Jaeger-LeCoultre's astonishing return to top form with the masterful and controlled 2020 collection
Looking at the new watches Jaeger-LeCoultre released for W&W 2020, my overriding impression was that the brand is calmly focusing on what it does really well: refined, technically rigorous and beautifully executed watchmaking that won’t stop the traffic from 100 paces (no look-at-me gimmicks here) but will invite us to pause, look more closely and appreciate the lasting value. In these strange times, it may be just what we need. So, this year La Grande Maison has brought us new versions of two of its great classics – one a complete redesign and the other a colour variation – and one stunning high-complication piece. Master Control 2020 While many houses have chosen to introduce additions to existing collections and variations of existing models, Jaeger-LeCoultre has been bolder, re-launching an entire collection – with four new models to kick things off. In the 28 years since the Master Control line first saw the light of day, it has stood for technical expertise combined with restrained styling. That hasn’t changed. But with the re-launch we’re seeing a total redesign, a raft of technical upgrades to some of the Maison’s most emblematic complications, a completely new movement and a new complication. Aesthetically, the new…
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It was a Friday afternoon last November when I met Jan Edöcs, the CEO of Doxa S.A. He was here for the launch of the brand in Australia, and not only brought the full collection of watches from 2019, but he was also generous enough to share what they had in store for 2020, including early renders of the DOXA SUB 300 Carbon Aqua Lung US Divers, which as of now is available to pre-order here. ** Rumours are circulating that this watch is already sold out – for now, we can say that an Australian allocation remains for launch at midday AEST, though this will be updated once it is gone. Click on this text for updated sales information. ** While it’s always hard to get a true sense of a watch from renders, this one was different. It was carbon. It bore a striking yellow and black colour scheme. It was aggressively priced. And it had a certain logo on the dial. My instincts were overwhelmingly that it was a winner. From a brand whose core identity is based on the strength of their designs from the 1960s, this watch was a bold statement about DOXA’s 21st century…
The thing about understated magnificence is that, at first glance, it’s often overlooked. And then it happens. The “why-Miss-Jones-without-your-glasses-you’re-beautiful” moment. Suddenly noticed, the full force of its charm slaps you sharply in the face, to leave you genuflecting with slack-jawed wonder and a slightly goofy smile. This is how I feel about the just-released Jaeger‑LeCoultre Master Control Calendar. Not that there’s some drudge-to-goddess transformation going on here. The appeal of this watch is hiding in plain sight (except for one very cool once-a-month party trick, about which, more later). JLC introduced its Master Control collection in 1992, naming them after the fact that they were the first to undergo the brand’s ‘1000 Hours Control’ certification. Essentially, this is like an SAS bootcamp for watches – a merciless system of internal tests that includes chronometric testing, fall resistance, climatic hazard resistance, waterproofing and accelerated aging. Every aspect of the movement, from power reserve to waterproofing, is tested, both before and after casing the watch. In comparison, it makes COSC certification seem almost recklessly negligent. This is a serious watch in other words, a point worth stressing because it wears its technical credibility lightly. At 40mm, the silvery-grey dial lifted with a…
The Swatch Sistem51 collection centres its value proposition around two things the rest of the Swiss watch industry finds very much at odds — technical innovation and affordability. With the new Swatch Sistem51 Petite Seconde, we get both of those things in a classically dressed-up package, with the centre seconds of previous models moved to a sub-dial at six. After gaining global recognition as the Swiss answer to the quartz era, Swatch were limited by their own success for a period, as they only produced quartz-powered watches that were incredibly varied in style and relatively disposable in nature. This changed at Baselworld in 2013 when Swatch announced their Sistem51 technology, which made claims at being the first-ever mechanical watch that was totally machine made. The mechanical movement housed only 51 parts in total, boasted 90 hours of power reserve, and was built entirely in Switzerland by a series of machines along a conveyor belt. Despite the lack of human touch, the Sistem51 was also remarkably accurate, ticking along at an impressive +/- 7 seconds per day. Impressive because these watches are not regulated for accuracy by watchmakers, and are actually hermetically sealed, which has the benefit of keeping dust and moisture…