Jaeger-LeCoultre Master Control

Perhaps the best way to describe the exquisite watches in the Jaeger-LeCoultre Master Control collection is: elegant, precise, and timeless. The Swiss luxury watch manufacturer first introduced this model in 1992 and had an immediate hit on their hands.

Updated in 2020, the current collection contains six models: the Master Control Date, Master Control Chronograph Calendar, Master Control Geographic, Master Control Memovox, Master Control Memovox Timer, and Master Control Calendar. Each timepiece measures 40 mm in diameter. The Master Control Calendar, Chronograph Calendar, and Geographic are available in your choice of stainless steel or rose gold. Jaeger-LeCoultre only produces the Date and Memovox editions in stainless steel. The Master Control Chronograph Calendar is a particularly classic and elegant timepiece, and the rose gold edition is one of the collection's highlights.

Based in Switzerland's Vallée de Joux, this manufacturer has been a leader in making watches with chiming mechanisms since the introduction of the Memovox in the early 1950s. The Master Control Memovox and Memovox Timer are the latest models to carry on this tradition. The latter is limited to a run of 250 and was initially only available in Jaeger-LeCoultre boutiques.

It's also worth noting that the Master Control was the first wristwatch to undergo the then-new in-house testing process in 1992. Unlike conventional chronometer tests done by COSC, Jaeger-LeCoultre tests not only the movement and its precision but also the watch as a whole.

Every timepiece has to pass the so-called "1,000-Hour Test" that checks the watch's precision, resistance to 5 bar of atmospheric pressure, shock resistance, and magnetic resistance. This process guarantees optimal functionality and exceptional quality.

The Master Control Date is the collection's entry-level model and costs around 6,600 USD in mint condition. If you like the practicality of an alarm function, you should take a closer look at the Master Control Memovox, which demands roughly 10,500 USD. You can purchase a Master Control Geographic in stainless steel for about 12,000 USD. The collection's top model, the rose gold Master Control Chronograph Calendar, requires an investment of approximately 25,500 USD.

If you're a fan of modest dress watches and have always wanted to call a JLC your own, the Jaeger-LeCoultre Master Control Date might be the right watch for you. Thanks to its simple design, the timepiece goes with almost any look. The current version has a 40-mm stainless steel case. Tapered dauphine hands, matching indices, and Arabic numerals at 6, 9, and 12 o'clock add an especially elegant touch. A date display at 3 o'clock completes the silver dial.

The updated model from 2020 (ref. 4018420) features the automatic in-house caliber 899AC with a 70-hour power reserve. JLC developed this movement specifically for this watch. It boasts a silicon escapement, a new barrel, and improved lubrication between the moving components. Like all Master Control models, you can view this beautifully refined movement though the sapphire display case back. The Master Control Date comes on a brown leather strap and costs around 6,600 USD on Chrono24.

Jaeger-LeCoultre introduced the Memovox at the Basel Watch Fair in the early 1950s. The name of this early automatic watch with an alarm function roughly translates to "the voice of memory." However, the Memovox has so much more to offer than just an alarm function to wake you up in the morning: It also discreetly vibrates to remind you of appointments. Its vibrations become more audible when you set the watch down on a table or any other resonating body. A small hammer inside the watch is responsible for sounding the alarm.

A defining feature of the Jaeger-LeCoultre Memovox is the presence of two crowns on the right side of the case at 2 and 4 o'clock. You can use the upper crown to wind the alarm's spring, as well as set the date and desired alarm time. The other crown winds the movement and sets the time. The watch gets its power from the caliber 956, a movement with a rotor that automatically winds the mainspring using the wearer's movement. Once fully wound, the caliber will run for 45 hours.

The Memovox ref. 4118420 comes in stainless steel. Like every Master Control watch produced since 2020, its case measures 40 mm in diameter. Prices for this model sit around 10,500 USD.

Master Control Memovox Timer: A Limited Edition

Jaeger-LeCoultre has limited the Master Control Memovox Timer to a production run of 250 pieces. Beyond its classic alarm function, this watch boasts a timer that lets you know how much time is left before the alarm goes off. The display for this function sits in the center of the dial. Of course, you can also use the alarm independently of the timer complication. Be sure to have about 23,500 USD to purchase this rare timepiece.

As of 2020, Jaeger-LeCoultre also offers the Master Control with a triple calendar and moon phase display. You can choose between a stainless steel (ref. 4148420) or rose gold (ref. 4142520) case. Both versions have a silver dial; however, while the stainless steel version uses silver indices and hands, the rose gold edition features rose gold hands and indices.

The day and month displays sit below the brand inscription between 10 and 2 o'clock. A dual moon phase and small seconds display is located at 6 o'clock. An additional central hand points to the day around the dial's outer edge. All of this functionality comes from the automatic in-house caliber 866 with a 70-hour power reserve. A brown leather strap completes the look.

The stainless steel version changes hands for roughly 11,000 USD. The same watch in rose gold requires an investment of some 22,000 USD.

Chronograph fans will find what they're looking for in the Master Control Collection. Like the Master Control Calendar, the chronograph edition also has a triple calendar with a moon phase. Jaeger-LeCoultre offers this model in stainless steel (ref. 4138420) or rose gold (ref. 4132520) and outfits both versions with a silver dial.

The day and month sit below 12 o'clock, while the pointer date shares its position at 6 o'clock with the moon phase. A pulsometer scale runs around the outside of the dial. You can use this scale with the assistance of the central chronograph seconds hand. The chronograph counters occupy subdials at 3 and 9 o'clock. Inside the case, you'll find the automatic in-house caliber 759 with a column wheel and 65-hour power reserve.

You can purchase a Master Control Chronograph Calendar for around 15,000 USD in stainless steel and 25,500 USD in rose gold.

Business people often have to keep an eye on the time in various parts of the world – after all, you wouldn't want to wake up an important business partner with a phone call in the middle of the night. If you want to know the current time in any of the full-hour time zones, the 24-time zone Master Control Geographic is the perfect Jaeger-LeCoultre timepiece for you. Using the second crown at 10 o'clock, you can set the time for the second display. A display window at the bottom of the dial works together with a small arrow to indicate the second time zone you've chosen. The second time appears on a subdial above 6 o'clock.

Another subdial at 2 o'clock shows the date, which is easily adjusted thanks to the practical quick-set date function. You can change the date using an integrated push-piece at 2 o'clock. All you need is a thin object to press the push-piece and activate the function. A retrograde power reserve (or "réserve de marche") indicator sits on the other side of the dial. Fully wound, the in-house caliber 939AA has a power reserve of 70 hours. The Master Control Geographic is currently available in stainless steel (ref. 4128420) or rose gold (ref. 4122520).

A mint-condition stainless steel model costs about 13,000 USD on Chrono24. The rose gold Geographic demands just over 22,000 USD.