Famed as the watchmaker’s watchmaker, Jaeger LeCoultre is perhaps one of the most prestigious brands in the industry. With over 1200 calibers to their name and with a long history of creating movements for brands such as Patek Philippe, Audemars Piguet, and many others, watchmaking skill is something they have in abundance. Not afraid of flexing their horological muscles, the JLC Master 8 Days Perpetual Calendar is one of the purest expressions of their ability to create incredible watches that feature movements that are simply out of this world.
Before we get into its movement, I would like to begin with this timepiece’s design. From an aesthetic point of view, the Master 8 Days Perpetual Calendar’s design seems rather quaint thanks to JLC’s less is more philosophy. With its round 40mm x 12.8mm polished 18kt rose gold case, smooth bezel, and strong lugs, the Master 8 Days certainly portrays itself as quite a regal timepiece, that refrains from the pageantry involved with loud brash designs and allows for great wearability.
Providing a glimpse into the wonderfully complicated movement beneath, the Master 8 Days features a stunning ivory-coloured dial adorned with case-matching 18kt rose gold dial furniture and applied hour markers. Hinting at the complexity of the cal. 876-440b beneath, the Master 8 Days’ dial houses a power reserve indicator, an AM/PM indicator, the day, date, month, and moon phase while also displaying the full four-digit year between 7 and 8 o’clock.
As we expect from a brand of JLC’s prestige, the manual-wind 4Hz cal. 876-440b movement is hand-finished to JLC’s exacting standards. Decorated with JLC’s patented “côtes soleillées” and “perlage” throughout, the exhibition caseback at the rear of the Master 8 Days provides a treat for the senses as the movement beats away. While the cal. 876-440b is rated to 8 Days, JLC is really under-promising and over-delivering as the movement gives about 9 to 10 days of power reserve, but will begin to wane in terms of accuracy, with the advertised 8-day window offering peak performance.
An excellent exhibition of JLC’s watchmaking prowess, the Master 8 Days is an incredible timepiece with a high-horology complication offered from a top-tier brand that sacrifices nothing, making it a wonderful addition to any collection it finds itself within.
