Okay, so, I’ve been messing around with this watch, right? A Jaeger-LeCoultre, the Duomètre à Quantième Lunaire. Fancy name, I know. But the thing is, I wanted to see if I could kind of make my own, like an imitation. Not to sell or anything, just for kicks.
First, I spent hours just looking at pictures and videos of the real deal. You know how it is, trying to get every little detail in your head. This watch has a lot going on, with the moon phase and the date and all that. I was just trying to figure out how it all worked, what makes it tick, literally.
- Studied the heck out of the original: Seriously, I think I watched every single video out there, and looked at more pictures of this thing than I care to admit.
- Started sketching: I’m no artist, but I tried to draw out the different parts, especially the face with all its complications. It was rough, but it helped me visualize things.
- Looked into other Jaeger-LeCoultre watches: I figured they probably use similar techniques in their other watches, so I started checking out their other models, like the Reverso and the Master Control. They got that classic look, you know, clean lines and all.
Then came the hard part – trying to find similar-looking parts. I’m not exactly rolling in dough, so I wasn’t about to buy any genuine Jaeger-LeCoultre parts. It was all about finding cheap alternatives that had a similar vibe. I went through a bunch of different movements, dials, hands – you name it. It was a real treasure hunt, and most of the time, I came up empty-handed.
Putting it all together was a whole other story. Let me tell you, watchmaking is not for the faint of heart. I was dealing with these tiny, tiny screws and gears, and my hands are not exactly the steadiest. It took forever, and there were definitely a few moments where I almost gave up. I messed up a lot, had to take things apart and put them back together more times than I can count.
The Result?
Well, it’s far from perfect, that’s for sure. It doesn’t really look much like the original, to be honest. But hey, it kinda works! It’s got a moon phase that actually moves, and the date changes like it’s supposed to. It’s my own little Frankenstein’s monster of a watch, and I’m kind of proud of it, even though it looks rough around the edges. It was a tough, messy process but I learned some stuff about watches along the way. Maybe I’ll try again some day when I have more time and some better tools.
Click to consult