LECOULTRE, MASTER MARINER, Automatic, Master Mariner, Deep Sea, aka the Barracuda, Ref. E558, movement no. 2036966, case no. 1191203, circa 1969 A very fine and very attractive, rare, water-resistant, cushion-shaped, automatic, stainless steel diver’s wristwatch with matte black dial, luminous hands, sweep center seconds, instantaneous date, inside turning bezel. Fitted with a caliber K883, rhodium-plated, mechanical, self-winding, 17 jewels, straight line lever escapement, monometallic balance, shock absorbers, antimagnetic with direct center second, screwed case back, organic glass, hatched crowns. Dial, case and movement signed. Dim. 36 x 37 mm. Thickness 11.70 mm. Destined for the American market, the current LeCoultre Master Mariner is also known as the Barracuda. According to literature, this model was produced from 1967 to 1974 in a very short series of just 1,532 pieces. Under Ref. E558, the model is a professional diving wristwatch, water-resistant to 400 feet, with an inner rotating bezel for decompression time. Thanks to its patented Super Compressor case, the model is water-resistant to 200 meters. The inner rotating bezel displays decompression time, an useful function for divers. The similar model, signed Jaeger-LeCoultre, for the European market (Patrimoine Jaeger-LeCoultre, inv 352) is described and illustrated in One, Yearbook 2008, by JLC, pages 70 & 71.