is a waste. It deserves more, much more.. Whilst I love this piece to bits, I can only see $$ signs in my eyes at the moment & that's where I need your help.
Please, please, please talk me out of doing something that I will regret. Tell me I am mad & I am making a mistake. I need to listen to your opinions.
There are other watches that I have to own & I need to free up some space, plus cash to do so. Right now letting the Geomatic go seems sensible, but in a couple of weeks..? months..? Who knows..? Perhaps hours, I will surely begin to regret it & be very distraught!
Furthermore this Geomatic is the E399/1 K883S from 1968. So I pretty much imagine that it would be very hard to find one again in such beautiful condition considering there were only 300pcs made?
I look forward to reading your opinions..
Cheers, J.
You don't really need convincing do you? Best, Martin
Anything else in your collection that you could let go of first?
..regarding this watch. I don\'t really want to sell, but I don\'t give it much wrist time. I think it may be due to its size, my current sweet spot is 38mm to 40mm, however I do own a 43mm too. So it maybe too small? However in a few months I will probably want to wear a 36mm again! There is my indecisiveness for you.. I have no hope! Cheers, J.
As you may we\'ll regret it sooner rather than later.
Possible, but tough. I had one in even better condition, which I let go, some 6 years ago, and I still regret it. The Geomatic is not a spectacular watch, it is not aiming to be spectacular, it lives under the shadow of the Geophysic, Deep Sea Alarm, Polaris and so on, but it is a great watch, and one of the rare JLC Chronometers. To answer your question, but you already got it, I wouldn't sell it. You will regret it, deeply. Best, Nicolas
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