About
Welcome back for Part Two of our review double header! We’re back after a slew of podcasting to review another dress watch. As I mentioned in my last article, we will continue to expand into arenas that are not traditional CSH (i.e. romanticizing tool watches way too hard). Today’s watch drop is a fun next step in that mission.
You have probably heard of Jaeger-LeCoultre, also colloquially known as the “watchmaker’s watchmaker.” This nickname is tied to their history; for many decades, JLC has supplied movements to all sorts of watch companies. Do you know what the horological definition of walking softly while carrying a big stick is? It is equipping the original A.P. Royal Oak 5402ST, Patek Philippe’s Nautilus 3700/1A and Vacheron Constantin’s 222 with your own movement. When the Holy Trinity came calling, there was only one Maison they looked to for help.
While the respect is there among watch nerds, the cruel truth remains that JLC doesn’t get enough love; you just don’t hear the brand come up in conversation enough regardless of context. It might be because the Submariner and Seamaster are Bikini Bottom bullies to the Polaris, or it might be because JLC’s unwavering focus on dress watches has been to its P.R. detriment. Both theories probably have a kernel of truth in them.
I can’t adjust either of those opinions in the collective consciousness of the watch world, but I can give love via the written word. Once again we turn to friend and reader Kramer, who recently lent us his AnOrdain Model 3 “Method” for review. This time, we have another one of his dressy darlings on hand for the internet’s intimate perusal: Jaeger-LeCoultre’s Master Ultra Thin Moon. Second place for moon-adjacent watches but not second place in our hearts (move aside, Speedmaster), the Moon is an extraordinarily thin master class that showcases the brilliance of JLC’s watch making.
To The Moon(phase)
Jaeger-LeCoultre first introduced the Master Ultra Thin (“MUT” for short) range in 1993. Short hand from JLC’s own website, they describe the MUT collection as epitomizing the company’s focus on “uniting timeless design with technical excellence.” This watch group is what I would call the front page inheritor of JLC’s legacy in creating extraordinarily thin calibers.
The Moon landed several decades after collection launch in 2012. It isn’t the most basic watch in the collection nor the most expensive; those superlatives respectively belong to the Date at $9,550 USD and Tourbillon Moon (one of several models ominously marked as price upon request). It is the poster child of an overall handsome and technically impressive group, though, and I speculate that JLC’s collection page marketing centers around the Moon because it does a great job of emphasizing those attributes.
For our mutual edification on the Moon’s calling card, a moon phase watch does exactly as advertised: track the phases of the 29.5-day lunar cycle. The discs fully rotate once per cycle, showing you the four main phases (there are eight total) of new moon, first quarter, full moon and last quarter. Most moon phase watches have buttons on the left hand side of the case to set the complication; in this case, the Moon does have a micro-pusher at eight o’clock for moving the disc forward one day at a time, while the opposite right hand micro-pusher controls the radial date around the moon phase aperture. Theoretically, you can use a moon phase to predict the tides or plant crops. Realistically, you can stare at it while downing an Old Fashioned.
I know what you’re thinking: a watch that tracks the phases of the moon is superfluous at best and asinine at worst. I can’t argue against it because I have never once thought I should own a watch to track the current lunar cycle, critical and essential as that task may be. Such an assessment is logical right up until we remember that mechanical watches have been obsolete for decades. There’s no logic baked into the hobby of loving watches. Moon phases are beautiful, very silly, and entirely rad. It is a shame that we don’t get to see more than 50% of the Moon’s miniaturized night sky at any given time; the artistry that JLC has packed into such a cosmically small amount of space is commendable.
The Moon is the most gorgeous, well-finished regular production dress watch I have ever handled. The indices are razor sharp and there is real synergy in how their shape compliments the Moon’s dauphine hands (all of which I believe are rhodium plated). I’m a fan of the dial text being limited to “JLC,” “Automatique” and “Swiss Made;” too many brands load up on unnecessary, poorly placed jargon. The Moon comes in three sapphire crystal protected options, the other two being silver and black. After photographing the blue sunray-brushed finish of this watch, it has quickly become my favorite.
