Jaeger-LeCoultre’s vintage inspired design campaigns have been on a role recently. Just ahead of pre-SIHH announcements at the close of 2016, the maison announced the highly lauded Master Memovox Boutique Edition, fitted with the new automatic caliber 956.

And now, even with the bevy of watches and higher executions from the maison announced at SIHH 2017 proper, it’s been quite interesting to note that the most talked about pieces this year from Jaeger-LeCoultre has been a trio of Master Control watches, unveiled to mark the line’s 25th anniversary. What’s more amazing is that these are also the pieces that are, maybe, the most reserved and subdued timepieces to come from the maison this year.

But such sentiments shouldn’t perhaps be all that surprising to you. At least, not if you’ve been a regular on our website.  Because this resurgence of classical elegance; of a new age of sobriety has long now been heralded on Revolution.Watch.

The Watches

Master Control Date

The collection starts with the simplest of the trio that contains all of the family’s codes.

At 39mm, the steel Master Control Date introduces the sector dial with its blue imprinted hour makers across the edge of the inner opaline dial.

Thereafter, a chapter ring is used to mark out the minutes along the circular satin-brushed outer edge of the dial. The dial is also dressed with a set of rather handsome Arabic numerals at 12, 6 and 9.

The 3 o’clock position is taken up by the date window; a simple practical complication, which, no doubt elevates the watch’s primary aesthetic appeal. Brought to life by Jaeger-LeCoultre’s Calibre 899/1 automatic movement, the watch sports a nominal 38-hour power reserve.

Master Chronograph

The Master Chronograph fits the bill for those who have been otherwise enticed by the few recent bi-compax chronographs from other brands that aren’t priced for the mere mortals. Encased in the largest of the case sizes listed in the trio: a 40mm steel case, the watch bears all of the design elements stemmed from the Master Control Date with thoughtful room made for the chronograph elements.

30-minute chrono-counter at 3 o’clock and the 12-hour chrono-counter at 9 o’clock. Paired with a central chrono hand set against those phenomenal skeletonized hour and minute hands, the watch bears the charm of an object of utility from days long gone, executed with sharp modern accents.

This one’s powered by the Jaeger-LeCoultre Calibre 751G, an automatic movement with 65 hours of power reserve.

Master Geographic

The Master Georaphic forms the apex of the trio with a smart dual time complication worked into the timepiece. How it works is that you have the local time tracked on the central hours and minutes hands (again, with the same coherent skeletonised hands).

Thereafter, the stepped sub dial at 6 o’clock is used to track time at an alternate location. If memory serves right, this is how you set the Master Geographic complication, which has, incidentally, appeared before in Jaeger-LeCoultre’s watches.

The fast and elegant way to do this is to start off by making sure that the name of the city on the city disc (adjusted by the crown at 10 o’clock) reflects the one, which represents one of the 24 principle time zones that is accurate to your present location. Let’s take London for example.

Now, using the crown at 3 o’clock, pulled to its first stop, adjust the hands on the sub dial so that they are synchronized to the primary hands. Then pulling the crown out to the last stop, adjust the time on the primary hands, correct to local time. This should move the sub dial’s hands in tandem.

Let’s imagine that while you are in London, you wish to keep an eye on that trouble-prone friend, galavanting in Hong Kong. Therefore, to have the sub dial keep track of the time in Hong Kong now, simply use the 10 o’clock crown to change the city on the city disc to Hong Kong. The hour hand on the sub dial should adjust as a result and find itself square on the present hour in the land of late night yum char.

All in all, the trio make for a very practical set of watches, each with a complication that make them appropriate tools for a variety of different occupations and/or lifestyles. But perhaps what’s ultimately stolen the hearts of many is the smart sharp look carried by each watch in the collection.