Credits: Article and images by @ Quill & Pad. See the original article here - https://quillandpad.com/2024/05/04/long-term-keepers-three-watches-i-cant-bear-to-sell-2/
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3. Jaeger-LeCoultre Master Ultra Thin Reference 145.8.79.S
The story: DrMrsG and I hadn’t been married that long, but it was already evident to her that I was crazy for all things horological and as a “big” birthday gift she proposed that I select a watch that would be meaningful to me.
Of course, any watch purchased by one’s partner is going to have real meaning! I thought long and hard as I didn’t want to break the bank but at the same time wanted to pick a piece that had real merit. Given the options I considered I’m still really pleased that I landed on this early Master Ultra Thin.
One immense influence on my decision was a landmark 2002 review on TimeZone by Walt Odets, a professional psychologist and noted author and self-taught watchmaker. Odets may well have invented the in-depth online watch review, and he went to lengths we can barely imagine these days, actually taking the watches apart and re-assembling them while capturing their features in carefully annotated photos and unsparing prose.
![](https://wristnews.com/storage/2022/05/Keeper_17.jpg)
![](https://wristnews.com/storage/2022/05/Keeper_17.jpg)
Master Ultra Thin by Jaeger-LeCoultre
Why it’s a keeper: DrMrsG has sold a couple of watches that I’ve gifted to her (after discussing the idea with me), but I’m perhaps not so brave! Brave or not, I’d probably still have kept this piece: as Odets noted in his review, the Master Ultra Thin with its Caliber 849 was one of the greatest ultra-thin watches of its time. Despite ongoing innovation in the ultra-thin stakes by Piaget, Bulgari, and others, I believe that it still acquits itself extremely well.
Caliber 849 (a minor update from Caliber 839, originally introduced in the 1970s) has a number of features including a hanging spring barrel to keep it thin and utilizes pillar-and-plate box-like construction to ensure its rigidity.
![](https://wristnews.com/storage/2022/05/Keeper_18.jpg)
![](https://wristnews.com/storage/2022/05/Keeper_18.jpg)
Movement view, Jaeger-LeCoultre Master Ultra Thin
It was said at the time that the Master Ultra Thin and its movement were finished and assembled in JLC’s Complications Department, a claim that I find easy to accept given the attractive finishing work and the obvious challenges inherent in making a robust watch this thin.
As proud owners drolly noted in comparing the Master Ultra Thin with other brands’ thin watches, which ground to a halt when strapped a bit too tightly onto the wrist, the Master Ultra Thin might not have been absolutely the thinnest watch in the world, but it was the thinnest one that worked.
![](https://wristnews.com/storage/2022/05/Keeper_19.jpg)
![](https://wristnews.com/storage/2022/05/Keeper_19.jpg)
High complication quality: Jaeger-LeCoultre Caliber 849
The case integrity is such that the watch is pressure-rated to 5o meters (5 ATM), and while there was an even marginally slimmer version made with a solid case back, I’m glad that I have the one that allows the movement and its classic Vallée de Joux finger-bridge architecture to be viewed.
Jaeger-LeCoultre even deployed an optical illusion to help make the watch both thin and attractive: while the hands appear to rise to a ridge in the center, they are actually flat. The illusion of vertical shape comes from polishing one side of the hands and frosting the other.
![](https://wristnews.com/storage/2022/05/Keeper_20.jpg)
![](https://wristnews.com/storage/2022/05/Keeper_20.jpg)
Illusion of depth: Master Ultra Thin with frosted and polished hand finishes
At 34 mm in diameter the Master Ultra Thin does wear a bit small on the wrist by contemporary standards. I’m tempted to say “but it wears bigger than it measures” just like every other review of smallish watches, but I’ll spare you that.
![](https://wristnews.com/storage/2022/05/Keeper_21.jpg)
![](https://wristnews.com/storage/2022/05/Keeper_21.jpg)
On the wrist: Jaeger-LeCoultre Master Ultra Thin
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Credits: Article and images by @ Quill & Pad. See the original article here - https://quillandpad.com/2024/05/04/long-term-keepers-three-watches-i-cant-bear-to-sell-2/