So, the other day, I got this crazy idea to try and remake a Patek Philippe Calatrava 6119G-001. I mean, those things are just gorgeous, right? And super expensive! But I figured, why not give it a shot? It’s not like I’m gonna sell it or anything, just a fun little project.
First off, I spent a ton of time just staring at pictures of the watch online. I mean, really studying them. The Calatrava’s got this charcoal gray dial that’s just killer, and the white gold hour markers? Forget about it! I needed to figure out how to even get close to that look.
I started gathering materials, which, let me tell you, was a whole adventure in itself. Finding stuff that even resembled the real deal was tough. I ended up using some thin metal sheets for the dial and some tiny beads for the hour markers. The real Calatrava is like 39mm in diameter and only 8.08mm thick, that is a real masterpiece! I aimed for something similar in size, but with my limited tools and skills, mine was for sure a bit chunkier.
Making the Dial
- Cut out a circle from the metal sheet. I’m no expert, but this was way harder than it sounds. I used my kitchen scissors…
- Painted it with some gray paint I had lying around. Not exactly “charcoal gray,” but hey, it was close enough for my liking.
- Glued on the beads for the hour markers. This was super fiddly, and I think I glued my fingers together more times than I actually got the beads on the dial.
Assembling the Case
- I used some old watch parts I had from a broken watch I found in a drawer. I took out all the inner stuff and just used the outer shell.
- I tried to polish it up a bit to make it look all shiny and new, but it ended up just looking like a well-loved… old watch case.
- I carefully placed the dial inside, and it fit… kinda. It wasn’t perfect, but it was in there!
The real Patek Philippe Calatrava is water-resistant to 30 meters, but mine? Yeah, I wouldn’t even get it near a splash of water. It’s more of a “look, don’t touch” kind of deal.
Honestly, the whole thing took me way longer than I thought it would. I heard that the wait time for a real Patek Philippe can be up to 8 years for some models, like the Nautilus, and maybe a year for the Calatrava. It took me several days just to make this really rough replica! They also said that many of the Calatrava watches are among the most collectible watches, I do not doubt it after I try to make this one!
In the end, my “Patek Philippe” looked nothing like the real thing. It was rough around the edges, the proportions were off, and it probably wouldn’t even keep time if I had put in a movement. But you know what? I had a blast making it. It was a fun challenge, and it gave me a whole new appreciation for the craftsmanship that goes into those luxury watches.
Would I recommend doing this? Probably not, unless you’re really bored and have a lot of time on your hands. But it was definitely an experience. I learned a lot, mostly about how hard it is to make a watch, even a really, really bad one!
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