Jaeger-LeCoultre

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It's hard to say, "What is the (modern) essence..."

of the brand. For me, what captivates "the best of the best" in JLC would come down to a few pieces, since JLC is one of the deepest brands in the industry (read: breadth of product offering). Here are a few of what I, personally, consider the best AND THE ESSENCE of JLC:

1. Grande GMT (although technically discontinued). Why? The 8-day movement (runs 9.25 days) is based on the JLC 124, created in 1931 and sold to Patek-Philippe. In the Grande GMT, you get 2 watches for the price of one, a large date that is the off-spring of the grande-date JLC developed in 1992, but was forced by Gunther Blumlein to give exclusively to A. Lange & Sohne for 10 years, and 11 moving hands/discs on one watch and it STILL doesn't look cluttered. I think it's one of the best values in the entire watch universe.

2. Master Control Reserve de Marche. Why? JLC has been using this movement (and it's variants) since the 1980's. In the old "Gentilhomme" with hobnail sides to it's bezel (the JLC Calatrava), it was pretty, but stark, with the black hands on white dial with black Roman numerals. When the Master Control series debuted in 1992, the Reserve de Marche found its way into the family by '94. Additionally, JLC sells the movement to VC (who charges 50% more for it), and has sold it (look back about 7 years) to AP, who took off the rotor and made it a hand-wound, flipped the movement's complication backwards - so that the power reserve was at 2 o'clock and the date at 10 o'clock. Though it's not made at the moment (I'm hoping for a boutique edition), the black dial on the steel bracelet is as beautiful as the old PP Neptune model with the power reserve, moonphase and date. The modern silver dial RdM on a Navy strap is KILLER!

3. Atmos Transparent with month & moonphase. Why? Invented by Leon Reutters and perfected by JLC, the Atmos has been "the official gift of the Swiss confederation" since 1938. The transparent version allows you to see the movement, which historically was hidden from view inside the brass cover. With all the talk by AL&S of precision moonphases (one day variation every 1,058 years in the new TerraLuna, the Atmos Transparent is off one day every 3,128 years(!!!) and doesn't need any winding! It quietly (very quietly) ticks off the minutes, hours, months and moonphases until...well, until it needs a cleaning, which can be every 25 years or sometimes more.

Other pieces I would consider that reveal the essence of "modern" JLC would be:

4. Compressor Geographic. Why?Even though this model is discontinued, the Compressor System is the best water-proofing system I have personally seen and played with in the industry. It's simple, ultra-efficient, and give each Compressor a visual identity - with the wing-nuts. The Geographic complication, which has been considered a "Masterpiece" in the industry since it's initial debut in 1989, in this iteration uses an AM/PM indicator, instead of the Day/Night indicator, dispenses with the power reserve, and looks beefy. On the bracelet, it is AWESOME(!!!) with the micro-adjustable clasp.

5. DuoMeter Quantieme Lunair. Why?: The Dual-Wing movements aren't new to watch-making, but in wristwatches, they've only been dabbled in up to this point. The level of finish on the DuoMeter movements rivals anything put out by PP or AL&S, and the dial layout is gorgeous. With the open apertures (in the 42mm version), it's just plain SEXY! (Kind of like negligee vs naked when you look at the back of a movement. It just tantalizes you with what's under the dress.)

This is just one man's opinion, but one who has been following and loving JLC for 20 years.

-Dean