bucko170 wrote:
It is a Hughes module.....JLC must be cheapskates.
´Assembled in Mexico´
It was not an issue of ´cheap´ or other but rather consequences of strategic decisions about wetehr or not to invest in R&D in quartz and or solid state modules.
Rolex p.e. first joined in with the ESA project leading to the Beta but also invested in developing their own solid state ca. 7065 and the Oysterquartzes.
Omega was in the Beta development too yet still bought ´Time Computer´ modules from Pulsar through a deal with some share holding interest bought by Omega. They too went on to develop their own technology like fitted in the Marine Chronometer.
JLC was at the time suffering from the same badge engineering that just about all Swiss brands have experienced when ownership passed through investor groups.
The group owning Longines and JLC had a joint business interest with Wittnauer and shared the exact same watch with badge engineering.
The bracelet on this model was used on a Pulsar model too. Simply bought from Longines.
Apart from an early interest Longines did not join in with the quartz development and bought in from ESA, Hughes, Fairchild, really ánybody for the LED and LCD models. Even the Longines ´Research´ models feature a run of the mill outsourced module.
JLC who were under the same umbrella were given movements bought from GP for the analogue quartz models.
Anyway, the JLC is not really a JLC but a bagde engineered product.
This model it is nothing more than an illustration of the sillycontents of the brand value of a ghost image of a badge.
It is nothing exceptional or exclusive to this model. It applies to current models even more. It just is stark naked on thís one.
It illustrates more clearly than anything that the price of many watches consist large on the percieved added value of the brand.