Jaeger-LeCoultre is a brand that is not afraid to embrace its history. Like the Roman god Janus, the manufacture from Le Sentier has one eye on its rich past, and one fixed resolutely on the future. In an environment in which watch manufactures try to keep pace with ever-changing technology, JLC is not afraid to resurrect an old design from its archives and bring it to new life.

Starting in 2011, the manufacture released a series of vintage-inspired pieces. Called “tributes,” these watches were cast in the mold of the originals—a Reverso made with the same proportions as the first Reverso released in 1931, and two watches based on wrist alarms that are as rare and elusive as the Giant Squid. Alongside these, JLC released a chronograph that was eerily similar to a design from the 1960s.

Though not explicitly based upon any particular piece, the look of the Deep Sea Chronograph is undoubtedly inspired by the watch from which it takes its name.

As JLC’s first dive watch, the Deep Sea Alarm adapted the Memovox wrist alarm to more aquatic purposes. Rated to a depth of 200 meters, the Deep Sea Alarm was the first alarm watch meant to be worn underwater. Since only 950 pieces were produced in its two-year run, existing examples are very hard to find.

Which made it ripe for a rebirth in 2011 as the Tribute to Deep Sea. Though released in a limited run, like its predecessor, the Tribute to Deep Sea remains a perennial favorite among lovers of neo-vintage or vintage-inspired pieces. Though slightly larger than its predecessor, the Deep Sea Alarm maintains the look and feel of the original without being an exact replica.

Its sharp, clean looks, both vintage and modern at once, lent themselves very well to new life as a chronograph—this watch, the Deep Sea Chronograph.

Like anything made by JLC, it has an air of refinement about it, making it at home in both dressed-down or dressed-up environments. This fact is brought home by the presence of a braided calfskin strap rather than the rubber typical of dive watches. However, with its strict adherence to the standards for dive watches set by ISO 6425, it’s every bit the diving chronograph, water-resistant even without the screw-down pushers that Rolex uses for the Daytona.

Aesthetically-speaking, it’s a study in texture, the matte finish of the dial contrasting expertly with the sleek black bezel. The leather strap softens its appearance, and the SuperLuminova on the hour markers and hands really pop in low light. As lovers of vintage watches, the Deep Sea Chronograph is everything we’ve come to know and love about JLC.