Jaeger-LeCoultre was one of the most talked about brands at SIHH this year, with the release of the stunning (and surprising!) sector dial additions to the Master Control collection. However, there was another collection updated this year that you may have missed, the Rendez-Vous collection. Now, I am kind of a Reverso gal through and through, but I was rather impressed with the new Jaeger-LeCoultre Rendez-Vous Night & Day Large, especially in stainless steel.Jaeger-LeCoultre was one of the most talked about brands at SIHH this year, with the release of the stunning (and surprising!) sector dial additions to the Master Control collection. However, there was another collection updated this year that you may have missed, the Rendez-Vous collection. Now, I am kind of a Reverso gal through and through, but I was rather impressed with the new Rendez-Vous Night & Day Large, especially in stainless steel.
The Rendez-Vous collection was initially released in 2012 as a round watch for women looking for an alternative to the rectangular Reverso. The Rendez-Vous is characterized by its round case shape and was actually inspired by the Master Control. While the original concept of the Rendez-Vous was to offer a round case option with more “feminine” features, such as smaller dimensions and materials like diamonds and mother-of-pearl, the new Night & Day Large is a departure from that with its case measuring a solid 38.3mm compared to the smaller Night & Day that measures 34mm. So what is there to know about this watch besides the size? Well, it is available in steel with or without a bracelet and rose gold with diamonds and a strap. The silvered dial has a guilloché pattern radiating from the center. The Arabic numerals are slightly exaggerated, which is customary for the Rendez-Vous collection. There are small diamond-set indexes, though they’re relatively subtle and add just a little sparkle (note: the early versions shot here at SIHH do not have these diamond indexes yet). The hands are a crisp blued steel and contrast nicely with the silvered dial.
The watch is powered by the caliber JLC 898D/1, which is an automatic movement that features the hours, minutes, center seconds, and of course a night and day indication. The movement is made of 300 parts and has a power reserve of 40 hours. The night and day indication is displayed at six o’clock, where a semi-circular aperture is placed. The sun, representing the day, is illustrated with exaggerated squiggly rays, while the moon (indicating night) is a crescent moon with three small stars attached. On the large steel version, the sun and moon are in blued steel while the rose gold version has a rose gold sun and moon. Obviously, this complication isn’t entirely necessary practically speaking, but this is a ladies’ watch, not a tool watch. So how does it wear on the wrist? Really well. It looks clean and depending on your wrist size, sits nicely. The dial is easy to read and the differentiating textures between the center and the outside chapter ring are really add a nice touch to this piece. Even though the numerals are a notable characteristic of the Rendez-Vous collection, they are slightly too big for my liking. Instead of looking elegant, they end up looking slightly cartoonish, but there is no point in obsessing over something that I cannot change. Overall the watch still gives a elegant but practical impression.Overall, I think this is a really nice release from JLC and shows that there continues to be a trend towards less frilly, larger women’s watches. In stainless steel, the Jaeger Lecoultre Rendez-Vous Night & Day Large retails for $8,800 in steel on a strap, $9,900 in steel on a bracelet, and $23,600 in pink gold with the diamond bezel. Especially in steel, this is pretty good value relative to what else I’ve seen lately.