JLC Master Perpetual 8 Days SIHH 2011

2004... The first manual wind 8 Days Perpetual Calendar in the world was introduced.



This novelty was available in platinum ( Limited Edition of 200 pieces ) or in Rose Gold ( Unlimited ), or a spectacular skeleted version in platinum ( 100 pieces in 2007 ) then in Rose Gold ( 175 pieces in 2008 )

The skeleted versions:



The Cal 876, in fact a Cal 877 with a perpetual calendar module, was indeed the first to associate 3 very useful complications: A long power reserve of 8 days ( in the reality, more than 9 days, but the torque, after 8 days of work is irregular ), a complete perpetual calendar ( day / date / month / moonphase / year ) and a night and day indicator, to remind that the date must not be set from 10 PM to 3 AM, as to avoid any damage to the movement.

Why do I think that the combination of a long power reserve and a perpetual calendar is interesting?

Imagine you own several watches, and you never wear the same watch all the days of the week.

With a normal Perpetual Calendar, you will have to set the date at the end of 2 days, if you don't wear nor wind it.

With the 8 Days Perpetual, you won't have to achieve which is always a delicate operation, before the end of the long power reserve.

Another great point, but it is a characteristic which is shared by all the JLC Perpetual Calendars, is that you set ALL the datas of the calendar by using one pusher, which acts in a coordinated way.

A very few brands did / do better: Ulysse Nardin, for example, offers the setting of all the datas by the use of the crown, and you can change the calendar forward AND backward.

More often, the setting system is less friendly, when you have to use several pushers...

That being said, let's have a look on the new Master 8 Days Perpetual, which is, for the moment, available in stainless steel or in rose gold:





The huge difference is about the aesthetics, here.

Indeed, the movement is the same ( Cal 876 ), and offers the same complications, which is confirmed when we look at the dial.

So, we find: The day / date / month / year / moonphase / power reserve indicator and the famous red security zone we used to see on the former model.

The first noticeable change is the dial.

An evolution, rather than an evolution, as you'll see:



The dial looks more " empty ", cleaner, now, with the 2 subdials at 11 and 1 o'clock which have been changed for half circles ( power reserve and night / day indicators ).

The applied 12 disappeared, too, and the day / date / month subdials are smaller, but not less legible than before.

Another big difference is that on the new version, the moonphase is more conventionally designed.

No more luminous dots nor hands, which is more subtle, as it wasn't an obvious detail on the former version.

To preserve the balance of the dial, the triangular applied indexes are longer, too.

Less original than the former, but more classic. To each his own.

To be complete, the stainless steel 8 Days Perpetual has a silver dial, while the rose gold 8 Days dial is beige.

As for the case, the new Master 8 Days is 1, 5 mm smaller. ( 40 mm versus 41, 5 mm for the former one ).



It seems that the thickness is the same, but the reduced size makes a big difference with the previous 8 Days Perpetual.

The case gains in appeal, in elegance, even in ... coherence?

Very interesting improvement, in my point of view, which seems to be a new tendance for JLC.

The case back is identical, if we compare the current and the former version: Its sapphire will allow you to have a look on the Cal 876 and its " cotes soleillées ".





Priced around 17 000 ( stainless steel ) and 24 000 Euros ( rose gold ), this Master 8 Days last generation seems to be a very interesting alternative for anybody looking for a nice, performant, complete and friendly Perpetual Calendar.

Looking forward to reading your thoughts and comments,

Best.

Nicolas. This message has been edited by amanico on 2011-04-10 00:21:45 This message has been edited by amanico on 2011-04-10 00:22:08 This message has been edited by amanico on 2011-04-13 22:32:24