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Jaeger LeCoultre Master Compressor Navy Seals Automatic Diver: The so called Noob Factory version. Introduction. Since you guys were showing yours, I discovered that I wanted one too J At least, give it a try. I’m a fan of Jaeger LeCoultre but certainly not of their super mega diver compressors! None of the recent JLC suits my tastes, they all look like “m’as tu vu”/”Bling bling”/Show off”. This one, I must admit, looks like a “Super Submariner” so why not? As it seems that all dealers sell the same version, I went to Andrew (Trusty) to order one. (More on the deal later) The above photos are from a genuine Navy Seals. The watch. Here is a description of the genuine one: -Brushed stainless steel case -42 mm. -22mm lugs -Case thickness is 12.9mm. -Mixed polished and brushed caseback secured by four small screws with the U.S. Navy Seals logo. -Limited Edition serial number xxxx/1500 is engraved on the caseback. -The sapphire crystal is doomed, but only a bit. -Quickset date at 3 o’Clock. -Screw lock crown. White when locked, Red when unlocked. -The black dial has raised markers. -Lume is blue on the dial, green on the bezel. -60 click (only?) unidirectional grey ceramic bezel -Originaly it’s the JLC Caliber 899 automatic movement powering this watch (over 200 parts!). Another genuine Navy Seals picture The Noob version does very well replicate the genuine one. Mine is precisely 42 mm without the crown and has 22 mm between the lugs. The case is 9 mm without bezel and crystal, 13 mm with both. The design. Jaeger LeCoultre declares that they were consulting with the Navy to come with the design. Ok, I can accept that, but I’m not sure I can understand why the Navy guys would ask for BIG digits at 12, 6 and 9 and not at 3! The first reaction when receiving the watch was “something is no right”. The fact that those digits are so big and that there is no “3” make it look like something is missing. I personally prefer to have a date of course. Wouldn’t it be more “balanced” to put the date window at 4 and add a “big 3”? I’m in favor of that option. The Case. The watch is 42 mm. It’s quite “big” too. But I must say it is not wearing anywhere like a 42 mm. It feels like a supersized 40 mm. I mean it is not a large watch when on the wrist. It is brushed and look very nice. Brushing the case is a great idea as it avoids to see all those tiny scratches from wear. The Dial. Well, again, it’s very easy to read but unbalanced. The missing 3 bothers me a lot. The fact that indices are raised is cool though as it makes the watch easy to read and so far I didn’t have to look twice to see what time it is. Oops, well maybe the hands should be a bit fatter? Yes they should. The date window is easily spotted but the date is a bit small, or not fat enough, to be read at once though. The Lume. That is bothering me a bit: the lume of the watch is blue and the one of the bezel at 12 is green ??!! In my opinion, this is really tasteless. On the replication, the lume is very average. As usual, if you want to take full advantage of it, it should be relumed. I will go that route in case I want to keep the watch. Gime some green The bracelet, caseback and clasp. The Noob version comes with a “rubber Rolex type” bracelet. It has links with screws which is quite nice, but unfortunately no “half sized” links. EDIT: Thanks to Cougar1, there is a micro adjustment right in the clasp! Once again, I didn’t check the genuine rubber bracelet but I doubt it will capture as much dust in the first 24 hours. I like it, but it is quite dirty if looked closer. The movement Inside the watch, it's a Asian 2824-2 clone. Accurate or not? Bugs? Hard to compare from pictures only of course. I did never see a gen in the flesh. But this is what I discovered so far: -Engraving of bezel not deep enough -Engraving of 45 on Bezel to close to crystal compared to 15 and 30. -Screws of the rubber bracelet aren’t always so easy to remove and the three first ones starting from the lugs are fake. -Also, but that is a JLC thing not a Noob factory one, there are no ways to fine tune the length of the bracelet. In my case or it is to tight or to loose. EDIT: Thanks to Cougar1, there is a micro adjustment right in the clasp! So now it fits perfectly my wrist! My feelings I like the brand. I like the watch. But, once again, I am a bit frustrated to see Jaeger LeCoultre make new “trendy” models without considering the project as a global one. Creating specific models for specific army corps is one thing. Trying to create the “perfect sub” is another. My conclusion is that the Rolex Submariner has a brilliant future for many decades more as they had for the past decades. If Jaeger LeCoultre wants to compete then they should think “Mainstream”. The Jaeger LeCoultre Master Compressor Navy Seals Automatic Diver is a perfect super sub wanabee but for now it looks like having been punished by removing the “3”! The deal I have ordered the watch with Andrew at Trusty. The order was place on December 28th, the QC pics were received on December 30th and the watch, although with transit in the UK, on January 11th. I know there have been a lot of debates and threads about cartel and so on. But, I always said I prefer professionals and since I came to this community, even if I bought a lot from members, each time I bought from Andrew was top notch. Here is one of the QC pic and the watch when I unpacked it All this in 14 days, no risks, and for an accurate watch. Thanks for looking and reading. Cheers Stephane

