Jaeger-LeCoultre Master Compressor GMT Luxury Watch Review

http://www.thewatchbox.com/watches/ja... The Jaeger-LeCoultre Master Compressor GMT splits the difference between high horology and deep diving. With a pedigree born of JLC's watchmaking mastery and a profile that screams "sports watch," this is a watch equally at home in a business suit or bathing suit. And with its 100-meter water resistance rating, the 18-karat rose gold Master Compressor GMT ensures that for those who do choose to take the plunge, "sunken treasure" will be found on the wrist, not the seabed. Jaeger-LeCoultre's Master Compressor GMT is a watershed model in the company's 182-year history. Although JLC heritage boasts such collectible sports watch classics as the 1959 Deepsea Alarm and 1965-70 Polaris, the Le Sentier manufacture was bereft of a true sports model from the late 1970s until the early 2000s. With the debut of the first Master Compressor Memovox in 2002, this catalog vacancy was filled. Shortly thereafter, Jaeger-LeCoultre upped the ante with the Master Compressor GMT. The Master Compressor GMT features the robust 41.5mm case of its companions in the JLC Compressor line, and the GMT shares their clever Compressor Key water resistance device. One half-turn of the Compressor Key's flanking wings unlocks the crown for winding and setting of the GMT's date and twin time zones. The crown can be secured against water intrusion with the same effortless half-twist. Not only does the Compressor Key system reduce wear and tear on the crown seals, but it offers a secure grip when hands are wet, slippery, or gloved. Jaeger-LeCoultre leverages the broad grips of the Compressor Key to provide a key ergonomic edge over traditional screw-down crowns such as those found on the Rolex Oyster cases. For good measure, Jaeger-LeCoultre provides color-keyed failsafe cues for the owner: visible red arrows indicate that the Compressor Key is unlocked and visible white arrows confirm that the system is locked securely. Jaeger-LeCoultre endows the Master Compressor GMT with a dial that references history (note the resemblance of the indices to those of the 1968 Polaris), but the look is thoroughly contemporary. A light grey galvanic base provides outstanding contrast for the applied gold indices, and legibility is superb in light and dark conditions. Matching 18-karat rose gold hour and minute hands provide a fitting complement to the warm hue of the case. The dual-time functions of the Jaeger-LeCoultre Master Compressor GMT are straightforward to set and read. A reference time zone is tracked by the skeletonized trapeze hand at center, and its AM/PM indicator is represented by a 24-hour subdial at 12 o'clock. When the second time zone is not required, the reference time hand can be hidden beneath the local time hour hand to produce a supremely clean visage for a complicated watch. Beneath the dial, Jaeger-LeCoultre's manufacture flexes its muscles with the in-house caliber 975 "Autotractor." Designed in the early 2000s as the basis for a new generation of Jaeger-LeCoultre movements, the caliber 975 is rugged, precise, and technologically advanced. Its unlubricated ceramic rotor bearings are sealed for life and maintenance-free; the free-sprung escapement is braced by a robust dual-anchored balance. Clearly, this is a muscular movement built for sports watches, but it's also a fine caliber built for precision. All examples of the caliber 975 pass through Jaeger-LeCoultre's Master 1000 hours control process. For over 40 days, the fully-cased movement (completed watch) is subjected to dynamic winding, shocks, temperature fluctuations, as well as power reserve, water resistance, and chronometer (precision) tests. The result is a watch that will run with the best COSC chronometers in the real world. See this outstanding Jaeger-LeCoultre Master Compressor GMT in high-resolution images on www.thewatchbox.com. Video and content by Tim Mosso.