Today, I wanna share something pretty cool I got into recently—replicating the Jaeger-LeCoultre JLC Rendez-Vous Jewellery Tourbillon. You know, that super fancy watch? Yeah, that’s the one. I’ve always been a bit of a watch guy, but the real deal is way out of my league, budget-wise. So, I thought, why not try to make a knock-off version myself?
First off, I spent hours just looking at pictures online. I mean, I studied those things like I was gonna be tested on them. I needed to get every little detail right, at least as much as I could without, you know, actually owning one. I found some good information online, including that lots of their variations just come from changes in materials, gems, and dials. I know that JLC has a more diverse portfolio with some incredibly high complication movements and finishing and their prices are just up there. I think that the real one, the original one, is probably one of the rarest chronometer-grade watches of the 20th century, made in less than 1 year.
Then, I started looking for the right materials. It’s not like I could use real diamonds or anything, but I found some decent substitutes that look the part without costing a fortune. For the watch face, I got this shiny, metallic-looking paper that kind of gives off that luxury vibe. And for the strap, I just used some leftover faux leather I had from another project.
Faking the Tourbillon
- The tourbillon was the hardest part. I mean, that thing is a tiny mechanical marvel. I just watched some videos of how they work and tried my best to recreate the look.
- I used some tiny gears and springs from an old, broken watch. I didn’t make it actually work, obviously, but I arranged them to look like a tourbillon cage. It’s all about the visuals, right?
After I had all my materials, I got to work. I sketched out the design on paper first, making sure the proportions were right. Then I carefully cut out the watch face and glued on the fake gems. The hands were tricky—I used thin pieces of wire and painted them gold. It was a lot of fiddly work, but pretty satisfying to see it all come together.
Putting the tourbillon part together was a real test of patience. I used tweezers and a magnifying glass to get those tiny parts in place. It took a few tries, but I finally got it looking pretty good, if I do say so myself.
The last step was attaching the strap. I punched some holes in the faux leather and used those little metal studs to secure it to the watch case. It’s not the fanciest solution, but it works. I know someone had been looking for a replica of the JLC, but his is simpler. I guess I just like fancy stuff more!
The whole thing took me about a week, working on it a few hours each day. It’s definitely not perfect, but I’m pretty happy with how it turned out. It looks great, and it didn’t cost me a thousand bucks to make. And hey, it’s a fun conversation starter. People are always asking me about it, and I get to tell them the whole story of how I made it. It’s a good reminder that you don’t always need the real thing to enjoy something beautiful.
Anyway, if you have the time, you can try to make your own favorite watch, too. It’s a great way to learn new things, not just about watch, but also about crafting, about patience, and about art! Trust me, if I can do this, you can, too.
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