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Jaeger-LeCoultre Master Control Date 40mm Stainless Steel
Ref. Q4018420
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Stepping up in Jaeger-LeCoultre's range
The Master Control line traces its character back to the round-cased dress watches JLC built in the 1950s, and the current generation refines that template rather than reinvents it. The calibre 899 inside carries a silicon escapement and revised gear train — changes that produce a steadier seconds hand and extend the power reserve to 70 hours — and the whole movement completes JLC's 1,000 Hours Control protocol before the case is closed. That is a sustained endurance test, not a marketing claim, and it is what separates this from a watch that merely looks the part. At 8.78mm thick, this sits conspicuously flat on the wrist for a 40mm automatic, and that proportion is the point of the design: it disappears under a shirt cuff the way thicker sports watches cannot. The silvered sunray dial picks up light at an angle and flattens out in shade, giving the watch two different faces depending on conditions, with the heat-blued seconds hand and rhodium-plated indices reading cleanly against it either way. The Novonappa calfskin strap integrates a quick-release system, so changing it requires no tools — a small convenience that matters more once you own the watch than it does in a brochure.
- Reference
- Q4018420
- Brand
- Jaeger-LeCoultre
- Collection
- Master Control
- Case size
- 40mm
- Case thickness
- 8.78mm
- Lug width
- 20mm
- Case material
- Stainless steel
- Case shape
- Round
- Dial
- Silver
- Crystal
- Sapphire
- Movement
- Automatic
- Calibre
- 899
- Functions
- Date
- Water resistance
- 50m
- Bracelet / strap
- Leather strap
- Strap colour
- Brown
- Clasp
- Deployant clasp
- Lume
- Luminous
- Condition
- Pre-owned
- Retailer
- Mappin & Webb
Additional specifications
- Lug-to-lug
- 47.5mm
- Power reserve
- 70 hours
Learn more about Jaeger-LeCoultre
Antoine LeCoultre opened a workshop in Le Sentier in 1833 and set about solving a problem nobody else had: precise measurement. His Millionomètre of 1844 was the first instrument capable of measuring to a micron, and it let the Vallée de Joux move from skilled approximation to genuine precision.
The house became the movement supplier to the industry. Patek Philippe, Vacheron Constantin, Cartier, and Audemars Piguet all built watches on LeCoultre ébauches, and the manufacture has produced well over a thousand distinct calibres — an output no other house approaches. The partnership with the Parisian retailer Edmond Jaeger, formalised in the company name in 1937, gave it the Jaeger-LeCoultre it still carries.
Two products define it in the public mind. The Reverso of 1931 was designed so British Army officers in India could flip the case and protect the crystal during polo; the reversible case became one of the few genuinely original watch designs of the century. The Atmos clock, developed from 1928, runs on atmospheric temperature variation and needs no winding at all.
The Duoplan and the calibre 101 — still the smallest mechanical movement in series production, introduced in 1929 — sit alongside the gyrotourbillons and minute repeaters that keep the manufacture at the technical front.
Richemont has owned the house since 2000.
- 1833
- Antoine LeCoultre founds his workshop in Le Sentier.
- 1844
- The Millionomètre measures to the micron for the first time.
- 1929
- Calibre 101, the smallest mechanical movement, is introduced.
- 1931
- The Reverso launches with its flip case.
- 1937
- The Jaeger-LeCoultre name is formalised.
Also in 6 collections
This watch appears in Back in Stock (5,241), Stainless Steel Watches (3,391), Automatic Watches (1,792), Leather Strap Watches (1,111), Silver Dial Watches (757) and Dress Watches (569).
What the specifications mean
A slim watch on leather, made for wearing with a shirt.
Strengths
- 40mm suits most wrists
- 8.78mm is unusually slim for a 40mm case
- Sapphire crystal, which resists scratching
- 70-hour reserve survives a weekend off the wrist
- Luminous hands and markers for low light
Worth knowing
- 50m suits rain and handwashing, not swimming
Price history
This watch is currently at its lowest recorded price. It reached £6,750 on 5 September. Prices are checked every day, and we record any changes.
Jaeger-LeCoultre Master Control Date alternatives
Watches from other brands at a similar price, style and size, so you can see what else your budget can buy.
| Specification | Q4018420 | 03.3300.3604/21.C822 | 18400205 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | £6,150 | £6,250 | £6,960 |
| Case size | 40mm | 39.5mm | 39.5mm |
| Water resistance | 50m | 100m | 30m |
| Movement | Automatic | Automatic | Automatic |
| Strap | Leather strap | Rubber strap | Stainless steel bracelet |
| Power reserve | 70 hours | 60 hours | 55 hours |
| This watch |
|
|
Your new watch
Frequently asked questions, and things you should know about this watch
Can I swim with it?
Showering yes, swimming no. 50m covers splashes and brief immersion, but a swimming stroke generates well above the pressure that figure describes.
Water resistance explainedWill the glass scratch?
Unlikely. Sapphire is second only to diamond in hardness and shrugs off everyday marking.
Sapphire, mineral and acrylic comparedDoes it need a battery?
No. It is automatic — the motion of your wrist winds it, and there is no cell to replace.
Quartz, automatic and solar comparedHow long does it run for when it's not worn?
About 70 hours fully wound — enough to sit off the wrist over a weekend and still be running.
What size strap does it take?
20mm. Any strap of that width will fit, and on most modern watches quick-release bars make the swap a two-minute job with no tools.
Will it fit my wrist?
Lug-to-lug is 47.5mm, which suits wrists from roughly 16.5cm (6½ inches) upward.
Lug-to-lug decides fit more than case diameter does.
How to size a watch to your wristIs it a men's or women's watch?
Listed as men's, though at 40mm it sits in the range that suits anyone.
Cheapest place to buy
Mappin & Webb at £6,150 is the cheapest of 3 UK retailers, against £6,750 at the dearest — a difference of £600.
Has the price changed recently?
It's currently at its lowest recorded price since we began tracking it. It's ranged between £6,150 and £6,750, today it's £6,150.
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