Okay, so I’ve been messing around with watches lately, and let me tell you, it’s a rabbit hole. Today, I wanted to try my hand at imitating the Jaeger-LeCoultre JLC Duomètre à Quantième Lunaire, specifically the classic style one. That watch is just… chef’s kiss. But the price? Not so much.
First, I gathered a bunch of pictures online. I mean, tons. Front, back, side angles, close-ups of the dial – you name it. I really needed to get a feel for all the little details, like the way the light hits the hands and the texture of the dial. It’s all about the tiny things, right?
Next, I started sketching. I’m no artist, but I doodled my best to capture the overall shape of the case, the position of the sub-dials, and the style of the numerals. This took a while, let me tell you. My sketches looked, well, let’s just say they were “abstract.” But it helped me to understand how everything was laid out.
- Finding reference images, this was a pain in the butt, the internet is flooded with other stuff, and I need high-quality pics.
- Sketching a draft, god, the details, so many details!
- Using cardboard to make a model to feel the size.
Then came the fun part – building a rough model. I grabbed some cardboard and started cutting and gluing. It was pretty messy, but it gave me a basic idea of the size and proportions. I even tried to imitate the different layers of the dial by cutting out different sized circles. It looked pretty rough, but hey, it was a start.
After that, I moved on to digital modeling. I fired up some free software I found online and tried to recreate the watch in 3D. This was a whole other beast. I’m definitely not a 3D modeling pro, but I managed to cobble together something that somewhat resembled the Duomètre. It was a lot of trial and error, pushing and pulling vertices, and figuring out how to make the textures look right.
The dial was the trickiest part. The Duomètre has this beautiful, textured dial with multiple sub-dials. I spent hours just trying to get the layout right, not to mention the tiny little details like the moon phase and the power reserve indicators. I ended up using a bunch of different shapes and layers to mimic the depth and complexity of the real thing.
The Outcome
So, did I end up with a perfect replica? Absolutely not. But did I learn a lot about the design and craftsmanship of this incredible watch? You bet. It was a fun experiment, and it gave me a whole new appreciation for the artistry that goes into making these things. Plus, I got to flex my creative muscles a bit, even if the results were a little, uh, rough around the edges. It was more about the journey, you know? I feel like I understand this watch a little better now, even though I still can’t afford the real thing. Maybe one day!
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