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amanico
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The Master Control: A pleasure for Connoisseur?

The Master Control is an underated watch.

Check the posts on line: Since when didn't we speak about it?

The complications, friendly and / or sophisticated are invading the foras, but what about the Master Control?

Nothing, or almost!

To be true, there is nothing exceptional, here: No other complication than the Date, the second, the minute and hour, and this simple watch is not particularly, spectacularly thin, like the Master Ultra Thin can be.

Its true purpose is elsewhere: Reliability and Precision.

Not the most spectacular, indeed, but not the less indispensable!

Indeed, without these cardinal virtues, how could we go further in complications?

Let's have a small journey in Time...

1992 saw the birth of this watch, which, at this time, was called Master Grande Taille.

At this moment, the Master Control Family didn't exist, yet.

So, the Master Grande Taille is, in all simplicity, the first of this now popular family.

The Master Grande Taille in Stainless Steel ( Credit picture: E.W.C )



In Rose Gold:



Let's go back in time, let's dive more into Time...

Which watch can be considered as the ancester of the Master Control?

Which other watch does have this simple, clean, sober appearance in the JLC Family, which provides the hour, minute, second, date, and which offers reliability and precision?

The ... Geomatic, of course!

A Dream Duo, the Geomatic in Stainless Steel and in Rose Gold:



You will tell me that the Geomatic is a Chronometer, but what do you think the Master Control is?

A modern Chronometer!

If you want to read more about JLC and Chronometry, please click on this link:



- Audemars Piguet - The Royal oak - ( Cal 2326 ) :



To be compared with the Cal 889/2 " himself ":



The Ancester, the Cal K 881 G of the Geomatic Ref E 398:



It is funny to notice that the Geomatic and the Master Grande Taille movements both share the same 2 first reference numbers 88x, even if 10 years separate them.

Do we have to see a coincidence here, or the willing to " link " these 2 calibres?

In 2006, JLC decided to discontinue the Master Grande Taille and to replace it with the Master Control as, certainly, an homage to the first watch to receive the 1000 hours Control label.

This is not only a change of name, but also an aesthetical and mechanical evolution.

The Cal 889/2 had a bidirectional rotor, with the outer part of the " masse oscillante " in 21 Karat Gold, 33 jewels, an autonomy of 40 hours, and was quite thin with its 3, 25 height.

The Cal 899 has an unidirectional rotor, with the outer part of its " masse oscillante " in 22 Karat Gold, receiving the ceramic ball bearings, 32 jewels, an autonomy which is now of 45 hours, slightly higher 3, 30 mm. and bigger ( 26, 6 mm versus 25, 99 mm for the Cal 889/2 ).

Both are beating at 28 800 vibrations per hour, which is far from the 19 800 alternances of the Cal K 881 G of the Geomatic.

The decoration is subtle, as well as the finish, like on the Geomatic, by the way, even if I'm more impressed by the 881 than by the 889 / 899, on this matter, still, it is not unpleasant to the eye:



" The epitome of the simple, perfect round watch ".

This is how JLC described the Master Control in the Catalog.



These words can be applied to the Geomatic, the Master Grande Taille and the Master Control, even if there were some notable evolutions.

An evolution towards bigger and thicker case ( 36 mm / 37 mm / 40 mm ), but still the same " air de famille ", between these 3.

Some details I preferred on the previous models ( Geomatic and Master Grande Taille ) were:

- The very thin and thin bezel, compared to the too large one on the Master Control, but it may change, as we see some evolutions in this direction on latest models such as the Master Memovox, Master Chrono, and Hometime.

- The case back: The Geomatic one was splendid, with its engraved planisphere.



It is still solid on the Master Grande Taille, bearing the Master 1000 Hours Logo, which is a nice idea.

While the Master Control has a sapphire case back, which I find less interesting than a solid one, bearing some evocating engravings, such as the planisphere which re appeared on the Master Compressor Memovox or the latest Master Memovox / Master Chronograph.

Besides these small reserves, the Master Control is a smart, honest, and very interesting offer from " La Grande Maison ", in my point of view.

This model offers all a Classic watch can do:

A sober, timeless design, which didn't change too much with time passing, if you compare it to its ancester.

Here, no " faute de gout " ( no tasteless approach ), as you won't have too much writings on the dial ( Just the JL Logo and name under 12, and the Swiss Made mention at each side of the 6, which is better than on the Master Grande Taille, which had an " unfortunate " Automatic written just above 6 o clock.



A sunburst silvered dial, with applied indexes and some very elegant Dauphine hands contribute to the undisputable elegance of this watch.

And for black dial lovers...

The Boutique Edition in White Gold is definitely for you!



The Ratio Diameter ( 40 mm ) / Thickness ( 8,5 mm ) is also a positive point, as these restrained volumes, and the lugs, which are still slim and pleasantly beveled, won't ruin the discrete beauty of the Master Control.



From the COSC to the 1000 Hours Control, the Master Control is indeed an important part of the Manufacture History.

To discover or re discover without moderation!

Looking forward to read your comments,

Best.

Nicolas This message has been edited by amanico on 2011-07-18 01:51:13 This message has been edited by amanico on 2011-07-21 13:42:12