ImitationJaeger-LeCoultre JLC Duomètre à Quantième LunaireClassic Style Watches: Where to Buy?

Okay, so, today I’m gonna talk about my little adventure trying to imitate the Jaeger-LeCoultre JLC Duomètre à Quantième Lunaire, classic style. What a name, right? First off, I started digging around to see what makes this watch so special.

I found out that Jaeger-LeCoultre, these guys are like the masters of watchmaking, tucked away in Switzerland. They make everything in-house, which is pretty cool. This Duomètre thing, it’s got this wild mechanism they cooked up and patented in 2007. Basically, it’s like having two engines in one watch – one for the regular time and another for all the fancy stuff, but they share the same heart, if that makes sense.

Getting down to business, I started by sketching out the dial. I wanted to copy that symmetrical look it’s got, which is a big part of its charm. Then there’s the whole dual-wing movement thing. The Duomètre has two barrels and two independent gear trains, which I learned is pretty unique.

Key Features:

• Two barrels and two independent gear trains.
• One for timekeeping, one for complications.
• Linked to a single escapement.
• Jumping seconds hand showing 1/6th of a second.
• 50-hour power reserve.

Then I tried to copy their mechanism, which was not easy. I spent days just trying to figure out how to connect these parts. And the finishing! Don’t even get me started on the finishing. I tried my best, but it’s nowhere near the real thing.

I also learned that these watches can cost anywhere from, like, 23 grand to over 50 grand! So, yeah, my little project is definitely just for fun.

By the end, I had something that looked kinda like the Duomètre à Quantième Lunaire, at least from a distance. It was a real pain to do, honestly, and my respect for watchmakers just shot through the roof. It’s nowhere near the real deal, but hey, it was a fun ride.

I learned a ton about watch movements and how complicated these little machines are. Would I do it again? Maybe not, but it was an experience I won’t forget. And who knows, maybe one day I’ll actually own one of these beauties.