So I’ve been looking to get into this whole watch imitation game for a while, and I finally took the plunge. I decided to start with something that looked classy and wouldn’t be too hard to pull off – the Jaeger-LeCoultre JLC Master Ultra Thin Perpetual Calendar. Yeah, it’s a mouthful, but the watch itself is pretty slick. The model I went for is the stainless steel one. It’s got this clean, minimalist vibe that I really dig.
First thing I did was to find a good source. I mean, you can’t just walk into any store and expect to find these things. I found a couple of places online, talked to some folks who were already in the game, and finally settled on a place to buy from. It felt a bit sketchy at first, you know, buying something like this online, but I did my homework, and it seemed legit.
When the package arrived, I was like a kid on Christmas morning. Ripped that thing open and there it was. It looked the part, no doubt. The case is 39mm, which is a good size – not too big, not too small. And it’s thin, just like the real deal, only 9.2 mm thick. I spent a good amount of time just staring at it, turning it over in my hands. The dial is a silver color, which is pretty classic. It looks just like the pictures on the official site, so that’s a good start.
Next, I started wearing it around. I wanted to see how it felt on the wrist, how it looked with different outfits. It’s definitely a dressy watch, but I found I could pull it off with a casual outfit too, as long as it wasn’t too sporty. The feel on the wrist is comfortable, it’s light, you barely notice it’s there, which is what you want from an “ultra-thin” watch.
- Check the details: I compared it to the real thing online, looking at all the little details. The hands, the indices, the subdials for the perpetual calendar – everything seemed to match up pretty well.
- Wind it up: I wanted to see how the movement worked. It’s an automatic, so it winds itself as you move around. I wore it for a few days straight, and it kept time perfectly.
- Show it off: Of course, I had to show it off a bit. I wore it to a couple of social events, and got some compliments on it. Nobody suspected it wasn’t the real deal, which was a relief.
The real test came when I took it to a local watch guy. I didn’t tell him it was a replica, just asked him to take a look at it. He examined it for a while, looked at the movement, the details, everything. In the end, he said it was a nice watch. I took it as a win. He might have known, but he didn’t let on. Or maybe he really couldn’t tell. Either way, I was happy.
Conclusion of this round
So, that’s my experience with imitating the Jaeger-LeCoultre Master Ultra Thin Perpetual Calendar. It’s been a fun ride, and I’m pretty happy with how it turned out. It’s a great-looking watch, it feels good on the wrist, and it seems to fool most people. I’d say it’s a successful imitation, and a good entry point into this whole world of replica watches. This is only the start though, I have my eye on a few other models now. Let’s see where this takes me!
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