Jaeger-LeCoultre

Have been wearing this for at least 3 days in a week (4 most of the time) since I got it in early April, and this has to be one of the most comfortable watches I have. The weight and fit on the wrist is close to perfect, and for smaller wrists like mine, I would think that in the current trends of oversized and large watches, this one decides well to stay on the beaten path for a good and logical size for everyday use. Although dressy in nature, it goes pretty well even with jeans and t-shirts.

Accuracy is up there with the best, gaining 3 seconds every 6 weeks. I did not measure it in any specific positions, but went for the regular use - either on the wrist, on the dresser and on the winder.  This is the only moon phase watch I own, but I can tell you that it's a function that is quite useless to me. I neither care to set it nor do I use it. I just like to have it I feel it adds some depth and life to a plain silver dial, which is also pretty stunning with a sunburst like effect under the light. The moon phase combined with the recessed date sub-dial lends some character that differentiates it from a time only watch or one with a date in a regular window at 3 o'clock. Another feature which is a favorite of mine is the blued center seconds. A habit I have is staring at the seconds move, and that blued hands with the long tail is something I like a lot in the design. Small deal it may be, but it was one of the primary deciding factors when deciding between this and another model at the boutique.

One thing I don't really find practical after wearing this for some time would be the date. While the pointer date is a nice feature, the font is just too small to get at a glance, and when you have the minute hand hovering over the date dial, it will be faster to just pull out the phone to check on the date than trying to decipher the numbers, shadows and the dots. I also find that the pusher to adjust the date is not the best thing to have when traveling over different timezones. First, there is a need to find an object that will not cause damage to the pushers to use, then it's that counting the number of times to push it while struggling to see the date to ensure it's correct. I took this on a recent trip that went through 4 timezones and I ended up just setting the time and not bothering about the date till I got home.

The strap  - now that's something I wish had been a lot better. The deployant is superb, as with all JLC's - well, I'm comparing this to my Reverso Grande Taille, which is the only other JLC I own. It locks well and centers the watch on the wrist well. The strap however - it doesn't get a whole lot softer after much use, unlike the alligator straps on my other watches, and it squeaks at the lugs - yes, squeaks every time I flex it. It gets annoying after a while. I tried some leather polish at the lugs and it would fix the squeaks for about a week and a half and then it is back. Not sure if the rounded pins  contribute to this. I'm not one who goes about changing straps all the time and would usually stick with the original unless it needs to be replaced, so this is definitely something I wish could have been better finished.

Aside from that grouse, everything about this watch is just brilliant. From the comfort, the design and the movement, this is one that I have no regrets - but that strap is making me want to break my rules on strap swapping when it's still in perfect shape.

Some pictures below to share.

Date dial look nice in pictures but in reality is too small to be practical

As always, the finishing of the movement is very nice to admire. Blued screws add a nice touch of color.

The wrist shot

Profile. Date pusher on crown side and moon phase pusher at 8 o'clock position.

Deployant - still an industry benchmark from JLC IMO.

Thanks for looking.

Richard

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