Okay, so, I’ve been wanting to get my hands on a Patek Philippe Calatrava 6119R-001 for a while now. This thing is a beauty, but the price tag? Whoa, let’s just say it’s way out of my league, I can not get the original one. A friend told me I could try to remake one myself, So, I decided, why not try to remake one myself? I mean, how hard could it be, right? I have confidence that I can do it well, So, I started this project.
First, I spent a whole lot of time researching. I looked up everything about the 6119R-001 – its 39mm rose gold case, the 8.08mm thickness, the manual winding caliber 30-255 PS movement, everything. Found out this model has a 65-hour power reserve, and it’s water-resistant up to 30 meters. I even dug into the history of the Calatrava line, which apparently started back in 1932. Good to know!
Then came the fun part – sourcing the materials. Let me tell you, finding the right components was not easy. I went to a lot of stores, I wanted that rose gold look, so I got some similar material for the case. For the movement, I found an old watch that had a working mechanism, I thought I could modify that one. The dial, I decided to craft it myself. I found some silver material, It’s the same as the original one, then I started to make a grained texture, just like the original.
Once I had all the parts, I started assembling. This was the trickiest part. I had to be super careful, especially with the movement. I took my time, followed the design specs I had gathered, and slowly put everything together. It felt like I was doing heart surgery on a tiny robot or something. The hobnail pattern on the side of the case was a real pain to do, but I managed. I used some tools, did a hand-guilloched thing on it. It’s not perfect, but it kinda looks like the real deal.
- Prepare the case: I got this rose gold-looking material and shaped it into a 39mm circle. Then, I worked on the sides to get that hobnail pattern.
- Craft the dial: I used a piece of silvery metal and tried to make it look like the original’s grained dial.
- Modify the movement: I took apart that old watch and tried to tweak its movement to match the Calatrava’s.
- Put it all together: Very carefully, I assembled the case, the dial, and the movement. Added the sapphire crystal case back too.
Assembly Steps:
Finally, after many days of work, my homemade Calatrava 6119R-001 was ready. Does it look exactly like the original? Nah, not really. But it’s pretty darn close, and it actually works! I’m really proud of how it turned out, especially considering it cost me way less than the nearly $30,000 price tag of the real one. I can wear it every day, I wear it to work and also some other occasions.
This whole project was a wild ride, but I learned so much. It’s not just about the watch, it’s about the journey, the challenge, and the satisfaction of creating something with your own hands. Would I do it again? Maybe, but next time I might try a different model. Who knows?
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