So, I got this thing for the Rolex Cosmograph Daytona, you know, the Everose Gold one. Looks fancy, right? But who has that kind of cash? Not me. So, I thought, why not try to make my own? A little project, a high imitation, just for kicks.
First thing I did was look up a ton of pictures online. I mean, a TON. Front, back, sides, close-ups of the details, everything. I needed to know this watch like the back of my hand. I printed out a few of the best ones and stuck them on my wall. Stared at them for hours. Not creepy at all.
Then came the materials. This was tricky. I obviously wasn’t going to use real gold, so I had to find something that looked close enough. I hit up a bunch of craft stores and ended up with some kind of gold-colored metal clay. It felt pretty solid, and the color was decent. I also grabbed some tiny beads and things for the details, like the little markers on the watch face.
Sculpting was a whole other beast. I started with the basic shape of the watch, using the clay and some simple tools I found in my garage. Let me tell you, my first few attempts looked like a five-year-old made them. Seriously, awful. But I kept at it, using the pictures as a guide and slowly, very slowly, getting better. I made the main body of the watch first, then the strap, and let them dry separately.
- Molding the shape.
- Details were added to make it look better.
- After many failed attempts I finally did it.
Next up, the details. This is where those tiny beads came in. I used a toothpick and some super glue to carefully place them on the watch face. It was painstaking work, and I definitely glued my fingers together a few times. But hey, no pain, no gain, right?
The buttons and the crown on the side of the watch were a pain. I ended up using some small screws and other stuff to craft them, which I sanded down and shaped as best as I could. They weren’t perfect, but they gave the right kind of look, you know?
Once everything was dry and assembled, I had to paint it. I mixed a few different shades of gold paint to try and match the Everose color. It wasn’t an exact match, but it was close enough for my purposes. I applied several thin coats, letting each one dry completely before adding the next.
The Final Result
After all that work, I finally had my high imitation Rolex. It wasn’t perfect, not by a long shot. But it was mine, and I was pretty damn proud of it. I wore it around the house a few times, feeling like a total boss. It actually looked pretty good from far away, if I do say so myself. Okay, maybe not THAT far away, but still. It was a fun project, and I learned a lot. Maybe next time I’ll try to make a Patek Philippe. Or maybe not. That clay was a real pain to work with.
Click to consult