Okay, so I’ve been messing around with watches lately, and I stumbled upon this crazy complicated one – the Jaeger-LeCoultre JLC Duomètre Sphérotourbillon. I mean, just the name sounds like something out of a sci-fi movie, right? Anyway, I thought, “Why not try to replicate some of that coolness on my own watch?” It’s not like I’m trying to build a whole new watch or anything, just playing around with the look and feel of it. It is fun for me.
First, I watched a bunch of videos about the Sphérotourbillon. It’s this insane mechanism that spins the tourbillon in multiple directions, like a tiny little planet. I got lost in all the details, man. There’s no way I could actually make that, but I figured I could borrow some of the design ideas.
I started by sketching out some ideas. I mostly focused on the dial. The original has this cool, off-center look with the tourbillon cage taking up a big chunk of space. So, I took my old, beat-up watch, the one I don’t mind messing up. It was just a normal watch, nothing special. I opened the back of the watch up, which was harder than I expected. It was pretty delicate.
Breaking it down
- Removed the hands carefully.
- Took out the movement, which is the whole internal engine part.
- Cleaned everything up with a little brush and some compressed air.
Then came the fun part – the dial. I printed out a bunch of different designs I found online, cutting and resizing them to fit my watch face. I tried a few different layouts, playing with the placement of the “tourbillon” area. I wasn’t trying to make an exact copy, just something that gave off the same vibe, you know? It was a process of trial and error.
I ended up using a simple black and white print for the dial. I carefully glued it onto the old dial, making sure it was lined up perfectly. Then, for the “tourbillon” part, I used some shiny metal foil, cutting it into a small circle and stuck it where the tourbillon would be on the real watch.
Putting everything back together was a pain. The tiny parts got everywhere. I’m pretty sure I dropped a screw somewhere, but luckily, it still works. I managed to get the hands back on, but they were a little crooked at first. I fiddled with them for a while until they looked decent. It is not perfect but good enough.
The final result? It’s not a Jaeger-LeCoultre, obviously. But it does have a bit of that “complicated” look I was going for. It’s definitely unique, and it was a fun project to kill some time. I mean, it’s just a regular watch with a fancy-looking dial, but I’m pretty happy with how it turned out. This little experiment really made me appreciate how much work goes into making real luxury watches. It’s a whole other level of craftsmanship.
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