The 39mm Moon lives true to the Ultra Thin credo, measuring in at an obnoxiously slim 9.3mm. This absolute measurement aside, I don’t think you can really appreciate it until you go down a layer to the automatic Caliber 925AA within. This movement is 4.9mm thick in total. That’s right, 4.9mm. JLC managed to package a rotor plus 245 other parts powering a date complication, moon phase and a 70-hour power reserve into real estate less than 5mm tall. It is a treat that we get to see this caliber’s beveling, perlage, Geneva striping and skeletonized gold rotor all through the display caseback.
JLC advertises the Caliber 925AA and its variable inertia balance wheel as packing accuracy beyond COSC at -4/+6 s/d, even if they don’t advertise the exact specifications. That is because the company subjects every movement to “1,000 Hour Control” testing, which checks for durability during motion and at different angles, a correct power reserve, temperature variability and water resistance over a six week period. Indeed, JLC is so confident in their own work that they don’t even bother to sell chronometer certified watches. Talk about being smug (and being totally validated in said smugness).
Befitting its elegance and lack of utilitarian concessions, the Moon has no lume on the dial and its case exhibits a uniform mirror-like polish throughout (making door jams a lethal adversary). Water resistance is 5 bar or 50 meters; I don’t recommend taking this watch anywhere moisture-friendly except the restroom of your favorite ritzy dinner spot. Rest assured that its thinness and 46mm lug-to-lug wingspan almost guarantee a comfortable experience; on my 6.25-inch wrist, I found the Moon perfectly invisible yet entirely unforgettable.
When you handle a watch as aesthetically pleasing as the Moon, it can be hard to fathom JLC’s lack of popularity. The company’s biggest problem stems from the fact that JLC’s particular brand of je ne sais quoi does not translate to their Polaris sports watches in the same way that it does to their dress watches. Anecdotal internet scraping indicates that the general public has a problem with aggressive case diameters and thin bezels making the watches wear large. There are also more than a few reports on the Polaris lineup feeling too dressy to be proper sport watches. I hope to eventually see them in the metal and confirm or debunk these theories.
To expand on JLC’s intangibles for the double-edged sword that they are: it’s a tough sled being focused on dress watches in a sport watch-dominated climate. It is even tougher when the Moon, a JLC offering everyone should want on their wrist, costs a stunning $11,900 USD. The battle is both financial and cultural, and it isn’t hard to see why such a combination has not been conducive to making JLC a household name. I don’t think it is damning as much as it is factual to state that the Moon is not a “one watch collection” watch; most buyers of the Moon are already in deep and down bad.
Putting aside the fact that the Moon’s MSRP could very well represent the balance of a house down payment for most people, I’m going to go out on a limb and say that $11,900 USD is a fair price tag for watchmaking excellence of this caliber. JLC’s technical investment in the Master Ultra Thin series is significant, and the Moon shows it off in stunning fashion. Considering this watch can be had for cheaper on the grey market, there is every bit of potential for you as a buyer to come away with a steal. When I think of dressy alternatives, the only question that pops up is whether I simply want a different JLC staple in the Reverso instead. Kudos to Le Sentier for brainwashing me into believing their only competition is internal.
Does JLC care about their biggest strength being dress watches? The possibility of corporate emotional turbulence is minimal. Jaeger-LeCoultre is a Richemont Group brand. The same cartel capital that backs JLC also supports A. Lange & Sohne, Piaget, Cartier, IWC and Tag Heuer among many others. It isn’t to say that JLC can’t keep the lights on through the fruits of its own labors, but having a sporty big box brand like Heuer in the mix certainly can’t hurt. As enthusiasts, we should count our lucky stars that, regardless of how it is paved, JLC has the runway to continue doing what they do best: producing classically elegant timepieces like the Master Ultra Thin Moon.
Technical Information:
- Case Material: Stainless steel
- Crystal: Sapphire
- Movement: Jaeger-LeCoultre Caliber 925AA (automatic, moon phase with date)
- Power Reserve: 70 hours
- Caseback: Display
- Water Resistance: 50 meters
- Case Diameter: 39mm
- Lug-to-Lug: 46mm
- Lug Width: 21mm
- Thickness: 9.3mm
- Pricing: $11,900 USD
Leave a Reply