thanks for looking

After selling all my reps back in February, I decided to start from scratch and go the vintage Rolex route. I'm 5 watches in so far but hope to keep it under 10 in total so they all get some wrist time and can be of good quality. I wanted to thank PBDad for his builds, and Jase (JDog on most of the forums) for his outstanding modding work and lastly Dave for his servicing as all movements just got serviced outside the Heritage as it's brand new anyways. And YES I suck at photography but I don't have the time at the moment to do this justice.. Watches in my box: 1665 Great White SD: MBW Case Softened/Reshaped Gen 703 Crown Polex Pete Datewheel with Open 6/9's Swiss 2846 ETA Serviced April 2015 Faded Dial/Bezel PBDad Vintage Lume 1680 Red Sub: PT Case Softened/Reshaped Swiss ETA Serviced 6/2015 Gen 702 Crown/Tube Ingod Dial Aged/Relumed Polex Pete Datewheel WSO Bezel Assembly Gen Tension Spring Custom Insert/Pearl Gen Springbars Gen Endlinks Mix/Match Gen(50%)/Rep Rivet Stretch Bracelet 5512 Sub: MBW Case softened/reshaped Gen 702 Crown/Tube Swiss ETA Serviced 6/2015 2mm Drilled Lugs Stern Plexi Yuki Dial (relumed) WSO Hand Set Custom Insert Aged/Faded 5513 Pointed Crown Guard Gilt Sub: DW Case Custom Pointed Crown Guards 2mm Drilled Lugs Gen Springbars Clark Plexi Whoopy Gilt Dial/Hands Relumed WSO Bezel Assembly Aged Pearl Aftermarket Bracelet w/ TC Clasp Thinned Crown/Tube Swiss 2846 ETA Serviced 6/2015 PBDad Heritage HS01 Sub: BK Noob No-Date Sub Siwss 2836 Movement Individually Numbered Caseback Custom Vintage Lume in Tritec Superluminova Custom Ivory Enameled Seconds Hand, Skinny Hour Hand Platinum Ceramic Bezel Marker Enamel Custom Red Triangle Crown Guards Removed Custom Chamfering Yuki 8mm Brevet Crown/Tube Current builds underway: 1675 Blueberry GMT w/ Custom Red GMT Hand Tempus Machina 6538 (it's happening!) by PBDad Future Build considerations: 6538 <$1,000 budget build 6542 Pan Am (if Ingod is actually back) 1675 Gilt Dial Pepsi ?? Ideas ?? I'll continue to add to the thread as I get these other 2 finished up this summer. Thanks for viewing and feel free to leave (constructive) comments!

