So, I’ve been messing around with watches lately, and I got this idea to try and make a fake Jaeger-LeCoultre JLC Master Grande Tradition Tourbillon Cylindrique. Yeah, I know, it sounds crazy, but I thought it would be a fun project. I’m not trying to sell it or anything, just wanted to see if I could do it.
First, I did some digging online. I found out that not many people are making fake JLCs. I guess they’re not as popular to copy as some other brands. I also learned that it’s pretty tough to tell a real one from a fake, especially from bad photos. That made me feel a little better about my chances.
I started by looking at lots of pictures of the real watch. I mean, a lot. I wanted to get every detail right, even the tiny ones. I noticed that there are a few different models of this watch, so I picked one that I liked the most and used that as my guide.
Next, I had to find the parts. This was the hardest part, let me tell you. I searched everywhere for a movement that looked similar to the real one. It’s not easy to find tourbillon movements, especially ones that look like JLC’s. I finally found one that was close enough, but it definitely wasn’t the same.
- Sourcing the case and dial: This was also a pain. I ended up getting a case and dial from a supplier that makes replica watches. They weren’t perfect, but they were the closest I could find.
- Hands and other bits: I managed to find some hands that looked pretty similar to the real ones. For the other small parts, I had to get creative. I used parts from other watches and even made a few myself. It was a lot of trial and error.
Putting it all together was like a giant puzzle. I had to be super careful not to damage anything. I used some basic watchmaking tools that I had, and I watched a bunch of videos online to figure out how to do certain things. It took a lot of patience, I can tell you that.
After many hours of work, I finally finished it. It’s actually not bad. It’s not perfect, obviously. The movement isn’t the same, and there are some small details that are off, like some parts of it do not match the quality of the original. But overall, it looks pretty similar to the real thing. At least to me, it does. I kept it on my wrist for a whole day, it runs good, and the time is accurate, not like those cheap ones I bought before.
I’m not going to lie, I’m pretty proud of myself for pulling this off. It was a lot harder than I expected, but I learned a ton about watches in the process. It was a fun project, and I’m glad I did it, but also lots of trouble. Now I am thinking that I should sell it to someone who loves to collect watches. I’ll be right back after I take some nice photos of it!
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