Jaeger-LeCoultre Master-Quartz ref. 23303-21 Box and Booklets

The 1970s were a strange and frantic time to be a Swiss watchmaker thanks to the onslaught of the Quartz Crisis. The Beta 21 consortium had proven quartz could be built in Switzerland, but most of the country's grandest houses were still buying movements rather than designing their own, terrified of being left behind by Seiko’s Astron and unsure whether to fully commit to this new technology. Girard Perregaux, the hero of the Master-Quartz’ story, took the harder road. 

Rather than licensing someone else's quartz architecture, Girard Perregaux took it upon themselves to engineer and manufactured their own quartz movement, which gave us the quartz cal. 352, which is what Jaeger-LeCoultre used to power their Master-Quartz collection, of which the ref. 23303-21 that we have here is arguably the finest expression. The decision to go with GP’s cal. 352 was largely due to how small GP had gotten the cal. 352. While rudimentary quartz movements had existed for some time before the 1970s, they were massive, and the Beta 21 that the Swiss consortium created for wristwatches was still pretty big, but the cal. 352 was quite sleek by comparison. 

Cased entirely in yellow gold with a distinctive 1970s silhouette, the 38mm x 13mm ref. 23303-21 is the rarest of the Master-Quartz variants, and it's easy to see why so few survive intact. A tremendously expensive watch upon its release, and often lost to the smelting pot over the years given the amount of gold their case has, the ref. 23303-21 is a truly rare quartz oddity.  

Movement history aside, the Master-Quartz’s dial is its real signature, at least from an aesthetic perspective. Rather than a conventional minute track, JLC laid out a circuit diagram-inspired pattern that is both functional but also points to its unique (at the time) position as a quartz watch. In addition, its Master-Quartz branding was also quite unusual and of-the-time. Offered in two variants on the gold reference, this example features the rarer dial variant of the two. Featuring a vertically-brushed pattern underneath everything else, it boasts grey triangle patterns that cut into its fumé surface below which fades from a light copper through the dial’s central vertical to a dark brown around its periphery, giving it a tremendous level of depth and vitality with its array of colours, finishings, shapes and abundance of depth.

Offered in honest condition, this example’s 18kt yellow gold case has retained its original profile, but its brushed finish has softened so that its case surface appears polished, with its remaining brushed grain quite subtle. Its original winding crown has been replaced at some point in its life, however this example’s winding crown works as it should with all of its crown positions functioning perfectly. Indeed, the quartz cal. 352 works and runs as it should too. The dial is well-preserved with no paint loss or obvious signs of damage. Under magnification some very small dots where something has touched the dial can just about be seen. The caseback has faded over the years, but its engravings can still be read, such as its serial number, reference number, and various branding inscriptions. Finally, its plexiglass crystal is in fantastic condition and it appears to be the original crystal. Quite spectacularly, this example comes with a spare GP cal. 352 movement, dial, and handset should you need spare parts in the future. 

Brand: Jaeger-LeCoultre
Model: Master-Quartz
Reference: 23303-21
Set: Watch, Box, Booklets, and Spare Movement (for parts)
Year: Circa 1970
Dial: Tri-tone brown, silver, and grey
Material: 18kt yellow gold
Movement: Quartz cal. 352
Case Diameter: 38mm
Thickness: 13mm
Lug-to-lug: 43mm
Lug Width: 19mm
Bracelet/Strap: Third-party leather strap and pin buckle