Alright, let’s talk about this little project I got into. I decided to remake a Patek Philippe Calatrava 6119G-001. Yeah, that fancy watch. So, I started by looking at pictures, and videos of the watch, you know, getting a feel for it. It’s called the Calatrava 6119G-001, made of white gold, and it’s got that Clous de Paris thing going on. Pretty neat, huh?
First off, I gathered all the materials I needed. Since I was going for that white gold look, I picked out some similar-looking metal. It wasn’t easy, but I managed to find something that I felt was pretty close.
- Metal: Found a white gold alternative.
- Design: Studied a bunch of pictures of the Calatrava 6119G-001.
- Tools: Got my hands on some basic watchmaking tools. Nothing too fancy.
Next, I started working on the case. I used my tools to shape the metal, trying to get that round Calatrava look. I don’t have one of those fancy machines, so I did it all by hand. Took a while, but I think I did alright. The original has a diameter of 31mm, and I got pretty close to that, I think. Not perfect, but close enough for a homemade job. And the thickness, they say it’s 2.55mm, I aimed for that too. It’s not exact, but hey, I’m not a pro.
Then came the fun part, the Clous de Paris pattern. Man, that was a pain. I tried to recreate that hobnail pattern on the bezel. I used a small tool to make those tiny little pyramids. It wasn’t perfect, but it kinda looked like the real thing. I spent hours on this, trying to get it right.
After that, I worked on the dial. I found a plain white dial and tried to make it look like the one on the 6119G-001. I added those little hour markers and the Patek Philippe logo. It wasn’t easy, but I think I pulled it off. It’s not exactly the same, but it looks pretty similar.
Putting it all together was the last step. I carefully assembled all the parts, the case, the dial, the hands, and the movement. I used a cheap movement I found online. It’s not a Patek Philippe movement, obviously, but it works.
The Result
In the end, I had a watch that looked a lot like the Patek Philippe Calatrava 6119G-001. Sure, it wasn’t the real deal, and it didn’t cost a fortune, but I made it myself. And you know what? I’m pretty proud of it. It’s not perfect, but it’s my version of that fancy watch. I wear it sometimes, and it feels good to know I made it with my own two hands. It doesn’t have any of those super intricate details, but it tells the time, and it looks pretty darn close to the real thing, at least to me.
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