SpotlightThe New Masters: Jaeger-LeCoultre’s Master Control 2017 Timepieces

When it comes to fine watchmaking, there are luxury brands, and there are prestige brands. Jaeger-LeCoultre is among the latter. Known for their Grand Complication timepieces, they have mastered high-level complications such as tourbillons and minute repeaters, which many manufacturers only aspire to develop. They were even the first watchmakers to create a watch with three dials powered by a single movement, with their signature Reverso collection. While their mastery is exhibited at the Salon International De La Haute Horlogerie in Geneva every year, they also showcase brilliance in simpler watches, those that can be worn every day, but are also elegant enough to perfectly fit into a black-tie ensemble.

The Master Collection From Jaeger-LeCoultre

The Master collection is one of the brand’s signature lines. It’s a collection that focuses on the most relevant parts of the timepieces, and ‘clears away’ the elements that act more as accessories in the overall design. The clean lines and classic look of the Master timepieces allows anyone to identify them instantly. The collection rests on the strength of its three pillars – the Master Grand Tradition, the Master Ultra Thin and the Master Control. Each pillar has its own core strengths, and is innovative with complications that are in line with their individual purpose.

Master Grand Tradition: These watches pay tribute to the traditions of Swiss watchmaking, by continuing to innovate with the latest, most advanced complications that modern mechanical watchmaking can offer.

Master Ultra Thin: As the name suggests, the Ultra Thin timepieces strive to reduce the thickness of mechanical watch movements as thin as they get. Unlike society’s unhealthy obsession with being skinny, minimising watch movements that offer the best in timekeeping technology is actually inspiring.

Master Control: This pillar of the Master collection is all about indulging without restraint, allowing the superior design and the unobstructed inclusion of complications, big and small, to take prominence. The Master Control collection started out as the one that would undergo 1,000-hour control tests – a testing system that all Jaeger-LeCoultre timepieces go through today.

The three pillars may have clear focus in terms of which values of watchmaking they resolve to uphold, but they all present unified designs that exemplify ‘rounded forms and refined detail’. Together, they form one hefty collection for Jaeger-LeCoultre.

The Brand New Master Control

At the 2017 edition of the Salon International De La Haute Horlogerie, Jaeger-LeCoultre marked the 25th anniversary of the Master Control collection. The brand unveiled three new Master Control timepieces, which best represent the core values of the collection. Like any other Jaeger-LeCoultre, these too have undergone rigorous testing of their accuracy, performance, and durability for 1,000 hours each, in various positions.

The design of these pieces reflects vintage inspiration, realised in a way that they still look very contemporary. The most recognisable feature of these watches are the two-tone, silvered dials with their black, transferred numerals behind the sapphire crystal. The only hour marker numerals to appear on all three watches are 12 and 9. These hour markers rest on a black ring, with other hour indexes, on the inner part of the dial. All three cases, in stainless steel, are water resistant to 50m. With blue accents on the dial, a very sophisticated aspect of the design are the blued hands. While the seconds hand is shaped like a fencing sword, the hour and minute hands are ‘skeletonised’ or hollowed in the centre. All three watches come with deep blue leather straps.

Here’s a little something about the functions of these three new Master Control timepieces.

The Master Control Date: The most basic of the new Master Control timepieces, this one simply offers the indication of hours, minutes and seconds, through the central hands, and the date through an aperture at three o’clock.

Housed in the 39mm case is the automatic Jaeger-LeCoultre Calibre 899/1 movement, containing 219 parts, including 32 jewels, beating at 28,800 VPH, and offering a power reserve of 38 hours. The bezel of the Date is wider than those of the two other Master Control 2017 pieces.

The Master Control Chronograph: Larger than the other two watches, the Master Control Chronograph is in a 40mm case. The chronograph push-pieces flanking the crown control the central seconds hand and the 30-minue counter, seen on the dial at three o’clock. The sub-dial at nine o’clock is for the small seconds hand, while the edge all around the dial features a tachometer scale.

Also featuring an automatic mechanical movement, this one has the Jaeger-LeCoultre Calibre 751G. The 235 components of the movement comprise 37 jewels, 2 barrels, among others, and offer an impressive 65-hour power reserve.

The Master Control Geographic: The name makes it clear that this timepiece offers a display of an additional time zone, which you can select from the window at six o’clock, using the additional crown. The dial presents the disc of the time zone selection very aesthetically, without interfering much with the design. The sub-dial at six o’clock shows you the time in the second time zone selected by you.

Beating at the heart of the 39mm case of this watch is the Jaeger-LeCoultre Calibre 939B/1. Comprising 282 parts, including 34 jewels, this automatic mechanical movement offers a power reserve of 40 hours.

The new Jaeger-Le Coultre Master Control timepieces are available at Ethos Watch Boutiques, and all three come with a two-year warranty. Check them out here: Date, Chronograph, Geographic

Which Master would you choose? Do scroll down to comment.