JLC Master Ultra Thin Perpetual South Coast Plaza

AnthonyTsai offers a comprehensive recap of the Jaeger-LeCoultre Master Ultra Thin Perpetual event at the South Coast Plaza Boutique. This report provides an intimate look at the boutique's design, the new SIHH 2013 perpetual calendar models, and the vibrant community interaction surrounding the brand.

Here's a link to my teaser post which included more pictures from other people:  jlc.watchprosite.com

The JLC South Coast Plaza Boutique in Costa Mesa, CA just officially opened up a few months ago, and this was my 1st event inside in the JLC Boutique.  Richemont struck gold and secured highly coveted retail space for its 3 brand boutiques - JLC, IWC, and Vacheron.  All 3 Boutiques are interconnected together, so one can visit all 3 Boutiques without leaving either stores.

Thursday's event was focused on the new JLC Master Ultra Thin Perpetual released at SIHH 2013 (see picture below of stainless steel variant).

Below is our very own Nicolas aka "Vlad" who's a hilarious guy as you can see in the video above.

The new JLC Master Ultra Thin Perpetuals were on display.  Below is a picture of the white gold & rose gold variants, and on-the-wrist videos of these MUT Perpetuals are below.

Many other fabulous JLC pieces were there on display for everyone to touch, feel and experience.  I'm really loving these new JLC watches and with the past 2 South Coast Plaza JLC Boutique events I've attended, my eyes are definitely opening up to JLC.  I'm already eyeing one in mind, so it's most likely my next watch purchase will indeed be a JLC, which will be my 1st JLC ever.

Now let's go the main event and take a look at the new JLC Master Ultra Thin Perpetuals.  Below I have the stainless steel version on my wrist.  It feels really great on my wrist and the 39mm size doesn't feel too small given that I prefer large watches. 

The MUT Perpetual comfortably and easily fits under my shirt cuff and is probably one of the best offerings today in its price range.  With a retail price of just a tad under $20k (I believe $19,800 or so), this stainless steel Master Ultra Thin Perpetual is a great bang for the buck given the constant price increases over the numerous years.  It's very difficult to find great value in today's new watches.  The more I learn about JLC, the more I see better "value".

Doesn't it look great on my wrist?  This stainless steel version will be a BOUTIQUE ONLY piece, so you won't be able to order the stainless steel version from your local authorized dealer.  The white gold and rose gold you can, but not this stainless steel variant.

Now below is the rose gold variant.  The hue of this rose gold isn't as bold as Panerai and Audemars Piguet's rose gold IMO.  JLC uses a much more toned down version and it could look like yellow gold in certain lighting conditions.

Below is an on-the-wrist video of the 39mm JLC Master Ultra Thin Perpetual in rose gold.  In this video, I show you a size comparison with the 44mm Panerai Luminor I wore to the event so you have a size comparison in width and length.

We head over to AnQi for dinner which is just a brief walk away.  I've eatten at AnQi many times and really enjoy their Happy Hour there, so I know we're in a for a great meal.

Below is the menu for the night:

We had a long table setup and reserved for us.  It wasn't a private room but it was still private enough for a great evening of fabulous watches and conversation with fellow PuristS and new friends I've made at this event.

I think cazalea below is browsing PuristSPro :P 

Below is the JLC Duomètre Travel Time.  WOW!  Beautiful piece and feels great on my wrist.  It felt much more comfortable than the 42mm IWC Perpetual Calendar I used to own which has a similar case shape IMO.  This Duomètre Travel Time wasn't too thick at all, and I like how JLC uses these thin leather straps on their watches.  I'm more used to thicker leather straps but I'm beginning to enjoy these thin straps for dress watches.

Finally, below are pictures of the food.  Everything was superb including the service, and the white and red wine matches well with our menu.

Thanks for taking the time to read my report, and I hope I was able to bring you along "virtually" to this great event.  Thanks to JLC for another great event, and I'm confident this new Master Ultra Thin Perpetual will sell very well.  The stainless steel offers great value at a tad less than $20k, not withstanding the beautiful execution and design too. 

I'm not in the market now to buy a perpetual calendar (I have my eyes on another JLC watch ) but if I were, I'd definitely give this new JLC MUT Perpetual a real look and it would absolutely be at the top of my list in its price range.

It was great seeing you again in person Nicolas!  Get some well deserved rest on the plane!

Cheers,
Anthony