Carbotech Pam for today with a little light trickery :-) Regards AJ

Life is good! Barra de Santiago K

Jaeger LeCoultre Master Control : a 1993 example. Introduction. I'm the lucky owner of several watches. Among them, some Rolex, probably my favourite brand, at least for Submariners or Date Just. I have not a lot of experience with the other famous brands, even no experience at all with the manufactures. One among them has always been a grail: Jaeger LeCoultre. The explanation is simple: 1) My mom owned one, which is now my sister's one and will be my niece one day. 2) I've been told that Jaeger LeCoultre was the only manufacture making their movements in house from A to Z. At least they were. They are the source for some of the most famous other manufactures. The watch. The Master Control has been launched in 1992 with a battery of tests procedure that guarantee the exceptional reliability and precision of the first Master Control 1000 Hours. It is delivered with a booklet, certifying the authenticity of the watch. In this booklet, the owner can see the results of the 1000 hours of tests, the number of his watch and the signature and name of le maitre horloger that took care of his watch before it leaves the manufacture. Inside the watch. Some famous calibers are based on Jaeger LeCoultre's 889: Vacheron Constatin, Audemars Piguet, IWC (Portuguese). The 889 has been released in 1983. It is an automatique caliber, high beat and featuring a date quick set I asked my new watchmaker to open the watch for me (I finaly found an artist, official watchmaker for several brands, next door to my house and from who I learn a lot which is not the case when one sends his watch to the official after sale dpt!) The movement is really stunning in my humble opinion. Some more: The icing on the cake is the case back, manually engraved by Jaeger LeCoultre's watchmaker. The same name as on the certificate of course and the date when he personally closed the watch! (Sorry, it's the best I could picture in the poor light of the watchmaker's atelier.) The bracelet and clasp. Well, I have to confess that this is really a poor quality bracelet. The clasp is very sexy though. The Master Control date design I have been looking online at bargains of the new 40 mm version. So it lead me to try one at the local AD. Guess what: it was heavy in terms of design. The bezel is way to large for a dressy watch or simply for a classic Jaeger LeCoultre model. I decided to hunt for the 37 mm one, and I must admit I was very lucky to find one on the german Rolex Forum. Unfotunately, the guy did not answer my first two emails. Here again I was lucky to have a good german friend who dealt with the seller in my name and yiiiipeee the deal was done. Have a look at the details of the dial. So simple and yet so present. How about a side view? My feelings I am so happy to own and wear a Jaeger LeCoultre. Of course so am I when I wear a nice watch in general or one of my Rolex. But there is something with Jaeger which is not happening with Rolex or even Omega: nobody notice it. And, when it comes to compare to Rolex, nobody ask "is is a genuine one?"!!! In short, I feel like a spoiled kid when it is on my wrist. And I feel proud to own the same brand as my mom did. Thanks for looking and reading. Cheers Stephane Some information I wasn't aware of: 1929 World's smallest movement Caliber 101, barely 1 gram and composed of 74 parts. Still a record today! 1967 Jaeger-LeCoultre takes part in the creation of the first quartz wristwatch in watch making history, the Beta 2. Some links worth clicking: Caliber 889 detailed Caliber 889's Regulator, Spring Stud, and Anti-Shock Mechanism Jaeger LeCoultre History. Probably the most complete history is here. Click

Bday Wristie for me!! 35 years young

This one on my wrist: This one in my pocket. In process of rebuilding my Dad's DJ; ditched the ETA 2824 inside that I had built it with prior and have replaced it with a Y3135 which JMB was gracious enough to help me with. Picked up the dial from StoneP, had the hands and everything else sitting in my parts bin.

The dealer section will be brought back online within a day or two. Needed some serious clean-up, get rid of inactive dealers, dealer areas, etc.

Pros and cons to both. However I've heard KW and ZF are equally good. Alot of guys prefer the KW version, supposedly it has higher bronze content. It's on my short list.

Did someone say Persol 714?? These are mine: I will admit, they are a bit heavy. I also really like the classic RayBan Clubmasters.

These have the best lenses http://www.mauijim.com/. But for style it has to be http://www.persol.com/australia/sunglasses

Fabulous pictorial, thanks a lot! And of course, congratulation on your purchase! As you say, Jaeger LeCoultre still makes their movements in-house from start to finish, or at least most of them. After all they make 60 different ones; more, I think, than any other manufacturer and they supply them to most of the really high-end companies. Basically, if JLC were to disappear tomorrow, we'd see Vacheron, Patek, Audemars, Cartier, Glashütte and many more struck by panic, since that is who powers most of their product lines. These guys are in a totally different league than Rolex, Omega and the other plebeian brands - Jaeger LeCoultre is haute horologie through and through, one of the few such companies still in existence today. Hope you derive as much pleasure from your Master Control as I would, if I owned one.