Okay, so, I’ve been eyeing this Jaeger-LeCoultre Duomètre à Quantième Lunaire watch for a while now. I think it was introduced back in like, 2012, so it’s not exactly brand new, but it’s a classic, you know? I decided to get an imitation one. I was at Watches & Wonders 2024 earlier this year, and that place just reignited my love for fancy watches. JLC was there, of course, showing off their latest stuff, but my heart was still stuck on this Duomètre.
I started hunting online, looking at different places. Ended up going down a bit of a rabbit hole comparing the Chronograph Cal 380 version with the Quantième Lunaire. Both are gorgeous, but the moon phase thing on the Quantième Lunaire just speaks to me. It’s a tough choice, I tell ya!
My Purchasing Journey
- Scouring the Web: I spent hours, days even, browsing different websites. I saw some original ones on a site called Chrono24. They have new offers daily, apparently, but the price is way out of my league. Looked at a bunch of forums, read tons of reviews, you name it.
- The JLC Rabbit Hole: Man, JLC has so many variations of their watches! It’s not just this Duomètre, they have tons of models. Different materials, some with gems, different dial designs… It’s overwhelming but in a good way. They’ve got some seriously complicated movements and the finishing on their watches is insane.
- Price Considerations: Of course, all that fancy stuff comes at a price. I get it, they probably don’t make as many of these high-end watches compared to, say, a regular watch company. So, naturally, the unit prices are gonna be higher. It’s inevitable, really.
- Entry-Level Options: I learned that JLC had this “Club” line back in the 70s which was supposed to be more affordable. They made a bunch of different styles, and from what I saw online, some of those designs were pretty cool.
- The Imitation Route: Since a real Duomètre is way out of my budget, I started looking into imitation ones. I know, I know, it’s not the same, but hey, a guy can dream, right? And some of these imitations are pretty darn good!
After I found a seller that seemed legit, I finally pulled the trigger and ordered one. It took a while to get here, and there were a few moments where I wondered if I made a mistake, maybe the watch wouldn’t look as good in person, or worse, it wouldn’t even work!
The Big Reveal
But man, when that package finally arrived, and I opened it up… all those worries just disappeared. This imitation piece looks great, it feels great on my wrist. All the details are done well, the moon phase complication works perfectly. I couldn’t be happier. Sure it is not the real deal, but for the price I paid, this watch is incredible. I’ve been wearing it every day since I got it, and I keep finding myself just staring at it. Mission accomplished, I guess!
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