I wanted to recreate a Patek Philippe Golden Ellipse, specifically the 5738R model. You know, the one you see in those fancy watch stores.
So, first, I looked up a ton of pictures of this watch. I mean, every angle I could find. I even found some info saying its design is based on the “golden section” – some old Greek math thing. Cool, right? Apparently, this ratio is like 1 to 1.6181 or something. Sounds fancy, but I just wanted it to look right.
Then, I started sketching. I used to be pretty good at drawing, but I haven’t done it in a while. I started with the basic ellipse shape, trying to get that golden ratio thing down. It wasn’t easy, to be honest. I erased and redrew that thing a bunch of times. Then I focused on the details – the hands, the hour markers, the little Patek Philippe logo.
After I felt somewhat OK with the sketch, I decided to try 3D modeling. Now, I’m no expert at this. I downloaded a free program, watched some tutorials, and just started messing around. It was tough at first, figuring out the tools and all that. But I pushed through.
I started with a basic cylinder and started shaping it into that ellipse. Then I made the watch hands, which were surprisingly tricky. Those tiny details are a pain to get right on the computer. Next, I did the little markings on the dial. Those were easier, just a lot of copying and pasting.
- Sketching: Tried to get the golden ratio right.
- 3D Modeling: Started with a cylinder, then made the hands and dial markings.
- Texturing: Made it look like rose gold.
Next up was making it look like the real deal. I found some textures online – stuff that looked like rose gold and that shiny black face. It took some time to apply them correctly, making sure the light hit it just right so it looked like a real, expensive watch. This part took forever, but seeing it come together was pretty cool.
Finally, after hours and hours of work, I had something that actually looked like a Patek Philippe 5738R. Sure, it’s not perfect, and it won’t tell time, but I made it! I even rendered some high-quality images of it, so it looks like one of those professional photos. Pretty proud of myself, not gonna lie.
What I learned:
This whole thing was a fun little project. I got to dust off my old drawing skills, learn some basic 3D modeling, and appreciate how much work goes into designing these luxury watches. It’s way harder than it looks. Would I do it again? Maybe. It was a good way to kill some time and learn something new.
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