Okay, so today I tried to do something cool – I wanted to copy that fancy watch, the Jaeger-LeCoultre Master Ultra Thin Perpetual Calendar. You know, the one that looks super classy? Yeah, that’s the one. I’ve always thought it looked sharp, but it’s way out of my budget. So, I thought, why not try to make something that looks like it myself?
First, I looked up some info about this watch. I found out that the case is about 40mm and pretty slim, just under 11mm thick. That’s like, really thin for a watch. I also read that Jaeger-LeCoultre didn’t even exist until 1937, they started making super thin movements and were known for that sort of thing before that, and they changed their name from just LeCoultre. Pretty interesting, huh? Anyway, that doesn’t really matter when you’re just trying to copy the look of the thing.
So, I got to work. Here’s what I did:
- Finding the Right Look: I spent a good chunk of time just staring at pictures of the watch. I mean, really staring. I needed to get every little detail in my head. The hands, the numbers, the little sub-dials – everything.
- Sketching It Out: Once I had a good idea of what it looked like, I started sketching. I’m no artist, but I did my best to draw out the watch face and all its features. I had to erase and redraw a bunch of times, but eventually, I had something that looked kinda like the real deal.
- Making a Template: After sketching, I made a template. I just traced my drawing onto a piece of cardboard and cut it out. This was going to be my guide for the next part.
- The Face: The face of the watch is super important, it turns out. I used some thin plastic that I had lying around and cut it into a circle, using my cardboard template. Then, I painted it to match the color of the real watch. It took a few coats to get it right, but I think it turned out okay.
- The Details: This was the hardest part, I think. I had to make all those tiny numbers and markers and the sub-dials. I ended up using bits of wire and tiny pieces of paper to make these. It was super fiddly work, and my fingers felt huge.
- Putting It Together: Once I had all the pieces, I started assembling the watch face. I glued everything onto the plastic circle, trying to be as neat as possible. This took forever, and I had to use tweezers for some of the smaller parts.
- The Case: I didn’t even try to make a real watch case. I just used an old watch that I didn’t wear anymore and took out the insides. Then, I carefully placed my homemade watch face inside.
I also liked another watch called the Master Ultra Thin Moon, and I thought about trying to copy that one too. It has this cool moon phase thing on it. But I figured one watch was enough for now. It has that “Master” look which caught my eye.
And that’s it! It’s not perfect, of course. It doesn’t tell time, and it’s definitely not as fancy as the real Jaeger-LeCoultre. But, you know what? I made it myself, and it looks kinda like the watch I wanted. I’m pretty happy with how it turned out. It was a fun project, and I learned a lot about watches along the way. Maybe next time I’ll try to make one that actually works!
This was a fun little project. Maybe I’ll try another one sometime. It’s a good way to pass the time and, hey, you get something cool looking at the end, even if it doesn’t work!
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