Man, let me tell you about this little project I got myself into. So, I’ve always been into watches, right? Not just any watches, but the fancy, high-end kind. And there’s one that’s always caught my eye: the Patek Philippe Calatrava 6119G-001. This thing is a beauty – classic style, you know? I mean, it’s way out of my league in terms of price, but a guy can dream, can’t he?
So, I thought, “Why not try to remake it myself?” Yeah, I know, sounds crazy, but I was bored and needed a challenge. I started by looking up everything I could find about this watch. The 6119G-001, in all its glory. That charcoal gray dial, the white gold case, the hand-wound mechanical movement. It’s got this new Caliber 30-255 PS thing, which, honestly, I didn’t even know where to begin with that.
First things first, I needed to get a good look at the watch. I watched every video, stared at every picture I could find online. I was trying to figure out the whole complicated movement and it is indeed very complicated, this is Patek Philippe, the most complicated wristwatch they ever made. They call it the “Grandmaster Chime”, I tried to copy it but it’s really a tough work. Then I try to just focus on the dial, that charcoal gray, it’s not just a flat color. There’s a texture to it. And the hands! They’re not just flat pieces of metal, they’ve got some dimension to them. 39mm, 18k white gold, that’s something I cannot get. I tried to find other white gold things and tried to melt and make it into shape but it didn’t work. I used some silver plate instead.
I grabbed some basic tools, some of them I even made by myself, it took me a while to find a silver plate and cut it into a circle, about 39mm. I practiced on some cheap metal first, of course. Then I moved on to the dial. I tried a bunch of different paints and techniques to get that charcoal gray just right, even added a bit of texture. It took some trial and error, but I think I got pretty close.
- Finding materials: This was a scavenger hunt. I used scraps of metal, bits of old jewelry, even parts from broken toys.
- Shaping the case: This was tough. I ended up using a mix of a silver plate and some other metal to get the right shape and feel. I tried to copy the Clous de Paris bezel, it’s really hard.
- Painting the dial: So many layers of paint! I experimented with different shades of gray, even mixed in some other colors to get that subtle texture.
- Making the hands: I used some thin metal sheets and carefully shaped them. They’re not perfect, but they resemble the three-dimensional hands on the real watch.
- The movement: Okay, I didn’t even attempt to recreate the actual Patek Philippe movement. That’s way beyond my skills. I just focused on making the hands move, it’s the best I can do.
It took me weeks, working on it a little bit each day. There were times I wanted to throw the whole thing in the trash, especially when I messed up the dial for the tenth time. But I kept at it. And you know what? It actually started to look like something. Not exactly like the Patek Philippe, of course, but a decent imitation, at least to my eyes.
Putting it all together was the most nerve-wracking part. I was so afraid of breaking something after all that work. But slowly and carefully, I assembled all the pieces. And when I finally got the hands to move, man, that was a feeling! They say the real one is a good choice to wear it daily and I think mine too.
The End Result
It’s not perfect, not even close. The case isn’t made of white gold, it doesn’t have that fancy movement, and the details aren’t as refined. But it’s mine. I made it. And it’s a reminder that even the most complicated things can be broken down into smaller, manageable steps. Plus, I learned a ton about watches and how they’re made. Would I do it again? Probably not. But am I glad I did it? Absolutely.
So, there you have it. My crazy attempt to remake a Patek Philippe Calatrava. It was a wild ride, but I’m pretty proud of what I accomplished. It’s a good story to tell, right?
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