Okay, so I’ve been messing around with watches again, and this time, I got my hands on a Jaeger-LeCoultre JLC Duomètre à Quantième Lunaire. I saw a “Original order” version online, and I thought, “Why not give it a shot?”
First, I did some digging on the real deal. I know that JLC is a big-shot Swiss watchmaker known for making really fancy watches with great craftsmanship. I found out that there are these new Duometre models, and one of them is the Quantieme Lunaire (Ref. Q604848J) and another is the Chronograph Moon (Ref. Q622252J). I read somewhere that the steel model is the way to go because of all the cool features it has. Also, there is a Cal 381 for the Quantieme Lunaire model and a Cal 380 for the Chronograph, but the Cal 380 looks more balanced.
Apparently, the Duometre watches are all about having two separate mechanisms inside, but they share the same regulator thingy. This is supposed to make them super accurate. One mechanism handles the fancy stuff like moon phases, and the other just keeps track of time.
Then, I went ahead and ordered the “Original order” watch. It was way cheaper than the real thing. I saw some listings for the real ones online, and they were going for, like, $25,000! I mean I only paid a fraction of that.
When the watch arrived, I was pretty excited. I carefully unpacked it and put it side by side with some pictures of the real JLC Duomètre à Quantième Lunaire that I found on the internet.
Here’s what I noticed:
- The overall look was pretty similar. The size, the shape of the case, and even the little details on the dial looked close enough.
- The “Original order” version had the same complications as the real one. It had the date, the day of the week, the month, and even a moon phase display.
- When I wound it up and set the time, everything seemed to work. The hands moved smoothly, and the date and moon phase changed as they should.
Of course, I knew it wasn’t the real deal. I didn’t expect it to be. The only way to know for sure is to take it to a watch expert, but I don’t think it’s necessary because I already know the truth. For the price, this “Original order” Jaeger-LeCoultre JLC Duomètre à Quantième Lunaire is a pretty decent watch. It looks good, it works, and it didn’t cost me an arm and a leg.
But here is my thought, if you’re really into watches and you want the real Jaeger-LeCoultre experience, save up and get the real thing. But if you’re just looking for a nice-looking watch that won’t break the bank, this “Original order” version might just do the trick.
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