Unfortunately, a 37mm looks kind of silly on my 7.5″ wrist. Otherwise, a Jaeger-LeCoultre Master Moon like Rob’s (friend of the show since 2004) would be a perfect timepiece for formal occasions. Although Jaeger-LeCoultre seems to have entered a different route to approach its clients since a while, with big bulky watches or with high-tech materials, this Master Moon with a diameter of 37mm and a height of just 10mm is a true classic that at least will look good on you in a few decades from now. Will the Compressor watches do to? I think not.

For around 3000 Euro, you should be able to find a nice Master Moon (young occasion) in good condition, complete with box and papers. Make sure the alligator strap comes with the original JLC  folding buckle and that the strap is still in good condition. A JLC replacement strap will cost you at least 250 Euro, or you can settle for a third party strap of similar quality (ABP Paris for example).

The shape of the case is very classical and the polished and satinized parts are really stunning. The dial of the Master Moon (ref.140.2.98.S) is available in either black or wite and in grey for the platinum version of this watch. The arrow shaped hour markers remind me of 1950s and 1960s timepieces and I love the combination with the printed white date index on the dial.

The movement inside this watch is a in-house Jaeger-LeCoultre caliber 891/448 automatic movement, ticking at 28.800 beats per hour. These movements are tested against Jaeger’s own high standards on accuracy and therefore approved Master Control for 1000 hours. 1000 hours of testing before leaving the factory! The day, date and moonphase corrector are positioned in the side of the case. Two next to the crown (where the crown is in the center) and one corrector is located at 8 o’clock. You better buy a watch winder with this watch! After 38 hours the movement will stop ticking and if this is not becoming your everyday watch, you might find yourself busy setting this watch correctly a few times per week.

If your wrists allow you to wear a 37mm watch, you really should consider this Jaeger-LeCoultre when spending 2500-3500 Euro on a slightly used timepiece. The only con in my opinion is the fact that the day functionality is using a moon disc hand, I am not particular a fan of those. But that’s just very personal. Otherwise, I really can’t come up with any more cons I would have against this watch. At least the colour scheme is thought through by Jaeger-LeCoulte.

Marc Menant (product manager at Jaeger-LeCoultre) mailed me the latest JLC novelty An iPhone application that enables JLC adepts or prospects to examine their line of watches more thoroughly, where ever you are.

After downloading the 50MB application, I was immediately stunned by it. The graphics are amazing, the included videos are very nice to look at and even better.. you can fiddle around with the watches in the catalogue. The Jaeger-LeCoultre Reverso can actually be reversed by a simple movement on the touch screen, the chronograph functionality works when tapping the pushers properly etc.

Perhaps the nicest feature is the one that enables you to assemble a part of the watch movement. These watch courses have an introduction video, and afterwards, you can try to assemble the movement yourself. Impressive!

If you have an Apple iPhone, what are you waiting for? Look for ‘jaeger’ in the AppStore and after selecting the application, click ‘Free’ and ‘Download’.

The story goes that after a polo match in India, some British officers challenged their friend César de Trey to create a watch that was able to resist the serious beatings caused by polo sport. Once back in Europe, César de Trey (businessman) shared the problem with Jacques-David LeCoultre, who creates the Reverso watch in association with Jaeger. The Reverso watch was patented in 1931 (the 4th of March to be precise) and was originally designed by René-Alfred Chauvot.

Almost 80 years later, the Jaeger-LeCoultre Reverso is still going strong and it is one of the classic watches that can also easily be referred to as a cult watch. The rectangular shape, the Reverso mechanism, the inhouse movement and the magnificient designed Jaeger-LeCoultre logo on the dial makes this a watch you can identify as being a JLC Reverso from a 100 yards distance (with a grain of salt). However, this isn’t a watch for show-offs. It is far too elegant and delicate to be recognized by the heavily suntanned Nikki Beach-type of jet setters.

For the watch enthusiasts or collectors, a vintage Jaeger-LeCoultre Reverso as shown above is probably a welcome addition to their collections. I found one at ClockWise, a watchstore in a small harbour town in The Netherlands. Clockwise has a very impressive bricks ‘n’ mortar shop, but a webshop as well. A reliable address for your wristwatches, repairs and services

This 1930s handwound Jaeger-LeCoultre Reverso is in good running order and for 5750 Euro (including a one year warrantee) it is probably a solid investment as well. For this kind of money, you can also buy a new one. But so can your neighbour So if you really want something special, take a look at this vintage timepiece.

Personally, I wouldn’t use it for polo or any other kind of sports activity. Although it was meant to resist hard knocks, my guess is that the mechanic movement, case and crystal suffered big time during these polo activities. I can see myself buying a Jaeger-LeCoultre Reverso in the far future, the brand’s history (and especially this model’s) and the fact that I will ‘need’ a decent dress watch some time, makes this type of watch very desirable. Perhaps even a (red) gold one, for when I am old. 40something