Quick Look: Jaeger-LeCoultre Master Control Date

One of the most underrated watch in the current Jaeger-LeCoultre range is also one of its finest in my humble opinion. It is the basic Master Control Date, powered by the Caliber 899 movement. This is the entry level piece to the Master range and it is also the entry level piece to the Men's automatic range for Jaeger-LeCoultre. Competitively priced at $8,400. So competitive in fact that these pieces are quietly flying out the doors. A quick ring-around the AD network in Australia uncovers a not-surprising fact: the watch is back ordered and there is a waiting list! This is usually reserved for over-hyped sought after limited editions in other brands but something quite unheard of in a core range product. You know they have a winner on their hands when this is the sort of problem they have. I would've added my name to the waiting list had I the money to spend on such a classic.

I won't bang on about the movement. There are enough information on the interwebs about it. Suffice to say that it is a tough and reliable workhorse and it is the movement upon which many complication modules are built. This movement is also one of the thinnest around at only 3.3mm high, contributing to a svelte watch with a total case height of 8.5mm, and a very versatile 39mm diameter.

The watch is elegant in its simplicity. Everything you need to tell the time and date and nothing else. No superfluous writing on the dial. No, not even "automatic". The see through case back shows the finely decorated movement. It's not to the level of say, a Patek movement, but you're also looking at a price point that is two-thirds lower. It is however, miles ahead of other similarly priced watches. The case quality is sublime, and the sunburst dial exudes an understated elegance. I probably wouldn't have bothered with the tiny lume dots at the hours and tiny lume inserts in the hands. It's a dressy watch. I can go without the lume. Dressy watch it may be, but it can be easily dressed down by fitting a brown strap or gasp.. a NATO strap.

This is also a watch with a strong history within JLC. It is on this range, the Master Control, that the 1000 hour test began back in 1992. The watches are subjected to a rigorous testing regime over, yep- you guessed it- 1000 hours, or equivalent to 6 weeks, fully cased up. They go through a variety of tests including timing, shock resistance, water resistance, etc, and only by passing all tests will the watch be allowed to leave the factory. This test is now performed on all JLC watches, excluding Atmos clocks and Calibre 101 watches.

So, a classic versatile watch that probably won't date and will only get better with age, a watch that played a part in the history of JLC at a relatively affordable price point, I guess a waiting list for is isn't all that difficult to fathom. Now I just need someone to spot me the odd 8 grand...

On The Wrist: Stowa Flieger Black Forest Edition 1 Australian Review

We love black watches

Oh, yes we do

We love black watches

And we will be true.

When the watch isn't black

We're blue.

Oh, Black watches we love you. **

End flash back to my high school musical days. (Yes I was in high school musicals. What? I enjoy the performance arts...chicks dig guys who can bust a move and hold a tune... Really...)

But there is SOMETHING about an all-black stealthy sinister looking matte black anything isn't there? Matte black cars turns heads. Matte black sneakers are always on trend. Coco Chanel also said something about the colour black. Black will always be the new black no matter what the advertising execs tries to tell you. 

Especially a black watch named after one of the most delicious black-themed desserts- the Black Forest cake. Stowa will tell you a different "official" story about some forest close to their home but we know the truth .

It's the first time a DLC coated watch is offered by Stowa (we talked about this process here) and it's a limited edition of only 200 pieces worldwide. It is based on an existing model but modernized and made "better" by being all black (with the movement given the same treatment) and a splash of bright orange to give it that extra pizzazz (and to make time telling easier). Tongue-in-cheek aside we really do like the black/orange colorway (to steal a sneaker term). 

Stowa watches are produced under the guidance of watchmaker Jorg Schauer, and the case work is flawless. Really. At this price point (around 800 Euro. less VAT if you're outside Europe) there is no better case. Shame I can't say the same about the movement. The original plan was to make the eta 2801-2, essentially a 2824 minus the rotor, to be fully black with bright orange branding on it, but technical difficulties put that idea to bed. Personally I felt that if an all-black movement wasn't going to happen, I'd much rather they covered it up and offered a special case back. 

Having said that, the movement minus rotor meant less height and I was pleasantly surprised at just how thin the whole watch is. Dress watch thin. Not stupidly thin like a Piaget Altiplano but thin enough for everyday wear. It won't intrude and won't present itself to being caught on door frames and cuffs. 

