Shock & Awe: Jaeger LeCoultre’s Master Compressor Navy SEALs automatic diver watch. Quite possibly one of the finest replica watches made….to date!
It’s not often that I’m bowled over by a reps attention to detail and quality of finishing. Having owned and handled many gens, I am spoiled by precision Swiss engineering, limits and fits. Some replica watches really impress me, and in the past I’ve been compelled to create a review to enthuse about it. This is one of those watches, and this is the time for me to enthuse! Let me pass my regards to Joshua and the Perfect Clones team who supplied me with this watch. As usual, their service and efficiency was first class. Many thanks.
OK, so this rep has been out for a couple of months now, and this probably isn’t the first review. All the details about the gen are available on the internet, of course. There is a superb review of the gen here:
hxxp://www.thedivewatchconnection.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=5&t=16251
Now, people will inevitably complain about this watch being utilitarian and boring, others will pick out tiny, tiny flaws which in my opinion are irrelevant. No one is anal enough to even care, in the real world. This is just my celebration of yet another superbly executed rep. Ooo-ra.
This reps dimensions are:
Case diameter: 42.18mm incl. crown: 48.05mm
Case height: 13.07mm
Distance between lug ends: 49.49mm Strap width: 22mm
Let’s start with the dial side. Very high contrast and legible, isn’t it? This is exactly what JLC & the SEALs wanted, and this has been carried through to the rep. It is said to use colourless AR, inside only. I’ve never seen this combination on a rep before, but it does remind me of Seiko anti reflective sapphire… which is also colourless, inside only.
When I look at gen pics and look at this rep I really struggle to see any significant differences on the dial. I’m sure someone will, but damn, it’s close! The lume is strong, not too far from superlume. Blue on the dial and green on the bezel. The gen reviewer says his is all blue, and the prototype possibly with the green one? Anyway, lume application is really neat. All printing is clean and crisp. Date window has nice depth to it, like the gen. Some have commented on colour differences with the grey, although this could be due to lighting, camera, photo editing etc. I don’t see anything glaringly obvious.
It has been said that the rep has a few sharp edges here & there. I would agree – they exist on the coin edge bezel and on the JL marked clasp centre. Not a big deal, easily rectified if needed. Apparently the sharp bezel edge exists on the gen too.
Case lugs have the polished edges which accurately mimic the gen. A nice & welcome touch to an otherwise very sombre watch.
On the picture below you will see how the ceramic bezel insert protrudes from the steel slightly. As per the gen. I presume that this offers some protection from jarring to the bezel edge and more importantly, the crystal. The crown on the gen is DLC treated steel. This appears to be the same. It doesn’t feel like plastic? Look at the case brushing and crease line after the lug. Nice hey?
The Compressor device rotates nice & smooth, under friction. The crown pulls out as normal.
On to the bracelet. It is a combination of soft touch anti dust rubber, hard resin inside and a steel or titanium frame. The 2 connecting link screws are accommodated by the threaded steel frame. Very easy to resize and very comfortable to wear. Has the flexibility of a bracelet but the weight and comfort of soft leather. The definition on every link is amazing. A rubber strap (band) is definitely not needed for this rep. Perhaps some will try to obtain the gen leather, which will be interesting to see.
Butterfly type clasp has 2 pairs of buttons to release it. The level of detail and fitment of this clasp assembly is one of the watches major highlights. So intricate, yet so precise!
Each side of the bracelet can further expand by 4mm (8mm in total). The full link length between pivots is 10mm.
The movement. An asian 2824 clone automatic. No gold JLC rotor here! I took the opportunity to regulate this better whilst the back was off. Lovely.
The case back. Contentious issue for some, not for me! I think it’s great. The engraving/etching is so clear and defined. The SEALs crest could be a gnats whisker shallower than gen, but I don’t like deep engravings. They feel abrasive. The flat caseback sits very comfortably on the wrist.
So there you have it. I’ve showed you in pictures what this watch is all about. Forget the miniscule nuances. You know the genuine watch and its development. Now you know the rep. Considering the amount of engineering that has gone into this watch, I’d say that it was worth the outlay. It doesn’t really look expensive, but neither does the gen. It does feel like a high quality watch and that’s what matters. I’d rather pay $380ish for this than $6-7k for the gen. So what are you waiting for? Get it bought!!