When Jaeger-LeCoultre launched its Master Control collection in 1992, the line was the first of Jaeger-LeCoultre’s collections to benefit from its pioneering ‘1000 Hours Control’ certification, which inspired the collection’s name.

A demanding process that tests the entire cased-up watch (not just its movement), it set a new benchmark and has continually evolved in response to technological advances to remain one of the watch industry’s most stringent testing protocols.

For 2020, rather than paying homage to a single historic reference, Jaeger-LeCoultre now presents a range of new timepieces featuring some of its most emblematic complications: a time-and-date automatic, a triple-display calendar with a moon phase, a chronograph calendar with a newly developed calibre, and a Geographic travel timer.

The manufacture’s engineers have comprehensively revised and updated all of the movements, increasing power reserves to as much as 70 hours, and, like all Jaeger-LeCoultre timepieces, the Master Control watches carry an eight-year warranty in addition to the 1,000 Hours Control certification.

Rather than indicating only the hour of a second time zone, the Master Control Geographic timepiece also has a 24-hour night/day indicator and, in an aperture at the bottom of the dial, which displays the city name relating to the zone. This gives travellers the option of setting the second time by location, rather than needing to calculate the time difference.

The dial adheres to the familiar Geographic layout, with time-zone displays balanced by a date subdial and a power reserve indicator, and heat-blued steel hands adding a pop of colour to enhance legibility. But now, the entire updated dial is sunray-brushed, contained within a wide, convex flange on which the elongated triangular indexes are set.

The Geographic model features a new-generation Calibre 939 and the case is available in a choice of steel or Le Grand Rose gold – a new pink gold alloy with a remarkable sheen and depth of colour.

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