Hands-on Jaeger-LeCoultre Master Ultra Thin Tourbillon Moon

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This autumn brought in focus Jaeger-LeCoultre. The Grande Maison released a spectacular classic looking wristwatch featuring peripheral date, moon phase and tourbillon in a precious package. The Jaeger-LeCoultre Master Ultra Thin Tourbillon Moon is another piece that fits perfectly my dreams and wishes for Christmas.

A new day and a new wish for Christmas. I have selected this watch for its clear Jaeger-LeCoultre signature. If JLC comes in my mind, this what I imagine and what I expect to see in reality. The Master Ultra Thin Tourbillon Moon is a natural addition in the collection. After last year I have drolled over the Jaeger LeCoultre Master Ultra Thin Tourbillon – The Ultimate Dress Watch Show Off?, it is the time to admire again the beautiful tourbillon but with some compelling complication added. The set of function are useful for everyday wear, making this watch more versatile and appealing, even as a unique piece collection.

Jaeger-LeCoultre Master Ultra Thin Tourbillon Moon

Master Ultra Thin Tourbillon Moon combines a set of functions never used together before by Jaeger-LeCoultre: the tourbillon and the moon phase, adding the brand’s peripheral date indication. This was possible due to a new movement developed by Jaeger-LeCoultre, the Calibre 983. We will visit all the details below.

Master Ultra Thin – a classic Jaeger-Lecoultre case

For the newest piece, the brand adventures into new materials territory and use an alloy named Le Grand Rose gold. This material, used for the first time this year, promises sheen and depth of colour, and it is highly resistant to fading over time. Being a new alloy, we have to wait for the test of time. But from the first look, it seems to be great.

Master Ultra Thin Tourbillon Moon presents itself in an overall polish finish on the convex case band, bevelled and curved lugs and stepped bezel. The crown in the case material was adorned (as expected, I might say) with the embossed JLC logo. At 2 o’clock, a subtle pusher was included for the moon-phase correction.

The case is fitted with a see-through case back. The leather strap (JLC always have nice straps) is accompanied by the traditional now Jaeger-LeCoultre folding clasp. At 41.5mm diameter and 12.1mm thickness, the watch is comfortable on the wrist, the clasp is comfortable and robust (even with a push-button release) never having the feeling that I have to be careful not to lose it or drop it. The new calibre behaviour is excellent and can be observed in the video.

Subtle and beautiful dial details

Jaeger-LeCoultre Master Ultra Thin Tourbillon Moon has a dial with multiple elements elegantly used to create a classic look. The layout spreads on vertical with a moon phase indication on the top of the dial and the charming JLC tourbillon on the lower side.

The moon phase complication, one of my favourites, uses a dial with a double recession. The lowest point presents a classic moon-phase aperture that reveals the graphical representation in gold and enamel of the moon and the stars. A double-sided hand on top reveals the age of the moon on one side in days with Arabic numerals and the phases display with applied gold symbols on the other. Maybe an unnecessary display of information but definitively a beautiful implementation.

The lower side of the dial is reserved for the tourbillon. The one-minute rotation is used as seconds indication. A triple hand balances the weight distribution and one of the hands is ended with an arrow, indicating seconds on a small recessed register. The register is surrounded by a nice gilded detail. When I said reserved, I was really mean it. The date hand visible on the left side does not stop above the tourbillon, but hoovers over it just for a relatively short time (on the night 15th to the 16th of the month).

Unusual date display

In the middle of each month, the pointing hand simply moves from the 15th position to the 16th in an interval set in the morning. The dial witness this change with red printed arrows and “Quantieme Lunaire” printed on the dial. The system was specially created not to disturb the view of the tourbillon. Chapeau!

The date hand flyes over a raised outer register with the date represented by printed odd numerals and circle-dots. The gold hand is terminated with the JLC accolade varnished with red. A lovely detail. Other details that we can easily observe are the gorgeous indexes. As hours were used long three-dimensional applied gold indexes. For minutes indication was used gold pearl drops.

Jaeger-LeCoultre opted for gold dauphine hands for time indication. The faceted hands present a polished side and a brushed side. Further decoration of the dial is realised with the brand’s logo, in gold, applied on the right side of the dial. Jaeger-LeCoultre was printed in black below the logo.

While on paper the multitude of details and decoration might appear overwhelming, with the watch in my hands I can say that I find it very refined. The gold and polished elements make a pleasant contrast with the matt egg-shell coloured dial. The legibility and reading precision is excellent for these reasons, the details being helpful and not tiresome.

A new calibre with hidden complication

The Jaeger-LeCoultre Calibre 983 is newly developed. The movement is based in the decade-old calibre 978 used in the last’s year Jaeger LeCoultre Master Ultra Thin Tourbillon. The calibre has similar features and decoration as the old one. I partly love the sun-rayed Geneva ribs with a starting point in the centre of the balance wheel. We find the familiar gold rotor and the gilded engravings.

The Jaeger-LeCoultre Calibre 983 displays centrally hours and minutes, seconds on the one-minute tourbillon, peripheral ‘jumping’ date (from the 15th to the 16th) and moon phases in both Hemispheres and age-of-moon indicator. The movement features only 45 hours of power reserve, from 48 at the 978, due to the added complications.

As expected, the details of the decorations are exquisite. Jaeger-LeCoultre has always taken good care of the finishes. We see the classic set of decoration with nice integration of the brand’s branding, for instance on the logo with skeletonised JLC logo.

It is perfect! Cause do you really need more than these set of function?

The Ultra Thin collection from Jaeger-LeCoultre is complex and beautiful. From the pieces launched this year, the Jaeger-LeCoultre Master Ultra Thin Tourbillon Moon illustrates the best classical representation of the Grande Maison. We find familiar visual details and we discover new gimmicks.

The watch holds a good set of features: date, moon phase and a charming tourbillon. Could be considered a perfect watch – the most need it set of function in a delightful presentation. It is the perfect Christmas gift.

Jaeger-LeCoultre Master Ultra Thin Tourbillon Moon Technical Specifications and Price

Reference: Q1692410

Functions

Hours, minutes, seconds, peripheral ‘jumping’ date (from the 15^th to the 16^th), tourbillon, moon phases in both Hemispheres and age-of-moon indicator

Movement