Thread: JLC Master Geographic mini review [pics heavy]

JAEGER LECOULTRE MASTER GEOGRAPHIC

Model: Master Geographic
Maker: unknown
Movement: Seagull ST-1780, 23j
Dealer: Hont



First of all, thanks to dmpmassive from rwg.bz for a nice and honest review here http://www.rwg.bz/board/index.php?showtopic=38471
His review tells already a lot

THE GEN:







The gen Master Geographic, presented by Jaeger LeCoultre in 2011, is a 39 mm watch powered by a caliber 939 inhouse manufactured by JLC. It is an auto winding movement beating at 28,800 vph and capable of displaying date and power reserve, moreover a second time zone is displayed in a specific sub dial which also has day/night indicator on the side. The second time zone is set via the crown at 10 by selecting one of the 24 earth time zones displayed by the subdial at 6. Much more complicated to explain than to read
This watch is available with white or black dial, in SS or RG.

THE REP



To begin with, let me say this is a great watch regardless its accuracy to gen. It can not be defined a super rep since it has a bunch of quite evident flaws that many will see as deal breakers. Of course it's not my case, in my opinion this is one of the most beautifully designed watches and the flaws I identified are subtracting nothing from the beauty of this piece. Moreover JLC is all but a mainstream name, you don't see one of these at every street angle like a Rolex sub, more likely you will never meet anyone owning this watch.
Anyway, hopefully one day we will see a new and better version of this, in the meanwhile I am more than happy with this one
The rep comes in the same variations as gen, white or black dial with SS or RG (plated of course) case.
I chose the white dial/RG case which I felt had the right mix of elegant and sporty look.

CASE





First and most evident flaw is the case size, which is 42 mm and thus quite bigger than gen.
This might be a flaw, but to me it only adds to the wrist presence of the watch, 39 mm are way too little for my taste so I'm happy with it.
Apart from the size, the case is very well shaped and machined. Only differences I can see is the slightly thinner bezel and the thinner lugs in gen. Crystal height looks fine.
The polishing is shiny and the plating looks good. Let's not forget this is a plated rep, so it's better not to abuse of it





DIAL



The gen white dial has a particular silver effect that some have defined as brushed, which is greatly replicated in this rep. As you can see in the pics there are silverish particles in the dial that reflect the light in a particular way, making it really pop.
All sub dials are recessed to various degrees, just like the gen, giving the dial his gorgeous look.



Prints are crisp and correctly placed as far as I can tell. Font, if not spot on, is so similar I can't see a difference.
The small lume dots glow very weak, like gen. Some of the dots are not perfectly centered though, nothing noticeable with the naked eye but it could have easily been better.



Hour, minute and seconds hand are spot on in shape, but they miss the same finish as gen, with one side polished and one side blasted.
The small sub dial hands have the correct RG pin, but they should be blued instead of black. It took me a while to spot this


CASEBACK



The case back is well machined and polished, with crisp engravings.
It does look good even though there are a bunch of flaws here, the most noticeable being the misspelling in the word MASTBR at 12. Moreover the case back shape is incorrect and the word PROTO is not present in the gen.



Other engravings are fine, with slightly different font in model and serial numbers.

MOVEMENT



All the complications are working, with the exception of the time zone selection: you can change the city showed using the crown at 10 but this won't affect the second time zone sub dial. Well, the gen retails for around 11.000 usd, while the rep is under 200... There must be some difference
The movement looks stunning, unfortunately it is totally different from gen. The rep is completely gold plated, while the gen shows only the rotor weight in rose gold.

STRAP

The rep strap is the definition of crap, no pic of it.
Anyone who buys this rep must include in its cost the price for sourcing a good strap. I put it on a 22/18 Orloff croc which allowed me to reuse the rep buckle.
Regarding the buckle, the gen has a butterfly clasp, while the rep is equipped with a normal tang buckle.



CONCLUSIONS



The back of the watch is full of flaws ranging from the wrong color of the movement to that bloody misspelling, so if you're worried about accuracy this ain't a watch for you.
On the other hand, if you want a gorgeous looking watch suitable for an elegant environment, but with a bit of a modern and sporty look, you might find a great companion in this watch. Its beauty lies in its ability to be worn with a dress or with shirt and jeans, always adding an understated elegance that can't be found elsewhere.
Pretty much what I said in the beginning of this review: imho the watch is a stunner and is worth buying for what it is, regardless of its inaccuracies.



Few more shots:

























And the mandatory wristie:



Thanks for looking, feel free to point out any inaccurate statement, I'm happy to update the review

I agree, and I was undecided wether to buy the rep or not, but in the end I thought that the watch never leaves my wrist so nobody can notice this flaw.

wow, great photos, watch looks stunning.

Cheers guys, thanks for the kind words

Originally Posted by bobkat

Thanks for the wonderful review and photos. Definitely my next purchase! Can you tell us how thick the watch is? Will it fit under cuff comfortably?

It should be 13.5 mm according to the dealers, a bit more than a date just which is 12.
Definitely not as thin as a Patek Nautilus, but still totally wearable with shirt and dress IMHO.

wonderful review!!

Where did you get this, I would love this in black, or even this color, if it was a deal. Thanks so much!!!

Originally Posted by watch_solo

Where did you get this, I would love this in black, or even this color, if it was a deal. Thanks so much!!!

If you're talking about the watch, it comes in SS or rosegold, with white or black face. I think they should all be available.

Originally Posted by prancuzas

Decent strap (like this one from Orloff) adds so much value to any watch!

Agreed, the strap makes the watch

Thanks for the review and pics. Is the watch worth its value? I've been debating on getting one.

Imho it is well worth it. Few reps are of this quality for less than 200 usd

On RWI I read about the 2017 version of this replica that the secondary time cannot be adjusted separately from the primery time. Is it true?

Me I dont know tbh