Okay, so, here’s the deal. I’ve always been a bit of a watch guy, right? But the real deal, the fancy stuff, is way out of my league. So, I got this idea in my head: What if I tried to make my own version of a really complicated watch? I picked the Jaeger-LeCoultre JLC Duomètre Sphérotourbillon because, well, it’s just insane looking!
First, I spent hours just looking at pictures of this thing online. I mean, it’s got like a spinning globe thingy inside! Anyway, I needed to figure out what I was going to use to even start.
I decided to focus on the case first. I found some scrap metal in my garage – I think it was an old license plate holder? – and started hammering away. It took forever, seriously, my arms were killing me! But I managed to shape it into something that vaguely resembled the shape of the JLC case. It’s about 40.5 mm, just like the new Jaeger-LeCoultre Duometre Quantime Lunaire White Gold. Not bad, right?
- Case: Old license plate holder, hammered into shape
- Size: 40.5 mm, roughly
Next up, the dial. Now this was tricky. I couldn’t exactly use metal for this part, because I needed to be able to see through it. I ended up using an old plastic container – the kind you get takeout in. I cut it carefully with a box cutter and sanded down the edges. It was surprisingly clear, once I cleaned it up properly.
Now, the really hard part was the inside, the movement. The real Jaeger-LeCoultre has all sorts of tiny gears and springs, which is part of its beauty. Obviously, I couldn’t replicate that. Not even close. But I wanted to give the illusion of complexity. So I took apart an old clock I had lying around. I arranged some of the gears and stuff on the plastic dial, trying to make it look like it was doing something. And I used colorful markers to make it like the real Jaeger-LeCoultre.
For the “Sphérotourbillon” part, which is basically a fancy spinning cage, I was totally stumped for a while. Finally, I found this little plastic ball, like the kind you get in a gumball machine. I painted it silver and glued it to a piece of wire, which I then attached to one of the clock gears. It didn’t exactly spin like the real thing, but it moved a little, which was good enough for me.
Putting it all together was a nightmare. I used superglue, tape, whatever I could find. It was messy, let me tell you. But finally, after weeks of tinkering, I had something that, from a distance, kinda sorta looked like a Jaeger-LeCoultre JLC Duomètre Sphérotourbillon. It is the original order for sure.
What I Learned
Honestly, the whole process was way harder than I thought it would be. I have a whole new respect for watchmakers now. These things are incredibly intricate. Also, I’m pretty sure I inhaled a bunch of metal dust and superglue fumes, so that’s probably not great. But hey, I did it! I made my own “Jaeger-LeCoultre” watch. It’s not perfect, not even close, but it’s mine, and I’m pretty proud of it. Plus, I didn’t have to sell a kidney to afford it!
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