Today, I felt like sharing my little project of imitating the Jaeger-LeCoultre JLC Master Ultra Thin Perpetual Calendar. You know, that classic style everyone loves. I’ve always been a fan of the elegant look and the way it combines technical smarts with a timeless design. So, I figured, why not try to recreate it myself?
First, I spent a good chunk of time just staring at pictures of the watch online. I found some good close-ups on eBay and a few other sites that sell pre-owned watches. This one place had a stainless steel version, 39mm in diameter, and it looked almost brand new. That’s the size I wanted to go for, perfect for a dressy watch, you know?
I gathered all the materials I thought I’d need, stuff I mostly had lying around the house. I’m not making a real watch here, just something that looks like one. So, I got some cardboard, some shiny paper, a few old watch parts from a broken watch I had, and some paint. Pretty basic stuff.
The next step was drawing out the design. The Master Ultra Thin has this really clean dial with four variations, I think one is a midnight blue, another is silver, and then there’s this classic eggshell beige. I went for the eggshell because it seemed the easiest to mimic with paint. I sketched out the layout of the dial, making sure to get the proportions right – it’s 39mm wide and about 9.2mm thick, with these elongated lugs. I tried to capture that polished look with the shiny paper for the case and bezel.
- Cut out the cardboard: I cut out two circles for the watch face and back, and a long strip for the sides.
- Made the case: Glued the strip to the edges of one of the circles to create the body of the watch. Then, I covered it with the shiny paper to give it that polished metal look.
- Painted the dial: I used a light beige paint for the eggshell dial and carefully drew on the details, like the hour markers and the subdials for the calendar.
- Added the details: This was the fun part. I used bits and pieces from the old watch, like the hands and some tiny gears, and glued them onto the dial to make it look more realistic.
- Glued on the back: Once everything was dry, I glued the second cardboard circle to the back to close up the watch.
It took a few tries to get everything to look right. The hardest part was definitely making the tiny details on the dial. My hands aren’t exactly the steadiest, but I think I did a pretty decent job. It’s not perfect, of course, but it definitely captures the essence of the Jaeger-LeCoultre Master Ultra Thin.
The End Result
When I finally finished, I was pretty stoked with how it turned out. It’s not a real, working watch, obviously, but it looks pretty darn close to the real deal, especially from a distance. I even wore it around the house for a day, pretending I was some fancy businessman. It was a fun little project, and it gave me a new appreciation for the craftsmanship that goes into making these high-end watches. I might try to imitate another watch in the future, maybe something a bit more complicated. Who knows?
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