For this project I chose OMEGA SPEEDMASTER PROFESSIONAL MOONWATCH. Not only that it looks great, but also because of its interesting history. Did you know that when Buzz Aldrin stepped on the lunar surface in 1969, he was wearing a Speedmaster Professional, the chronograph that has been known as the Moonwatch ever since? If not, well, you know now.
As usually, I started with some research... Trying to find some good images which I could use as reference.
When I was done with this simple (but very important part) I started modeling. (Little advice... Never underestimate this "research" - many times in the past I had to start modeling form scratch just because I didn't do a proper research. So try to find as much images as possible. It will save your time :)
Modeling was done in 3Ds Max. I started with dial, then I continued with housing and finally I modelled one part of strap. Then I distributed this part along a curve, to make the whole strap.
Here are some progress tracking images:
When I was done with modeling, I moved to textures. Naturally there were no textures online this time so I had to use Photoshop to create my own. Together I created three textures - Diffuse, Bump and Specular.
Then I started setting up the render. I used Corona renderer (for the first time) and I must say that I was blown away how fast you get good looking renders out of it. If you are also interested in rendering and haven't tried it yet I totally recommend it. It's definitely worth a try. In addition a very "capable" alpha version of this renderer is FREE! Link to Corona here.
The scene is lit by HDRI environment and one Corona plane light. Rendering of one image took about 15-45 minutes (depends on camera position, overall render quality, etc.). Result was usually "good" after 10 minutes but It was still a bit noisy. So if I wanted higher quality I walked away for about 45 minutes and literally let it go. :D
And finally, here are renders:
Normally I would now mention post-production, but in this case it wasn't necessary. Watches looked good right off the bat.
If you have any questions let me know. ;-)