Most are no doubt familiar with Jaeger-LeCoultre via the famed Reverso. But that’s not La Grand Maison’s entire story.
The dynamic Swiss watchmaking powerhouse is responsible for myriad iconic designs, from — yes — reversible dress watches to alarm-equipped dive watches to complicated masterpieces such as the perpetual calendar that we have here. Indeed, the storied company has one of the most diverse offerings in fine watchmaking.
What make a perpetual calendar so special? Think of it this way: Imagine a watch that keeps track of not only the time, but also the date, the day of the week, and the month, tells you whether it’s a leap year or not, and what the current phase of the moon is. Oh, and one more thing — imagine it does all of this mechanically, using springs and gears, and that you only have to adjust it once every century or so. Crazy, right?
The particular example comes from Jaeger-LeCoultre's Master Control line. It features a 37mm rose gold case with a sapphire crystal, a polished bezel, a signed crown, and a lovely sunburst silver dial with applied 'dart' indices and a matching 'dauphine' handset. Displaying the day, date, month, and moonphase via dedicated subdials, it also features a central indicator that alerts the wearer when it is safe to adjust the calendar. Fitted to a signed, black alligator strap with a signed, rose gold deployant clasp, the Master Control Perpetual Calendar is powered by JLC's Calibre 889 automatic winding perpetual calendar movement.
This piece is not only an excellent example of the QP complication, but a comparatively affordable one, too, considering the quantieme perpetuelle’s place in the canon of high horology. Handsome and beautifully sized, this daily-wearable watch is a perfect addition to any collection that’s missing a contemporary, well designed, complicated piece from a major manufacture.