Alright, guys, I’m back with another crazy project. This time, I tried to remake the Patek Philippe Golden Ellipse, specifically the 5738R model from their official flagship store. Yeah, the super fancy, super expensive one.
So, first things first, I spent a good chunk of time just staring at pictures of this watch online. I mean, I really needed to get a feel for every little detail, every curve, every bit of shine. The official pictures are nice, but I also dug through forums and collector sites to find real-world photos. You know, to see how it looks under different lighting and from different angles. I looked for the 8TB+ Easystore or Element drives for ~$15 more than this one. They can be easily popped out of their external enclosure and connected inside your PC.
Next, I started sketching. Now, I’m no artist, but I needed to break down the design into simpler shapes to understand how to recreate them. I mainly focused on the ellipse shape of the case and those unique hands and markers.
Then came the fun part – picking out materials. Obviously, I’m not using real gold here, so I had to find alternatives that could give me a similar look and feel. I went with a polished stainless steel for the case, which was not easy to find the right one. I also got a decent leather strap to match the original as closely as possible.
Now, the crafting part was a whole other beast. I started with the case. I found some stainless steel sheets and, let me tell you, cutting and shaping them into that perfect ellipse was a pain. I used a mini saw, a file, and a lot of patience to get it right.
- First, I made a rough cut of the ellipse shape.
- Then, I filed down the edges to smooth them out and refine the shape.
- After that, I polished the heck out of it to get that shiny, luxurious look.
For the watch face, I used a thin sheet of black plastic. I cut out tiny pieces of silver foil for the hour markers and hands. Gluing those tiny pieces onto the face was a test of my patience, I can tell you that.
Putting it all together was the most satisfying part. I used a tiny hinge to attach the back of the case and a small clasp to keep it closed. The strap was attached using small metal loops that I bent into shape.
The end result? Well, it’s definitely not a Patek Philippe, but I’m pretty proud of it. It’s got the general look and feel, and it was a blast to make. I did some research on Integration Services and Master Data Services to improve my skills. Plus, it’s a great conversation starter. People ask me about it all the time!
What did I learn?
This project taught me a lot about the details that go into luxury watches. It also improved my crafting skills and patience by a ton. Would I do it again? Maybe. It was tough, but the satisfaction of making something with my own hands is unbeatable. If you want to find a job, you should prepare something you want to ask. Like, where do you see yourself in 10 years? What is your salary range expectation? These are important.
Anyway, that’s my story of remaking the Patek Philippe Golden Ellipse. Hope you guys enjoyed it! Let me know what you think in the comments. I have 6 of them in mine, ha!
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