Jaeger-LeCoultre

respo
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A newbie's point of view

I am a newbie to the world of fine watches, having bought my first really nice watch very recently (a JLC of course) and entering the game with pretty much only one preconceived notion, namely that Patek is the best.  So, I spent some time getting to know some of the better brands (PP, AP, VC, Breguet, UN, GO, Lange and also IWC, which I also like).  I was fortunate to have found a good AD who spent a lot of time with absolutely no pressure to buy showing me a wide range of brands and watches. The conclusion I came to was that JLC was on a par with the other best brands in terms of quality, but JLC also seemed more innovative and interesting that the others.  While I respect the quality of PP, for instance, I find very few Pateks that I actually LOVE-- they mostly seem a little too precious and "old" (although PP ref. no. 5146 is gorgeous and could "easily" be my next watch), ad that goes for VC and Breguet as well.  JLC definitely has its own style and their watches set my heart beating faster more often than any other brand.  They seem to be the best at combining a breakneck pace of innovation with beautiful esthetic at a reasonabl price compared to the other manufactures. 

One of the first decisions that I made when I began seriously looking at these brands was that I wanted a true manufacture, so even though I like some of the IWCs a lot, I decided I did not want an IWC for my first great watch (maybe down the road). JLC is definitely impessive in this respect. I like the fact that they have supplied movements to so many of the best brands out there over the years.  I am not sure if any of the other brands can quite match the range of styles and combinations of functions and complications that JLC does.

The JLCs generally offer a lot of bang for the buck. The movements are pretty amazing and the finishing is quite good, and yet the price remains resonable compared to what you would pay for similar levels of complication in PP or VC, for instance.  When I look at the Geographics for instance (Master Control or Master Compressor), I don't see any other dual time zone waches out there that can touch these models for functionality, and they are pretty damn good looking.

I chose the the Master Compressor EWC finally because it provided a lot of what I was looking for, especially serving as a very sporty everyday watch, and I was looking for a big model this time around-- next time I expect I might be looking for a more simple and elegant design. The two coolest chronographs I found among any of the true manufactures were both from JLC (I really like the AMVOX series a lot) and the EWC added not only world time but also the interchangeable strap system as well as its innovative shock absorbtion system, and the compression crowns.  It's funny that the series that JLC is most known for is the Reverso, and yet they seem to be dong the most innovative and interesting things with their other lines. The Reverso does not get  my heart going, I must admit, although I think they are generally beautiful and I respect them as iconic in the horological annals.  I think JLC needs to win more rspect and admiratn for the non-Reversos they produce.

My main criticism of JLC so far has to do with the bracelets/straps.  The SS bracelet I got for MCEWC is impressive, but I am not in love with the rubber or the brown croc that I also got.  The EWC looks amazing with with either the bracelet or the rubber, but truthfully, I think the straps should be better . Tiffany, for instance, provides some great metal and rubber straps for some of their waches that I have yet to see matched on some of these major brands (look at the Mark and T-57 series).  A second criticism I have is over their penchant for all of their limited and boutique editions.  I am not crazy about that whole trend in the wach world and I wish JLC would not play along, but then again, I am not a collector, so maybe I just don't understand.

Interestingly to me, my holy grail watches are also JLCs.  I don't imagine I will ever be able to afford them or be willing to spend that much in any case, but the two I would most want if money were no object would be th Gyroturbillon and the master Minute Repeater (ttitanium version).

Just some thoughts from the new guy.  By the way, this forum provided a lot of useful info and opinions while I was shopping, so thanks and I hop to learn a lot more here as well.

Best,

Rob