The dial is very clean, the logo is only really visible at certain angles under certain lighting. Everything you need to tell the time and nothing you don't. Like, oh I dunno... Say... a paragraph on the dial saying how officially accurate this watch is... The strap is thick, soft and comfortable. Nuff said. Overall the watch feels great, sits well on the wrist and it is very light.

I do feel that a classic pilot watch is a must in every collection. And because so many brands make this style of watches, you really are spoilt for choice at every price point. You could go authentic and buy one from the original manufactures of the pilot watch or if you're less picky, even fossil makes one. 

So what about this Stowa Black Forest? It's not my first pick for a pilot watch. I'd go for something more historically correct in terms of aesthetics (for example, below right). But as a second? Most definitely. Problem is that this Black Forest edition 1 IS a limited edition of only 200 pieces and they're all sold out. (I was lucky enough to see and review this piece, thanks to the generosity of its owner). This piece COULD be the only one in Australia. But luckily, Stowa makes a wide range of flieger watches and they're quite reasonably priced. You can see the range HERE.

Here's the Black Forest next to its OG cousin. Photo courtesy of the owner

**By the way I plagiarised and butchered the lyrics to "Bye Bye Birdie" at the beginning of the post.

8 Months In: An Australian Impression of Swatch Sistem 51 Ownership

People who know me know that I really didn't get the hype surrounding the Sistem51. I didn't see the point of a throw-away mechanical watch. But I admitted that it was a revolutionary step in watch history. Not for the so-called technological advances. But for what it stands for. That perhaps we're ushering in a new era of getting used to tossing away something that was once associated with craftsmanship and engineering and art.

But then I saw the more positive side of it. This watch (if and when regulated properly and assuming all the initial issues have all been troubleshot) will last you the better part of 20 years and it's supposed to always keep reasonable time over this period (since a watchmaker will not have access to the movement to regulate it). This means the one thing that bugged me about quartz watches - running out of battery when you actually want to wear it - is relegated to the history bin. And let's face it, the Sistem51 was never going to be haute horlogerie. I think it's designed to replace quartz watches, and even though it will never keep as good a time as a quartz, it is a small inconvenience for 20 odd years of "Shake it, set and go" and no more "Argh it's out of battery! What am I going to do without a watch for 2 weeks???"

Ok. That preceding scenario has never occurred to me. No, not because I'm a movement snob but a) my quartz powered watches seems to last forever on one battery (thank YOU G-Shock) and b) why the heck would you only have one watch???

Anyways, I did give in to the hype (like I did with those damn Jordans) and when the opportunity arose I acquired a piece of this watchmaking history. So, what's it like living with a Swatch sistem51 in Australia? Well, disclaimer first. I do rotate through other watches so it's not constantly on my wrist. As I have alluded to, there have been documented quality issues with the watch and although I've been lucky, I know first hand from collectors here in Australia the issues they've had with theirs. But mine does what is says on the box. Massively long power reserve and keeps relatively reasonable time. Mine was about an average of about plus 5 seconds a day. This is within cosc accuracy specs. And to be honest, at this price point for a mechanical watch, I would've accepted anywhere from 0 to plus 15 seconds a day. I cannot stand a watch losing time though.

My particular example is white plastic case on white silicon strap. It gives a very bright and summery feel but perhaps for Australian climate with hindsight, not the best colour as it gets dirty very quickly. Nothing a little wipe down won't cure though. The ticks very loudly. I suppose this is a trademark Swatch characteristic? But I think it's less annoying than one loud TICK every second for the quartz Swatch watches. The power reserve will come in handy even for those who swap watches regularly as the watch will still be ticking when you pick it up again after 3-4 days. As it is plastic, the watch is very light and comfortable. It won't be an everyday watch if you suit up during the week, but a perfect weekend watch.

So, after 8 months have I been converted? Well, let's just say it's not a massive outlay (AU$185) and it's nice to have a piece of watch history. I still don't know what all the hype is (aside from being caught up in it), but I'd expect some lines forming outside Swatch boutiques for the Australian launch come Friday. Let's just say that in terms of hyped products, it will have the longevity advantage over a similarly priced retro Jordan sneakers. But other than that...

