Magnetic attraction Jaeger-LeCoultre

On November 22 last year, three mountaineers reached the summit of a 6,589-metre virgin peak in the Himalayas. Among the mountaineering gear and safety equipment used for the expedition were three timepieces designed to weather the most challenging conditions - the 1958 Geophysic chronometer, the Master Compressor Extreme Lab and the newly-launched Master Compressor Extreme Lab 2 Tribute to Geophysic.

The three mountaineers - Swiss climber Stephane Schaeffer, 19-time Everest climber Apa Sherpa and Pakistani Sherpa Little Karim - christened the mountain 'Antoine LeCoultre's Peak' in honour of the Jaeger-LeCoultre timepieces that had accompanied them on their expedition.

The third timepiece wasn't revealed until the SIHH fair in January this year, during which Jaeger-LeCoultre unveiled the Master Compressor Extreme Lab 2 Tribute to Geophysic to the public. The mechanical chronograph with GMT function was developed to withstand extreme conditions. With more than 500 parts in its movement, the complex chronograph was designed to resist external shocks while also providing the wearer with helpful and user-friendly functions.

As the first multifunction watch with anti-magnetic protection, the Extreme Lab 2 uses a silicone escapement and a special alloy for the parts close to the escapement to shield the movement from external magnetic fields.

The result is a watch that can withstand a magnetic force of up to 240 Gauss, four times higher than the ISO Norm 9010 that defines an anti-magnetic watch as one that can withstand a field of 60 Gauss.

For protection against physical influences, the movement is housed in a case made with TiVan15, an alloy made of titanium and Vanadium that provides 15 per cent more resistance to tension, torsion and scratches compared to the usual titanium alloy.

The watch takes into account the need for quick adjustments when on the move. The ceramic crown comes with an integrated push button that allows for easy switching between winding, time setting as well as date and second time zone adjustment.

The chronograph functions consist of a central seconds hand, a digital jumping minutes counter at 12 o'clock and a 24-hour dial at nine o'clock.

Additional features include a second time zone at six o'clock, a date window at three o'clock and a 180o 60-hour power reserve indicator, which appears to fill up with red as the power reserve approaches zero.