The project was to create a photorealistic timepiece using Adobe Illustrator. I've always liked Skagen brand watches, so I decided to mimic one of those. Here's the reference photo I used: 

Since I really like Skagen watches, my objective was to make a believable recreation in Illustrator, making something for Skagen enthusiasts like myself. 

As with every project, I started by making some sketches of various wrist watch parts just to get a feel about how these objects are shaped, how they reflect light, how they move, etc. 

My sketches helped me get a good feel on where to get started. I got started on my draft, asked for feedback, tweaked some things, and after a week's work, I felt really good about what I had so far. (Keep in mind, I'm not going for a perfect recreation of my reference photo, merely using it as a reference).

I knew I wasn't quite there, so I continued working. I made some adjustments to shadows and gradients. I added more gaussian blurs and took out some solid strokes. I added some more details to make the watch look more realistic.

Here's my completed watch.

The adjustments to the shadows and gradients really made a difference in making the watch look more real. I added the logo and added some gradients to make it look reflective. I even added some gaussian blurs to the right of each letter to give the text a three dimensional look. I toned down the glare on the glass and I added gradients and shadows to the band.

I'm very pleased with what I was able to create and happy I was able to meet the objective.