Alright, so I’ve been messing around with this Jaeger-LeCoultre Master Ultra Thin Perpetual Calendar watch, trying to get a good imitation going. Let me tell you, it’s been quite the ride.
First off, I started by getting my hands on the real deal. I mean, how else was I going to know what I was up against, right? This thing is sleek, I gotta say. It’s 39mm across, which is a pretty good size, and it’s super thin, only 9.4mm. The lugs are about 45.7mm apart, so it sits nicely on the wrist.
I spent a good chunk of time just examining the watch, taking notes, and snapping a bunch of pictures. I noticed the case has this polished finish on the top, the lugs, and the back. It’s a nice touch, makes it look real fancy. And there’s this rose gold version with an eggshell dial that’s just gorgeous.
Now, when it came to imitating this bad boy, I knew I had to get the basics right. I started with the case. I found a decent 40mm case that was about 10.95mm thick. It wasn’t exactly the same, but it was close enough. I even tried to copy that polished finish as best as I could.
Then came the dial. Oh boy, the dial. The original has a lot going on. It’s got all these indicators for the date, day, month, year, and even the moon phase. It is quite cluttered and not my taste. I managed to find a dial that had a similar layout, but simplifying it was a real pain. Let’s just say there was a lot of trial and error involved. I tried to keep the essence of it while making it a bit more my style.
- Case: Tried a 40mm case, about 10.95mm thick.
- Finish: Imitated the polished look on the top, lugs, and back.
- Dial: Simplified the cluttered design, keeping the main elements.
- Size: Original is 39mm wide, 9.4mm thick; mine is a tad bigger.
After all that, I finally put the whole thing together. It wasn’t perfect, not by a long shot. But you know what? It looked pretty darn good for a homemade imitation. I even wore it out a couple of times, and no one seemed to notice anything off.
My Imitation Result
In the end, this whole project was more about the challenge than anything else. Could I, a regular guy, imitate a high-end watch like the Jaeger-LeCoultre Master Ultra Thin Perpetual Calendar? Turns out, I could get pretty close. And hey, I learned a ton about watches along the way. Not too shabby, right? And it is more suitable for my personal aesthetics.
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