Alright, so I decided to get into this whole thing about making a replica of the Jaeger-LeCoultre JLC Duomètre à Quantième Lunaire. Sounds fancy, right? Well, it kinda is, but it’s also a huge pain in the butt.
First off, I started by looking all over the internet for any info I could find on this watch. I mean, this is not just any watch, it’s a real piece of work. You know, just looking at the pictures, I realized that this was way more complicated than anything I’d messed with before.
I spent a good chunk of time just trying to understand how this thing even works. It’s got a moon phase thing, two power reserve indicators, and a bunch of other stuff that I didn’t even know existed before I started this project.
- I gathered a bunch of tools, some I had, some I had to buy.
- Then I started sketching out some plans, mostly just to wrap my head around it.
- I even tried to 3D print some parts, which, let me tell you, was a whole other adventure.
The biggest challenge was just getting the parts right. I spent hours and hours on these tiny gears and springs. One wrong move and you gotta start all over again. I remember one time, I was working on this one gear for like a week, and then I dropped it. It took me another two days just to find the damn thing.
Making the Moon Phase
And the moon phase part? Forget about it. I had to figure out how to make this tiny little moon move across a tiny little sky. I tried a couple of different methods, ended up using some kind of a small disc and painted it to look like the moon. It’s not perfect, but it kinda works.
I ended up spending way more time on this than I thought I would. I mean, it’s been months. My wife is getting tired of seeing watch parts all over the living room. But hey, at least I’m learning something new every day, right?
Finally, after all that hassle, I managed to put something together that kinda resembles the original watch. It’s not perfect, not even close. But it’s mine, and I made it. It’s pretty cool to look at it and think, “Yeah, I did that.” Would I do it again? Probably not. But it was definitely an experience.
So there you have it, my journey into the messy world of watchmaking. If you are into this stuff, I suggest doing your own research and practice. It is not easy at all. I would say, this is a crazy hobby. But, who knows, you might surprise yourself.
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