Jaeger-LeCoultre Master Ultra Thin

At a thickness of 7.4 mm, the Ultra Thin lives up to its name: It's incredibly thin. The timepiece is a part of Jaeger-LeCoultre's Master Collection, which is comprised of a variety of watches featuring a number of complications. The Ultra Thin watches are dress watches, making them perfectly sized companions for a suit.

The Grande Ultra Thin is a simpler timepiece. It predominantly features a small seconds at six o'clock and does not have a date display. With a case diameter of 40 mm, the Grande is the perfect size for most male wrists. The timepiece is available in stainless steel and pink gold and is reminiscent of typical 1950s designs with its dauphine hands and stick indices. The Ultra Thin Date has an additional date window at six o'clock. These watches are appealing to buyers who are enthralled by the 5196 version of Patek Philippe's Calatrava. The three timepieces all share similar designs and are all produced by top, traditional Swiss luxury watch manufacturers.

If you're searching for a flat, conservative dress watch, then the Jaeger-LeCoultre Master Ultra Thin is the right watch for you. Thanks to its flat case, the timepiece isn't an irritating presence on your wrist; it disappears effortlessly under shirt cuffs. The series is comprised of watches with many different complications; some versions feature multiple complications together in one watch, such as a perpetual calendar and a moon phase indicator.

As expected, the Master Ultra Thin Tourbillon is the most expensive version of this timepiece. Prices around 45,000 euros for pink gold versions (Q1322410) aren't unusual. The white gold version (Q1323420) costs even more at around 50,000 euros. Combined with a silver dial and diamonds, a pink gold Ultra Thin with a tourbillon (Q1322401) costs about 60,000 euros.

A perpetual calendar also significantly raises the price of a Ultra Thin. A new stainless steel version with a black dial (Q1308470) costs around 14,000 euros. Versions with a pink (Q1302520) or white (Q1303520) gold case are more expensive, costing around 21,000 euros and 24,000 euros, respectively.

Entry-level watches in the Ultra Thin series start at 4,500 euros; for this price, you can get a new stainless steel watch with a date display or a small seconds at six o'clock. A new stainless steel Ultra Thin with a power reserve indicator costs around 6,000 euros. The version with a silver dial can be found under the reference number Q1378420. The stainless steel moon phase variant (Q1368420) also costs around 6,000 euros and features a silver dial. The pink gold version (Q1362520) costs about 13,000 euros.

The variant with a perpetual calendar and moon phase indicator has a more intricate design than the Master Ultra Thin Moon, which displays the moon phase and date at six o'clock. Like the version with a perpetual calendar, it has dauphine hands and stick indices; its dial is available in silver or black. The case is actually a bit smaller than the Grande's, measuring in at 39 mm in diameter. It's available in stainless steel or pink gold.

The three subdials on the 39-mm Master Ultra Thin Perpetual display the day of the week, month, and date. It also has a moon phase indicator. However, unlike the Master Ultra Thin Moon, the moon phase indicator is at 12 o'clock. The Perpetual's subdials are in a tricompax layout. There are also similar options for these two models, such as the choice between a black or silver dial and a stainless steel or pink gold case.

The Réserve de Marche is distinguishable by its power reserve indicator at 10 o'clock. There's also a date hand on a subdial at two o'clock and a small seconds at six o'clock. One of the most valuable variants in the Ultra Thin line is the version with a tourbillon. However, this complication does cause the version to be a bit thicker than its siblings at 11.3 mm.

The Ultra Thin series is waterproof to 50 m (5 bar) and is thus an everyday watch that you could also wear while swimming – somewhat rare for such an elegant timepiece. Jaeger-LeCoultre uses automatic movements produced in-house to power this series.

However, this Swiss manufacturer is not the only one offering flat watches with in-house calibers. If you're looking for a more affordable, modern-looking alternative with a Bauhaus design, then take a look at watches from the German manufacturer Nomos. Bulgari has also gained attention with their incredibly flat watches, such as the Octo Finissimo Minute Repeater with a thickness of only 6.85 mm.