Okay, so I’ve been messing around with watches lately, and I got this idea to try and make my own version of the Jaeger-LeCoultre JLC Reverso Tribute Monoface. It’s a pretty sweet watch, but way out of my price range, so I thought, why not see if I can make something that at least looks like it? This is not to make a profit or anything, just for fun.
I started by looking up a bunch of pictures of the watch online. I wanted to get a good sense of its shape, the details on the dial, and how the whole flipping mechanism works. It seemed pretty complicated, but I figured I could simplify it for my project. I wasn’t trying to make an exact copy, just something that had the same vibe, you know?
Next, I had to figure out what I could use to make the watch case. I rummaged through my junk drawer and found an old, broken watch with a rectangular case. It was a bit beat up, but I thought I could clean it up and make it work. Then I had some scrap metal lying around and I managed to cut out two pieces, the top part and the back. They were a little bit rough but I hoped that I could sand them down later. And, I tried to drill some holes and used some screws to hold them together. Luckily, they fit perfectly with the rectangular case I found.
Then came the tricky part – the flipping mechanism. I tried using some small hinges, but they were too bulky. Then I remembered I had some old, thin metal rods from a broken toy. I tried to bend them into shape and use them as pivot points. It took a lot of fiddling, but I finally got something that kinda worked. It wasn’t super smooth, but it flipped! I even tried to adjust some gears from other broken watches and fit them into the case, so when I flipped it, the gears would spin. I think it looked kinda cool and more legit.
For the watch face, I decided to keep it simple. I printed out a basic design with simple lines instead of numbers on some nice paper I found, and glued it onto a piece of thin cardboard. I cut out some small hands from a used plastic container and painted them with some black paint I had from an old art project. Then, I carefully glued the face and the hands onto the watch. I also found a small, round crystal from an old, broken watch and managed to fit it over the dial. I had to use some strong glue to hold it in place, but it worked!
The last thing was the strap. I didn’t have any leather lying around, so I used an old belt instead. I cut it to size and made some holes for the buckle. It wasn’t perfect, but it did the job. I tried to attach it to the watch case, I used some small screws and a tiny screwdriver I found in my toolbox. It was a bit tricky, but I managed to get it on there.
Here’s what I learned from this little project:
- Making a watch, even a simple one, is way harder than it looks.
- You can make something cool out of pretty much anything if you put your mind to it.
- It’s super satisfying to see your idea come to life, even if it’s a bit rough around the edges.
So, there you have it. My attempt at making a Jaeger-LeCoultre JLC Reverso Tribute Monoface. It’s definitely not perfect, and it doesn’t tell time, but it’s mine, and I think it’s pretty cool. Maybe next time I’ll try to make one that actually works, or maybe I will try other models. Who knows? It was a good experience.
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