Alright, so I’ve been eyeing this Jaeger-LeCoultre JLC Duomètre à Quantième Lunaire for a while now, and I finally pulled the trigger. I’m not gonna lie, it’s a pretty penny, so I wanted to make sure I wasn’t getting ripped off with a fake. Here’s how I went about it.
First off, I started digging around online. I was trying to find any info I could on spotting fake JLCs. Found a few forum posts and articles. Some folks were saying that the Club models are faked a lot, but I wasn’t looking at one of those. I did see some people talking about checking the warranty card, but mine was throwing me off since I couldn’t look it up online.
I found a pre-owned one that seemed to be in good shape, the seller had some decent pictures and I spent a good amount of time staring at them. I zoomed in on those pictures like crazy, looking for any little flaw. I was comparing them to pictures of real ones, especially the dial. Apparently, a real JLC should have a super clean dial, no imperfections. I was looking for typos, bad printing, anything that looked off.
Then I started checking out the movement. From what I read, the movement on a real JLC is a work of art. I was looking for anything that seemed cheap or poorly made. The movement in the pictures looked pretty legit, but I’m no expert.
The seller wanted around USD 1k, which seemed reasonable for a watch like this, but still, you never know. I asked the seller a bunch of questions. Where did they get it? Did they have the box and papers? How long have they had it? Stuff like that. They seemed pretty honest, and they had all the original packaging, which was a good sign.
I finally decided to go for it. I figured, worst-case scenario, I could always try to return it if it turned out to be fake. When I received the watch it was like christmas morning. I took it to a local watchmaker, a guy I trust. He took one look at it and confirmed my suspisions. It was real, and it was beautiful. He even showed me a few things to look for, like the finishing on the movement and the way the hands are shaped.
Here’s what I learned from this whole experience:
- Do your research. There’s a ton of information out there about spotting fake watches.
- Look at the details. Check the dial, the movement, the case, everything.
- Ask questions. Don’t be afraid to ask the seller anything and everything.
- Get it checked out. If you’re not sure, take it to a professional.
It was a bit of a nerve-wracking experience, but I’m glad I did it. I ended up with a beautiful watch that I’ll cherish for years to come. And hey, I learned a thing or two about spotting fake watches along the way.