Okay, so, I’ve been wanting to get my hands on a Jaeger-LeCoultre Master Ultra Thin Perpetual Calendar for a while now. These watches are seriously cool, but they’re also seriously expensive. You know, I figured, why not try to find a decent imitation? That’s what I did.
I started my hunt by looking around on the internet for some reviews and comparisons. I figured I’d get a feel for what’s out there, what to look for, and what to avoid. There is some useful information about the authentic one, like the real deal is 39mm in diameter and only 9.4mm thick. That’s pretty slim for a watch with a perpetual calendar, and I wanted to find something that’s close to that. And some other versions are 7.8mm thick, still good.
I browsed through tons of online shops, checked out some forums, and even watched a few videos. It’s tough, man, sifting through all the junk to find something that looks legit. I mean, there are so many knock-offs out there, and some of them are just terrible. You can tell right away they’re fake just by looking at the pictures.
My Checklist
Here’s what I was mainly looking for:
- Size: Something around 39mm wide and less than 10mm thick. I wanted it to feel like the real JLC on my wrist.
- Look: It had to look like the Master Ultra Thin, with that classic, clean dial. Some of the imitations had dials that looked way too busy or just plain wrong.
- Material: Stainless steel case, preferably. I saw some with a silver-tone, which seemed pretty good. And a brown leather strap would be a plus.
After a few weeks of searching and comparing, I finally found one that seemed to tick most of the boxes. It’s a pretty good-looking imitation, I gotta say. The size is right, it’s got that stainless steel case, and the dial looks pretty close to the original. It even has a brown leather strap, just like some of the real ones. It is not perfect, but at least it looks better than other imitations.
I pulled the trigger and ordered it. It took a little while to arrive, but when it did, I was pretty happy with it. Sure, it’s not a real Jaeger-LeCoultre, but it looks good, feels good on my wrist, and didn’t cost me an arm and a leg. And it’s definitely a conversation starter. People ask me about it all the time, and I just tell them it’s a “tribute” to the real thing.
So, yeah, that’s my little adventure with the Jaeger-LeCoultre Master Ultra Thin Perpetual Calendar imitation. If you’re thinking about getting one, just do your research, be patient, and don’t expect perfection. You might just find a pretty decent imitation that you’ll enjoy wearing.
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