Jaeger Lecoultre Master Control Alternatives

By Author: The Best Affordable and Homage Watches
Total Articles: 2
Comment this article

JLC, as it's known, is a Swiss watch brand with a history stretching back to mid-1800s. It's now a subsidiary of Richemont - the owner of Panerai, Baume and Mercier, Cartier, IWC and others.
With nearly 200 years of trading, it is unsurprising that the company has a string of patents, innovations, and in that time has launched over a thousand movements. From the beginning, founder Antoine LeCoultre, was at the cutting edge of watchmaking. Having excelled at watchmaking - winning the gold medal at London's Universal Exhibition - he then set up one of the world's first watchmaking factories. By the early 1900s they had produced hundreds of calibres and were supplying movements to Patek Phillipe, Cartier and others.
The brand is celebrated for a number of popular models. These include the rectangle Reverso, a watch that can be turned around to protect the dial, and the Atmos clock - a near-perpetual timepiece.

Central to the Master collection is simplicity of design, a round watch case and an extreme focus on precision. The name for the collection comes from their '1000 hour test'. This involves a series ...
... of tests, of both movements and finished cheap replica watches, to guarantee the quality and precision.
My favourite from the range - the Master Control Date - is the epitome of these tenets.
When first released in 1992, the Master Control Date was designed to represent classic watchmaking. Hence the paired down style, slim profile and hidden technology. It's not obvious that the watch has passed the 1000 hour test - the design is understated and without excessive text on the dial.
The current model has a round 40mm case with neat lugs. The silver dial is restrained and has numbers at 12, 6 and 3. There are a small date window and silver dauphine hands. The blue second hand adds a small touch of flair. It's a slim watch with a thickness of under 9mm, achieved through the use of their own thin calibre 899 automatic movement.
A watch like this may be out of reach of many watch fans. The question then becomes - are there more affordable alternatives? Other classic dress watches with a similar style and size? Below are my suggestions for possible alternatives - each a good watch in its own right and good value for money.

When I was after a homage JLC watch, I picked up a Sea-Gull M177S. It is a beautiful watch from China's biggest watch manufacturer (more about the Chinese watch industry here).
That model was discontinued a few years ago and this current model is its updated and upgraded replacement. Just a cursory glance makes it clear that this watch was inspired by the JLC. It's the only watch on this list that can really be described as a homage.
At 39mm it's near enough the same size as the Master Control, but as expected it's slightly thicker. One of the JLC's selling points after all is the thinness of the watch https://www.frankgohlke.com - due partly to the very slim movement. The Sea-Gull doesn't have that movement, but it is powered by an in-house calibre.
My M177S had a mineral crystal, but this newer model has improved on that and uses a sapphire crystal. If you want a look-a-like, then of all the watches on the list, this is probably the place to start.