Brucelles Posted October 19, 2007 Report Share Posted October 19, 2007 (edited) Hi folks. I am Brucelles, a cunning conflation of the two names 'Bruce' and 'Brussels'; which tells you something. I only recently got into this replica arena, by accident. My wife's genuine Jaeger LeCoultre Albatros had a disagreement with my puppy, and one of the bracelet screw pins is broken. (This is a long story, so please bear with me). I live in Brussels, but my job requires that I move around a lot. (This is my 5th country in 5 years) and I am moving to Tanzania next, in December. So, I tried to get my wife's watch fixed at a JLC dealer here in Brussels; not a chance. It is going to take 3-4 months and cost a shedload. Well, I can't have the watch delivered to Tanzania, as I have a suspicion that I would never see it again, and I can't find anyone who can mend it. So. I filed it in the bureau in my office and bought her a fake Daytona from the first site I found on the Net, to last until I return to civilisation. I was pretty lucky I think, but there is so much misinformation and disinformation out there it's hard to tell who is a con and who isn't. I'm not sure if I am supposed to mention dealer's names here, so I won't. I paid $229 for a bi-metal grey face Daytona and when it arrived, from China, I compared it to a real one (which I was allowed to photograph by my local Rolex dealer as he is the JLC dealer and the Breitling dealer and knows me). It's pretty good from the outside, and I haven't opened it yet. It does have the little tiny etched crown at 6, nice quality screw pins (look like decent stainless steel), the glass looks and acts like sapphire crystal, the hologram is excellent, the lugs aren't bad (a little off somehow) and the numbering, lettering etc. are all very sharp. The clip on the clasp feels a bit crummy, the crown doesn't convince me (though it does have 2 O-rings on the screwy thing) and the movement is slightly less smooth that the real one (or my Breitling), and it wiggles a little when you pull out the crown, implying that the movement isn't a perfect fit, but all in all I'm pretty OK with the watch. So far. I suspect that the gold won't last long. Then I read that my supplier was a fraudster, a trap for the unwary, 100% certain to take my money and send me the wrong watch which will only be worth $30, and I got interested and started to research the topic. And here I am. I don't know a lot about watches. More than most, I guess, but I'm no expert. However I learn fast and I am bitten by the bug a little. I am now considering a Panerai or, if I can find a good one, a JLC Master Compressor. Also, it wouldn't hurt if I could find an on-line source of screw pins compatible with a JLC Albatros. By the way, I know I was ripped off a bit, C'est la vie. I don't mind. I learned a lot and will buy from someone recommended here next time. Edited October 19, 2007 by Brucelles Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stephane Posted October 19, 2007 Report Share Posted October 19, 2007 Hi Bruxe Welcome to Brussels and to RWG. Forget about JLC replicas. Everyone here would love to get accurate JLC but none exist so far. For the other brands, you will find everything you want! Cheers Stephane Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cornerstone Posted October 19, 2007 Report Share Posted October 19, 2007 Welcome Perhaps you could post some photos of the offending JLC bracelet, you never know. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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