SIHH 2010: Jaeger-LeCoultre Master Compressor LAB 2 automatic chronograph
Officially unveiled just this week, the new Jaeger-LeCoultre Master Compressor Extreme LAB 2 automatic chronograph wrist watch is a worthy addition to JLC’s Master Compressor line and, for what it is worth, is the most interesting among all timepieces presented by the Swiss company during the SIHH 2010 event.
The watch is available either in red gold (Ref. Q2032470) or in titanium (Ref. Q203T470) and, depending on the case material, is powered by the JLC Calibre 781 and JLC Calibre 780 automatic chronograph movements respectively.
The only difference between the two highly complicated engines is the chassis material: the first is built on TiVan15 high-grade titanium alloy and the second features good old 18 carat red gold.
To ensure its resistance to strong magnetic fields, the movement is fitted with a silicon escapement wheel and some of its gears and trains are made of an anti-magnetic alloy.
Well, a good ole’ soft-iron antimagnetic cage could probably have served a better job, but the watch itself could also have become obscenely fat and JLC’s marketing department couldn’t let this happen. Period.
Both movements store enough energy to power the watch up to 60 hours and include such complications as the second time zone with 24 hours indication, date, power reserve, and chronograph.
What’s the most interesting about the chronograph function is that it displays the elapsed minutes in digital form using a jumping minute counter at 12 o’clock. Judging by the looks of it, JLC is experimenting with an adequate answer to the last year’s A. Lange & Sohne Zeitwerk revolutionary time measuring device.
The movement is encased in a larger than life sandwich-structured body 46.8 millimeters in diameter and impressive 16.5 mm in height.
As you can see on the photos, the watch sports a very busy skeletonized dial, but thanks to its high-contrast color scheme there is no problem reading the basic information, such as time (both local and GMT) and date.
Photos: Jaeger-LeCoultre
Jaeger-LeCoultre Master Compressor Extreme LAB 2 automatic chronograph watch specification
Price range: N/A
Movement: JLC Calibre 781 or 780, automatic, 569 parts (Calibre 780) and 566 parts (Calibre 781), 34.7 in diameter, 8.55 mm in height, 28,800 vph, in-house
Complications: Date, chronograph, GMT, power reserve
Power reserve: 60 hours
Case material: Titanium or Red gold
Bezel material: Black ceramic
Case shape: Round
Transparent case back: Yes, sapphire crystal caseback
Case size: 46.8 mm
Case height: 16.5 mm
Dial: Black, skeletonized
Hands: Titanium or Red gold
Strap: Double alligator leather strap
Crystal: Sapphire, antireflective coating
Water resistance: N/A
Evgueni Matoussevitch in Swiss WatchesTags: 46.8 mm, Automatic, Chronograph, date, GMT, Jaeger-LeCoultre, JLC Calibre 780, JLC Calibre 781, LAB 2, Master Compressor, red gold, Ref. Q2032470, Ref. Q203T470, Titanium, TiVan15
