"Life's an adventure, you might as well wear a Panerai"
Steve (steveroadking)
Richardson Hwy, Valdez, Alaska-- The Brooks Range via Dalton Hwy Alaska--Prudhoe Bay/Deadhorse Arctic Ocean Alaska--Dawson Cr, Mile Marker '0' Alaska Canadian Hwy Alberta Canada--Yukon Territory, Al Can Highway--Crossing the Yukon River via The George Black Ferry from Dawson City--Poker Creek, population 2, furthest northern border crossing in Alaska. The Forty Mile River Region/Top Of The World Highway
Not sure if you want impressions in this thread or private, don't want to derail this thread :/ So apologies beforehand (im sure the original poster wont mind, we are 162 bretheran )
Anyway, JLC is probably my favorite brand (toss up with Panerai and AP)... I feel their quality, fit and finish, understatement (yet overstatement) because of how robust they are in every way is unmatched by anything within my financial reach, let's say !
They are the RUF GT2 (my prized possession) of the watch world IMO... i'm a true enthusiast and feel we stick to the roots of horology and craftsmanhship, they feel just so special..
Impressions of this particular piece are as follows
It's a Master Compressor 2 Ceramic limited edition of 500 pieces.. The ceramic is the nicest/non streak ceramic piece of worn/owned or had in my hand.. IMO, only comparable ceramic composite is Panerai's (and IWC comes very close too).. Hublot's ceramic composite get's whiteish and shows smudges and marks, etc... I hate that
The fit and finish is impeccable, dial is flawless, AR coating not visible and makes the beautiful 3 dimensional dial just POP... Very accurate, strong power reserve, the list goes on and on...
My only gripe are the straps (and changing them, I hate conventional spring bars ,such a pain in the ass).. The carbon fiber strap I have on it feels fragile, like sweat/water will ruin the leather underside.. It comes on a matte black croc however with grey stitch, and what I found out is a rubber underside (i thought it was black leather or a suede/leather... So I quationed it's water resistance, to find out I have no worries now for a rubber strap that DOESN'T EXIST for this model!!!
What happened is they made this LE a 44mm piece, with 23-23.5 mm lugs... Very strange and different from all of the other Master Compressor's which are like 22mm.. So not having great strap options doesn't thrill me, however, the oem croc is unreal in quality and really doesn't need to be changed (although I always like a rubber strap) no biggie
I have a Master Compressor Navy Seals Auto as well and soon an Extreme World Chrono LE with the CF dial...
As you can see I love my JLC's, they are fantastic pieces and I highly recommend them
It's such a beautiful piece. I have seen the watch in person and really enjoyed it.... The dial just pops. I was surprised to hear its 44mm. It's seems smaller than a 44mm panerai but I guess it might be the black case... The strap is fantastic no need to change
Glad you are enjoying it ... It's on my short list
As for it's size, in the pic with the Panerai 335 it does look a bit smaller, panerais crown guard throws off the dimensions and makes it look much bigger, it's 1950 case too.. But the bezel dimensions are on paper the same however I believe, also the angle of the picture made the closer Panerai look much bigger !
Anyway, its an awesome piece, and looks brand new after each wear.. The ceramic is so resistant to bangs and scratches, finger prints and dust etc... A no worry piece to enjoy