A used Jaeger-LeCoultre automatic is worth what the calibre, the case and the paperwork say it is worth. Ask in that order. JLC builds two automatic families that matter on the secondary market: the Calibre 899 base and the thin Calibre 920. The reference number on the caseback tells you which one sits in the watch in front of you.
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The two automatic families
Calibre 899 runs at 4 Hz (28,800 vph), holds 43 hours of reserve and uses 219 parts. JLC fits it to the Master Control Date, the Polaris Date and, with a moon module as Calibre 925, the Master Ultra Thin Moon. A watch with this movement is serviceable, parts are current and any competent watchmaker can time it.
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Calibre 920 is the thin one. It measures about 2.75 mm and dates to the 1960s. JLC sold the design to Audemars Piguet, Vacheron Constantin and Patek Philippe, who used it as the base for their own ultra-thin automatics. Watches on this family need a donor movement for some parts. Get the service quote before you argue about the price.
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Reverso: check the winding first
Most Reverso Classics are hand-wound. Calibre 846 and its relatives have no rotor. Sellers list Reversos as automatic with some regularity, so match the reference number to the movement before money moves. Automatic Reversos exist in the Squadra and Gran'Sport lines and in a few Classique references. A caseback photo with the reference visible settles it.
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Condition checks, in order
- Case number: engraved on the caseback, six to seven digits on modern references. On the Reverso it sits between the lugs. A number that does not match the papers is a discount, not a detail.
- Rotor noise: a healthy 899 is quiet. A rattle or a scrape points to a worn bearing or a loose rotor screw.
- Dial printing: JLC prints the name in a raised lacquer. Look at the J and the L under 10x. Soft edges and ink spread mean a redial or a copy.
- Crown: should seat square to the case, with no gap at the tube.
- Lugs: polished lugs on a brushed case mean a heavy polish or a swapped case.
- Movement photos: Cotes de Geneve stripes, blued screws, and a signed rotor with the JL mark struck clean and deep.
Replica tells
Replica JLC automatics stand out at the caseback, not the dial. The rotor engraving sits shallow. The jewel count is wrong for the reference. The bridges carry circular graining where the real calibre shows Geneva stripes. Case thickness runs 0.5 mm to 1 mm over spec because the clone movement is thicker than the 899. On gold models, weigh the watch: solid gold reads heavy in the hand, gold plate does not.
Service and parts
A full service on a time-only JLC automatic runs in the high hundreds of dollars at an authorized service center. Ask for a written estimate that names the calibre and lists the parts. Watches with no service history inside five years should carry that cost in the asking price. Vintage Calibre 920 watches can wait months for a part.
Price ranges
Asking prices on the secondary market shift with box, papers and service date. Used Master Control Date watches list in the low to mid four figures. Master Ultra Thin Moon and Polaris Date run higher. Reverso Classics in steel sit in a tight band because supply is steady. Treat any number you read here as a starting point and check closed sales, not asking prices.
Legal note on replicas
US Customs and Border Protection prohibits import of goods that carry a counterfeit trademark. Seizure means the money and the watch are both gone. A replica is not a substitute for the real calibre, and no service center will touch one.