Last new arrival of the year!!

[mlcor]

So...I've been really wanting this one for a year now, but held off, hoping to see it in the flesh. Unfortunately, it was only produced in limited quantities and has been discontinued, so my local AD didn't have it and couldn't order it. I have trolled through AD's over the past six months or so all over the world (literally), and have never seen one in the flesh.

I found an out of town AD that had one, but because they are now rare and discontinued, they weren't willing to give me a very good deal, even though I'd bought from them in the past. Hmm. I have noticed for some time that there was one GM dealer who claimed to have one in stock, and while the price was better, it wasn't enough better that it was worthwhile IMO. But that also meant it was more than I was willing to pay.

Then came a big sale, and all of a sudden, the watch was listed for a really good price. The GM was one that everyone knows, and there are good reviews and some horror stories about service after the fact. Well, I know this watch has an excellent movement, should I take the chance? Yes, after much agonizing.

So here it comes, today. I open the shipping box and look inside--AIIEEE!! It says "colour, cream/ivory", that's wrong!!



Wait, on the side, the stickers show the correct model, maybe everything's OK...let's open it up.



Well, that's the right box, anyway. Open it up, and, WHEW, it is the right one...



So, I have always loved the idea of a dual time watch where the second hand was (1) not a 24 hour hand, and (2) hidden when not in use. I travel overseas a fair amount, so it's very useful to have a dual time watch, but I hate to get one where the second time is visible all the time since I would then tend not to wear it at home. There's a Sinn model that does this, but it's not very dressy. I also love the A. Lange & Son one, and the Moser, but both are way out of my price range. The regular JLC Hometime bugs me, as it has the date at 3:00, and one number, 9, at 9:00. Looks odd to me. This one, OTOH, is the special JLC Aston Martin version, which has the date at 6, and the numbers 3 and 9, very balanced, with a black dial.

I think it's gorgeous. I wind it up, starts up no problem, appears to be in perfect condition.

To be continued in the next post with more pictures...

[mlcor]

Here is a picture with the second, red-tipped hand showing.



The way this watch works, properly for a travel watch IMO, is that you use the second position of the crown to move the main hour hand either forward or backward to the new local time zone. The red hand appears, showing home time, and the 24 hour subdial at 12:00 shows you whether it's night or day at home. Also, it has two guilloché patterns on the subdial, one for the top half showing day time, and a different pattern for the bottom half, showing night time. Very classy.

When you get back home, simply move the main hour hand back to home time, and voilà, the home time hand disappears:



The guilloché pattern for the small seconds subdial may not show in these pictures, it's a concentric circle, different from the two patterns on the 24 hour subdial.



Fit and finish are superb, as you would expect. The movement is the JLC 975H, not overly decorated, but has a reputation as being sturdy and accurate:



My biggest concern (other than generally buying from a GM) was the strap, which is a dark grayish-blue. I worried whether it would look odd, but actually, it seems to be quite a nice choice for me. When I wear a suit, it's either dark gray or navy blue of some sort. I've held the watch up to different ones, and the strap looks more grayish next to the gray suits, and more bluish next to the blue ones. Perfect. The Aston Martin logo on the front is very discreet, right under the JLC logo and not very visible at all. Good thing, since I don't own an Aston Martin and am unlikely ever to do so.

Anyway, kudos to anyone who's made it all the way through these two posts...

[popoki nui]

Wow! Cool piece! Beautiful, AND functional. Congrats!


~Sherry.

[CFR]

Didn't know about this model. It is gorgeous!

Congrats!

[Nutty28]

Nice, very nice. Had my eyes on the regular piece for a while, but then I realized my traveling is mainly within the region where time difference is between 1 to 2 hrs.... It was hard to justify. So dropped the idea. Once again, congrats! Enjoy this beauty.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[pantagruel]

Wow. Quite a beauty. Wear it well.

[Cybotron]

Congrats!!! Beautiful piece.

[Ryan]

Congrats on tracking down this lovely JLC.

[JAGtime]

That is a very beautiful and "smart" watch! Wear it in good health!

Jane

[Dienekes]

Stunner. You really need to look to see the AM logo. That makes it even better