Exclusive Australian First Look: TNT Challenger Rattrapante for watchuseek

Rattrapante. Split Second Chronograph. Double Chronograph. No matter which way you say it, practically speaking, it's a pretty useless complication to have on your mechanical watch. Tell me, when was the last time you need to time the difference in seconds (up to 60) of two separate things? I suppose you could use it to time 2 eggs. If you put them in the water at different times. But then again I'm not even sure how that would work.

The other way you'd use it, practically speaking, is you're timing laps. You use the split second function to stop it temporarily as you note down the time for the first lap, then let it catch up again and then repeat. So this will come in handy if you're watching formula one. Then again, maybe not.

But it is such a nice complication to have. To watch the two running chrono second hands going at different times, it's just so cool. Watching it catch up and the two hands runs again in sync. It's a lot of fun to watch. Much like staring at a tourbillon. Plus, rattrapante complication is quite rare. Rarer than tourbillons. And minute repeaters. And they're not easy to make either, so there's some bragging rights in that too. Somewhere.

Can you tell the difference between the black dial and the blue dial??

Which makes this watch all the more special. TNT, the company famous for being able to find obscure, long-forgotten movements, and put them into limited edition runs, produced this 75-piece series of rattranpante chronograph watches, exclusive for members of the forum watchuseek.com. The movement is based on the valjoux 7750, with the added rattrapante module and this movement is quite possibly the most popular to base the extra complications on, simply because it is so robust and reliable. Omega has done one with this movement, same with Rado (probably with the exact same movement). IWC also did one, again based on the Valjoux and I believe Chronowiss also had one. Just to name a few. And they're all priced quite high- from $5000k onwards.

I really don't know how TNT manages to track down these movements nor do I know how they can then get them all serviced, turned around with a case and dial and what not, and sold all for around 800 Euro. But I'm glad they did and I'm glad that watch enthusiasts in Australia managed to snag 2 out of the 75 examples (that we know of) and that I had a chance to get a really good look.

Reliable Valjoux 7750 movement with the rattrapante module

The coin-edge bull head case is shared with a few other models that TNT is producing, which is to be expected for economies of scale reasons, but the dial and function is exclusive to this watch. There is also zero TNT branding on the dial (with just a subtle watchuseek logo at 6:00 position). I'm not sure why they went for the bull head design. Yes, it's different, and you won't have pushers and crowns digging into the wrist, but with the configuration it has, the pushers are very close to the lugs, making the operation a little inconvenient. The pushers also travels a long way before engaging with the movement, which can annoy some people. It's also a little difficult to wind the crown or to set the time, again, due to its position. I suppose each person will find it different, and some might choose to live with the small inconveniences in order to have something quite unique.

The dial is split into 4 smaller dials, one each for the chronograph functions and the time. Yes, the time is limited to the small dial at 12:00 and for those with less than perfect vision, telling the time might be a little strenuous. But it's not the only watch with a small dial for the time (I'm looking at YOU, Jacquet Droz) so this shouldn't detract from the watch as a while, and it does give a very balanced dial overall.

Small dial at 12:00 for the time

For the price, the quality and the finishing is excellent. Keep in mind that this is an 800 Euro watch so it needs to be compared like-for-like. It doesn't matter if the movement and complication is worth more than 800 Euro on its own. So, next to say, Tissot, Oris, or even Longines, the quality stacks up, but comes up short if you compare it to something a bit further up the food chain. Otherwise, you get sapphire crystal front and back, as well as a very nicely done ceramic bezel. The less said about the included NATO strap the better, but the optional leather strap is soft and supple.

I didn't get the chance to time it, but I'm sure accuracy won't be too bad. It is a 7750 after all, and any good watchmaker will be able to regulate it to chronometre specs. The watch although thick, wears very well on the wrist and it is very comfortable. I wouldn't pair it with a suit, but again that's up to you. Two dials are available but having seen the two side by side the difference isn't great. The black dial is not very black and the blueberry dial isn't very... blue. But who's to complain? It's a great looking watch, a fun complication and a very, very limited edition to boot. It's a great watch for not a lot of outlay and for the 75 people (or less - I believe some bought two) who has them, it's definitely a keeper.