Jacques Lemans Chronograph


This review is far from being finished. I'm still collecting lots of data (especially the accurancy measuring results) and will propably rewrite it completely


Jacques Lemans

Preface

I always wanted a complicated mechanical chronograph. For a long time, I was fascinated by the IWC Da Vinci, but when I finally realised, that I could never afford this watch, my interest for it dropped. Some years later, I discovered the Valjoux 7751 movement. It had everything, I ever wanted: A mechanical chronograph, a full calendar and a moon phase. And it was even affordable.

So I started my research for a nice looking 7751. Since the 7751 is rather rare, compared to it's big brother, the 7750, it was not easy to find these watches. Only a few brands offered them. Many (for example Omega) were out of my financial limit, and most others looked all the same, since they were all made by the same firm somewhere in Switzerland and only sold with different names on the dial. Marcello C. offers such a chronograph, as well, as J. Chevalier, and I even found an absolutely identical looking one from a firm called "Jacquet Girard" (or something like that.). All these watches had two things in comon: Their case looked rather boring (and not like a case of a $750 watch) and their dials were printed skew. I found this unacceptable for that much money.

And then, after days of research on the internet, I discovered an austrian brand, called "Jacques Lemans". This brand (who claims to be a swiss brand) was not completely unknown to me - in german watch magazines, there were already a few tests of their watches in the past.

Browsing the net, I found out, that a small jeweller near my workplace sold them. And so, I visited them, and there I saw it - my watch. A really beautiful Jacques Lemans Chronographe Complique. A 7751 in a case, I had never seen before. A case and a design, that combines all the best a swiss brand) was not completely unknown to me - in german watch magazines, there were already a few tests of their watches in the past.

Browsing the net, I found out, that a small jeweller near my workplace sold them. And so, I visited them, and there I saw it - my watch. A really beautiful Jacques Lemans Chronographe Complique. A 7751 in a case, I had never seen before. A case and a design, that combines all the best of Breguet, Chronoswiss and IWC in one watch. A watch that was very elegant and sportive at the same time. And finally a watch, that did not look like a $200 watch (No, the JL costs a little more - $1000 to be precise...). Regarding all that, its price seemed almost unbelievable.

Needless to say, that the next day, it was mine :)

 

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