Jaeger-LeCoultre

Only took 30 years to find one. Now I can enjoy it. If you can’t wear it, don’t buy it!

Best, Emmanuel

Yes, i like that.
But last Friday i had a safe queen the whole day in working conditions.
Sure, i looked if i did not bump.
I check if i do not bow the crown with my skin. I had the idea to put it on my right wrist.
Noticed that watches with a crown on the 12 hour position are ideal if you move a lot with arms. A left hand watch wil be okay. Crown under the case back will be a solution.
Screw down crowns are for sure a handy feature when you do not want bend a crown.

As the RM of cyclist Pogacar made a wound in his wrist, crown positions are serious to think about. A Omega Bullhead or Bovet Nineteen thirty wil do a good job.

What's the story behind this dial and the story behind the search?  

These were produced as prizes for first place winners. I cannot tell you how many individual winners (25?,75?) but the watch was not sold to the public. Calibre P478/C 37mm Steel Case.
I've seen 2 others in the last 20+ years. One was a redial, and heavily polished. The other was decent but had a rather odd patina around 6-9 which I think was a water issue.
This is the most honest example of the Three.

Ahh, are shooting competitions and biathlons hobbies of yours?  When I was a young Boy Scout, I won an award for rifling marksmanship.  I placed 5 bullets in a tight grouping that was covered by a small coin (about 1 cm in diameter coin, we call them "dimes" in USA) from a distance of 30 yards or 50 yards (I forgot which one).  Now, it's not false humility when I say I was lucky.  As I was never able to quite recreate such a tight grouping ever again.  Rifling is not really a hobby for me.  Last year, a friend of mine took me out for shotgun trapshooting - INDOOR trapshooting!  The first time I had ever done indoor trapshooting.  I didn't do very well unfortunately.  

and a 12 gauge sure isn’t the gun of choice at a shooting competition 😂

For me it’s about collecting unusual issues or to fill a timeline. That’s how I collect. On a timeline and not by brand per se

Very cool collecting philosophy! And congrats again on finding this very cool piece! Now... If only I was a better shooter - I would have treated myself to the AP Royal Oak Offshore Survivor! Maybe not, as my wrist is a little small for that watch.

What I like about the timeline approach to collecting is that it gives you more paths to curate and evolve your aesthetic. Brand collecting devolves into larger and larger monetary purchases and less and less room to change your aesthetic without scrapping everything

But I'm especially glad that you were able to find a watch that bridges two hobbies of yours. I scuba dive, but I don't own a true diving watch. Although I do own a Pilots watch and I am not a licensed airplane pilot.