Jaeger-LeCoultre

Dr Bill
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Navy SEALS Automatic Diver - the first few days

Over the years I’ve owned a handful of high-end diving watches.  At one time, divers were my favorite.  Along the way, I’ve owned models from Blancpain, Girard Perregaux, Glashütte Original, Ulysse Nardin, Sinn, and Omega and I can say without a doubt, the newest offering from Jaeger LeCoultre is at the top of the heap.  As previously described, this may indeed be the ‘perfect diving watch’!

First - a big thanks to Seth at the Beverly Hills JLC Boutique!  He really went out of his way to get this one for me!

Here are my initial impressions after the first few days of ownership.

First, the case.  As would be expected, the finishing is top notch.  The majority of the case has a brushed finish, consistent with a diver or tool watch.  There are small polished regions on the lugs for a bit of contrast.  The bezel has 60 clicks and moves smoothly and precisely with just the right amount of resistance and no slop.  It’s easy to grasp, but might be a bit tough to operate while wearing gloves.  The case back has the limited edition number and the Navy SEALS logo.  It’s secured with 4 screws, a more elegant solution than the ubiquitous screwed back.  This provides 300m of water resistance, making this a watch suitable for SCUBA diving.

Perhaps most importantly for me – the size.  There are several current divers I really like, but they are just way too big for my 7.5” wrist.  Particularly way too thick.  This one is perfect for a diver – it measures 42mm in diameter without the crown.  And, even better, it’s only 13mm thick.  I know it’s advertised as a bit thicker, but I used two different calipers and got 13mm both times.  Very happy about this!

Dial and hands.  Beautiful matte black dial with applied indices and numerals.  Very legible in all lighting conditions with excellent luminous markers and hands.  The hands are partially skeletonized and are not as ‘in your face’ as the hands on the NSA – another touch of class.  The date window is trapezoidal in shape and matches the markers perfectly.  The date is white on a gray background which provides excellent contrast.  The luminous marker on the seconds hand is perhaps a bit small for a diver.

Bracelet.  I requested the articulated rubber bracelet which I think fits this watch perfectly.  To me, the rubber strap detracts from the appearance of the watch and the leather/alcantara strap is not appropriate for a diver (although I’ll probably get one to dress it up from time to time).  The bracelet is 22mm wide and does not taper.  This gives the watch a masculine appearance and fits with the tool watch concept.  The push-button deployant clasp is of high quality and has the JLC adjustments.  No wet suit extension – perhaps the rubber strap is the best option for actual diving.

Crown.  This uses the patented Compressor Crown, another JLC trademark.  This provides the required water resistance and eliminates the need for ugly crown guards.  Operation is smooth.  The crown is signed with the JLC logo.  While the watches with two compressor crowns look more symmetric to my eye, the single crown works fine on this one.

Movement.  It’s hidden behind a solid case back.  It’s a JLC cal 899 and has passed the 1000 hours of testing.  Not much more to add.  So far, this has gained 4 seconds a day, certainly acceptable performance.

While I love this watch, as with anything, there are things I would improve or change to make it perfect for me. 

I’d like the addition of a half link to the bracelet.  I know, the clasp has two adjustments, so it’s really not needed.  However, I prefer to have the bracelet fit perfectly with both the adjustments in the shortened or closed position.  This gives me the option of making it longer if my wrist swells in the 100 + degree heat here!  Right now, I have it sized with one adjustment open and one closed.  It fits perfectly, but only gives me one half-link adjustment in length.

I think the hands need to be just a bit larger.  No need for the garish white hands of the NSA, but slightly larger hands would improve the legibility.

The crown could be a bit easier to extract.  I keep my nails fairly short and it took a bit of work to change the date at the end of last month.  A double pull crown like H. Moser uses would be awesome!  And, I’m not sure what the crown is made of.  It looks and feels like plastic – if so that has no place on a JLC, diver or not.  Stainless would be more appropriate.

Also, I think a watch at this price point should come with two straps.  There are two versions available, this one with the articulated rubber bracelet and one on a leather/alcantara strap.  The rubber dive strap with a tang buckle should be included with each version.

And, of course, the photos: