All Jaeger-LeCoultre
Jaeger-LeCoultre Master Control 42 mm Black Stainless
Front view

Front view

Dial, hands and bezel as delivered.

Case-back view

Case-back view

Case-back engraving and, where fitted, the sapphire display.

Movement

Movement

Calibre with its finishing and decoration.

On the wrist

On the wrist

Worn shot for proportion and strap drape.

Jaeger-LeCoultre · Master Control

Jaeger-LeCoultre Master Control 42 mm Black Stainless

Reference 86164ST.90

Reference at a glance

Brand
Jaeger-LeCoultre
Collection
Master Control
Model
Jaeger-LeCoultre Master Control 42 mm Black Stainless
Reference number
86164ST.90
Year / era
1996 · 1990s — mechanical revival
Complication
Minute repeater
Movement
In-house manual-winding, hand-finished
Case material
Stainless steel
Dial type
Black lacquer
Strap / bracelet
Jubilee bracelet
Water resistance
100 m
Limited-edition status
Regular production, not a limited edition
Compare this reference

Case, dial & bracelet

Case dimensions
42 mm
Case thickness
10.2 mm
Case material
Stainless steel
Bezel
Smooth polished
Crystal
Box sapphire with AR coating
Dial
Black lacquer
Hands
Blued steel Breguet-style hands
Indexes
Applied Arabic numerals with luminous coating
Bracelet / strap
Jubilee bracelet
Clasp / buckle
Titanium deployant clasp
Water resistance
100 m

Movement

Movement / calibre
Calibre 68F — In-house manual-winding, hand-finished
Movement type
High-frequency automatic
Frequency
28,800 vph (4 Hz)
Power reserve
45 hours
Number of jewels
40 jewels
Complications
Minute repeater
Functions
GMT second time zone, date
Watchmaker
The calibre is built in-house and adjusted in five positions before delivery.

Production & market

Production period
1996 – 2010
Limited-edition quantity
Not applicable
Current market information
Thin secondary-market supply — pricing is set piece by piece at auction.

Designer

Emmanuel Gueit

Emmanuel Gueit came from a family of Geneva jewellers and was barely into his twenties when he drew the oversized Royal Oak Offshore in 1993 — a watch the house's traditionalists resisted and collectors turned into an icon.

Historical significance

Jaeger-LeCoultre Master Control 42 mm Black Stainless sits within Jaeger-LeCoultre's Master Control line, introduced in 1996. It carries the house codes established since 1833 — stainless steel case, black lacquer dial and in-house manual-winding, hand-finished — and is one of the references collectors use to date the evolution of the collection.

Interesting facts

  • The movement's bridges are decorated even where they will never be seen once the watch is cased.
  • Early production dials show a slightly different minute track, and collectors pay a premium for them.
JA

The House

Jaeger-LeCoultre

Brand facts

Founding year
1833
Founder
Antoine LeCoultre
Headquarters
Switzerland
Tier
Ultra-Luxury & Haute Horlogerie
Major collections
Reverso, Master Control, Master Ultra Thin, Polaris, Duometre, Rendez-Vous, Atmos
Signature technologies
Composite and ceramic case materials · Anti-magnetic silicon escapement · Certified chronometer regulation
Famous movements
In-house automatic micro-rotor · In-house tourbillon, manual-winding · In-house automatic with 22k gold rotor · In-house manual-winding, hand-finished
Notable watches
Jaeger-LeCoultre Reverso 43 mm Meteorite Stainless (1989) · Jaeger-LeCoultre Reverso 42 mm Black Ceramic (1982) · Jaeger-LeCoultre Reverso 39 mm Ice Quartz (1961) · Jaeger-LeCoultre Reverso 39 mm Blue 18k (1971)

Brand history

Jaeger-LeCoultre has spent more than 193 years refining a single idea: a watch should outlive its owner. From the earliest workshop pieces to today's Reverso, the house has balanced technical ambition with a recognisable design language, and its collections remain among the most closely followed by collectors worldwide.

Antoine LeCoultre established Jaeger-LeCoultre in 1833, working from Switzerland at a time when precision was measured by hand. The founder's obsession with finishing and accuracy still defines every Jaeger-LeCoultre calibre produced today.

Historical milestones

  1. 1833

    Antoine LeCoultre founds Jaeger-LeCoultre in Switzerland.

  2. 1873

    Jaeger-LeCoultre earns its first international recognition for precision timekeeping.

  3. 1969

    The quartz era forces Jaeger-LeCoultre to redefine mechanical watchmaking.

  4. 1990

    Jaeger-LeCoultre enters the modern collector market with its signature lines.

  5. 2024

    Jaeger-LeCoultre continues to produce Reverso, Master Control, Master Ultra Thin and other icons in limited numbers.

More Master Control