Okay, so I’ve been itching to share this little project I’ve been working on. It’s a bit of a tribute, a remake of the Patek Philippe Golden Ellipse, specifically the 5738R model. You know, that classy, understated watch with the thin case based on the Golden Ratio? Yeah, that one. I’ve always been a fan of its simple elegance, and I thought, why not try to recreate it digitally?
I started by diving deep into the history of this beauty. It was launched way back in 1968, and Patek Philippe already had a century’s worth of different watch designs under its belt. But the Golden Ellipse, man, it just stood out. It wasn’t round, square, or rectangular. It was something else entirely, and I wanted to capture that.
My first step was gathering all the information I could about the watch. I spent hours looking at pictures, reading articles, and even browsing through pages of different Patek models like the Aquanaut and the Calatrava. It’s wild how many different styles they have, from Annual Calendar to Grand Complications. But I stayed focused on the Golden Ellipse.
Then came the technical part. I had this bitmap image, 160×30 pixels, and I wanted to display it in a 2 bits per pixel format. Sounds simple enough, right? Nope. I had to work with some program tools to make palettes and tiles. It was a bit of a learning curve, but I got there in the end.
Here’s what I did, step-by-step:
- Studied the Design: I scrutinized every detail of the 5738R, from the shape of the case to the layout of the dial. I wanted my digital version to be as faithful as possible.
- Made a Mockup of the Watch: I used a graphic editor to make a graphic mockup of the watch, including the case, dial, and hands.
- Created the Palette: I carefully chose the colors to match the rose gold of the case and the ebony black of the dial, it was like painting, but with pixels.
- Built the Tiles: This was the most tedious part. I had to break down the image into small tiles, making sure each one was perfectly aligned. It was like putting together a tiny, digital jigsaw puzzle.
- Assembled the Tilemap: Finally, I pieced together all the tiles to create the complete image of the watch. Seeing it all come together was so satisfying.
This project was a fun challenge. It wasn’t just about recreating an image; it was about understanding the essence of the Golden Ellipse and trying to convey that through my work. I’m pretty happy with how it turned out. It might not be the real deal, but it’s my little homage to a truly iconic timepiece. Hope you guys enjoyed this little trip into my latest project!
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