So, I’ve been messing around with watches lately, and let me tell you, it’s a rabbit hole. Today, I wanna share my little adventure trying to imitate the Jaeger-LeCoultre JLC Duomètre à Quantième Lunaire – you know, the classic style one. Fancy name, right?
First off, I spent hours just staring at pictures of this beauty online. It’s got this clean, symmetrical dial that just screams elegance. Jaeger-LeCoultre, they’re like the kings of this stuff. I mean, they’ve been around forever, making these intricate timepieces. This Duomètre model, it’s got a moon phase, a date, and all these little details that make you go “wow.”
I started by sketching it out. Yeah, good old pencil and paper. Trying to get the proportions right, the way the subdials are placed, the hands, the numerals – it’s a lot harder than it looks! I must have erased and redrawn those circles a hundred times. I felt like a real watchmaker for a minute there, even though I was just doodling.
Then came the “fun” part – trying to find materials that wouldn’t break the bank. I’m not exactly rolling in dough, so using real gold was out of the question. I ended up scavenging some old watch parts from a local flea market. A broken strap here, a cracked crystal there… you get the idea. It was like a treasure hunt, honestly.
Putting it all together was a whole other story. Tiny screws, delicate hands… my clumsy fingers were definitely not made for this. I swear, I almost glued my fingers together more than once. And don’t even get me started on trying to replicate that moon phase display. Let’s just say it involved a lot of glitter and a very questionable attempt at painting a tiny moon.
- Phase 1: The Idea. I saw the Jaeger-LeCoultre JLC Duomètre à Quantième Lunaire and thought, “I can do that… maybe.”
- Phase 2: The Sketching. Endless hours drawing circles and lines, trying to capture that classic style.
- Phase 3: The Scavenging. Flea markets became my new favorite place. Finding old watch parts was a thrill.
- Phase 4: The Assembly. Tiny screws, big fingers, and a whole lot of frustration.
- Phase 5: The “Moon Phase.” Let’s just say it’s… abstract.
The end result? Well, it’s definitely not a Jaeger-LeCoultre. It’s rough around the edges, a bit wonky, and probably wouldn’t fool anyone who knows anything about watches. But you know what? I made it. It’s my own little tribute to a classic. And it got me thinking about how much work goes into those real luxury watches. It’s insane!
This whole project was a reminder that sometimes, it’s not about the perfect outcome, but the journey. It was a fun little experiment, and I learned a lot along the way. Maybe I won’t be starting my own watch brand anytime soon, but hey, at least I can appreciate the real deal even more now.
It is Valentine’s Day soon, maybe I should make another one for my lover, and say “I love you” to him/her, hahahaha.
What’s next?
Maybe I’ll try to imitate another classic watch. Or maybe I’ll just stick to drawing them. We’ll see. Any suggestions?
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