Jaermann & Stübi St Andrews Links Stroke Play 1759 Limited Edition
Jaermann & Stübi celebrate 250 years of stroke play with the limited edition “St Andrews Links Stroke Play 1759”. As the maker of the first mechanical watch that counts the strokes during the game, adds up the total score and compares it with the handicap, Jaermann & Stübi are celebrating 250 years of stroke play with the limited edition “St Andrews Links Stroke Play 1759”.
Only 72 of these fine timepieces have been made in elegant British racing green, which distinguishes them from other St Andrews Links models. Part of the sale revenues will be used for the care and maintenance of the 600-year old St Andrews Links golf course.
Stroke play is first mentioned in records dating from 1759 in St Andrews, the Home of Golf, as the world’s first golf tournament of this type was held there. Prior to that, golf around the world was a match play game, a manner of play which remained dominant in the 18th and 19th centuries as well. In match play, the hole is played regardless of the number of strokes a player requires. The one with the fewest strokes wins the hole. Stroke play, the usual form of today’s game, is decided by the total number of strokes after 18 holes. The ideal game is 72 strokes or less.
The “St Andrews Links Stroke Play 1759” features the patented JS02 golf counter complication, the A10 automatic movement and a shock absorber. The case is made of high quality stainless steel and is waterproof up to 100 meters. The back is engraved with the St Andrews Links coat of arms, and each watch is individually numbered. The Louisiana alligator leather strap has a continuously adjustable folding buckle and is lined with moisture absorbent material.
It is not known when golf was first played on the Links of St Andrews. The oldest written record is a license from 1552, which permits the community to “raise hares, play golf and football, shoot and engage in other leisure activities” in the dunes.
However, there are some indications that suggest a golf game at St Andrews prior to 1552. There was, for example, the golf ban of 1457, which extended to all of Scotland. The first Scottish university, St Andrews, was also founded in 1413; golf was always a popular game at the universities.
Eight years after the first stroke play tournament, James Durham scored 94 on the course, which remained the record there for the next 86 years. The first score below 80 was one of 79 achieved by Allan Robertson in 1858. The Old Course originally consisted of 12 holes of which 10 were played twice, so a round of golf had 22 holes altogether. The direction of play was “out” along the coast and “in” (back) toward the clubhouse. In 1764, the first four holes (which were also the last four) were consolidated to two, because they were deemed too short. Thus, by chance the standard of 18 holes per round was established, which persists to this day. The sophisticated golf watch from Jaermann & Stübi also always shows the hole one is currently playing, whether it be “out” or “in”.
Price
CHF 9,900 / EUR 7,360
