What reference 3518420 covers
Jaeger-LeCoultre prints its reference numbers with a Q prefix, so the official form reads Q3518420. Wholesale lists drop the letter and post the digits. 3518420 and Q3518420 point to the same catalog entry. Replica sellers copy that format because it looks like a factory code.
The number on its own does not confirm case metal, case size, movement, or strap. A listing that shows 3518420 with no caseback photo and no crown photo leaves three of those four unknown. Ask for both photos before you pay.
Case and dial checks
- Measure the case. Reverso shapes are rectangular. A 1 mm error changes how a strap sits on the wrist.
- Read the dial text. Look at the weight of the Jaeger-LeCoultre print and the position of Swiss Made at 6 o'clock.
- Check the guilloché lines. Spacing should be even, with no flat patch near the edge.
- Look at the hands. Blued steel reads dark in flat light. Painted hands look uniform.
- Turn the watch over. Genuine casebacks carry a reference, a serial, and a caliber number.
Movement
Genuine Jaeger-LeCoultre watches use in-house calibers. Replica price bands track the movement inside. Copies from $120 to $250 use quartz or a basic Chinese hand-wind. Quartz shows up in rectangular cases because the case holds little space. Copies from $250 to $450 may carry a Miyota 9015 or a Seagull ST series movement with a decorated bridge. Above $450, sellers claim Swiss ETA parts. Ask for a photo of the movement and the rotor before payment.
Price bands
- $120 to $250: mineral glass, quartz or plain hand-wind, basic leather strap.
- $250 to $450: sapphire crystal, decorated automatic movement, stitched strap.
- $450 and up: claims of Swiss parts. Verify with a movement photo and a caseback photo.
Checks before payment
- Six photos minimum: dial, caseback, crown, clasp, strap, movement.
- A video with a timestamp.
- The water resistance claim. ISO 22810 sets the criteria for those ratings. A seller with no rating has no rating.
- The return window and the refund method in writing.
- The payment method. Bank transfer offers no recovery.
What a replica cannot supply
No copy matches the finishing of a genuine JLC caliber. No seller can supply Jaeger-LeCoultre service papers, and the brand does not service replicas. Resale value on a copy sits near zero. Treat the purchase as a costume item, not an asset.
Open questions
Public JLC catalog pages do not index reference 3518420 with a full spec sheet at the time of writing. Confirm case size, case metal, and caliber with the seller, then compare those numbers against the brand site. If the seller cannot name the caliber, the listing is a guess.