Okay, so, I’ve been messing around with watches lately, and I got this idea to try and make something that looks like a Jaeger-LeCoultre Reverso. You know, the one with the flipping case? I thought it’d be a cool project to see if I could pull it off. I’m not a watchmaker or anything, just a guy who likes to tinker.
I started by looking at a bunch of pictures of the Reverso Tribute Monoface. I noticed they have different versions, like some in steel and some in other stuff. I don’t have any fancy equipment, so I figured I’d just try to make something that captures the basic look.
The real Jaeger-LeCoultre watches have this Caliber 822 movement, which sounds pretty fancy. It’s hand-wound, not like those automatic ones. I didn’t even try to replicate that. I just found an old watch movement I had lying around and used that. It’s not the same, but hey, it ticks.
The hardest part was the case. The Reverso has this rectangular shape, and it’s supposed to flip over. I spent a lot of time trying to figure out how to make something like that. I ended up using some scrap metal and a lot of, shall we say, “creative engineering.” It doesn’t flip as smoothly as the real deal, but it does flip!
- First, I sketched out the basic shape on paper.
- Then I cut out the metal pieces using some hand tools. Nothing precise, just eyeballing it.
- The flipping mechanism was the trickiest. I used some small hinges and a lot of trial and error.
I saw some people online talking about whether they should get a Jaeger-LeCoultre or a Rolex. They both seem like nice watches. Rolex is known for being tough and having those accurate in-house movements, while Jaeger-LeCoultre has these cool designs and more complicated movements. I guess it depends on what you’re looking for.
Jaeger-LeCoultre also has a bunch of different versions of their watches, like different materials and dials. They even have some super complicated ones, which I can’t even imagine making myself.
I saw some folks were interested in the Green Reverso Tribute Monoface. I guess that means it has a green dial? Mine doesn’t. I just used a plain white dial I found.
The End Result
So, after a lot of tinkering, I managed to put together something that sort of looks like a Jaeger-LeCoultre Reverso Tribute Monoface. It’s definitely not perfect, and it’s not going to fool anyone who knows watches. But it was a fun project, and I learned a lot along the way. It’s not about being perfect, it’s about the journey, right?
It’s rough around the edges, sure, but it’s got character. And hey, it tells the time! Mostly. Sometimes it stops, but a little tap usually gets it going again. This whole thing was more about the process than the end result, you know? It was fun to see if I could actually make something like this with my own two hands. And now, I’ve got a one-of-a-kind watch that, while it won’t win any awards, definitely tells a story.
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