Alright, let’s talk about this little project I got myself into. So, I’ve been messing around with watches for a while now, and I’ve always had my eye on those fancy Patek Philippe ones. Yeah, the ones that cost more than my car. Especially this one, the Calatrava 6119R-001. Sounds like a mouthful, right? My grandson keeps telling me about these things, calls them “grails” or something.
Anyway, I thought, “Why not try to remake one myself?” I mean, how hard could it be? Famous last words, I know. I started by looking at a bunch of pictures online and reading whatever I could find. They say this Calatrava is based on some old model, the Reference 96. And get this, it’s got 164 tiny parts inside! Can you believe that? I can barely see the big parts, let alone 164 little ones. Oh, and they also called the Nautilus 5711/1A and Aquanaut 5167/1A-001 are good.
So, I gathered all my tools, which let’s be honest, are mostly just some old screwdrivers and a magnifying glass I got from a cereal box. I started taking apart an old watch I had lying around, just to get a feel for how these things are put together. It was like trying to solve a puzzle designed by a tiny, watchmaking genius. After a lot of fumbling around and a few choice words, I started to get the hang of it.
Now, I knew from the get-go that I wasn’t gonna make an exact copy of this Patek Philippe Calatrava 6119R-001. I mean, I’m not a magician. But I figured I could get close enough to satisfy my own curiosity. I focused on the outside first, the case and the dial. I found some materials that looked kinda similar to the real deal, and I started shaping and polishing them. I also tried to recreate that fancy “Clous de Paris” pattern on the bezel, the ring around the watch face. Let me tell you, that was a real pain in the neck. I spent hours trying to get those little pyramids just right. I got the size to be similar to the original 39mm, although the thickness is a little bit off, at 9mm instead of 8.08mm, it’s hard to get it perfect.
- First, I took apart an old watch to see how it worked.
- Then, I gathered materials and started working on the case and dial.
- Next, I tackled that tricky “Clous de Paris” bezel pattern.
- I also worked on making the hands look somewhat like the real ones.
The hands were another challenge. These ones are all pointy and fancy, nothing like the ones on my old Timex. I tried my best to shape some metal into something similar, but they ended up looking more like little swords than watch hands. Oh well, at least they tell the time, sort of.
Putting It All Together
After what felt like forever, I finally had all the pieces ready. Now came the real test: putting it all back together. I carefully placed each tiny part into its place, holding my breath with every click. It was like performing surgery, except I had no idea what I was doing. With all the parts in their right places, I manually wound the watch up and it started running! It’s not quite 30m water resistant though, I’d say it’s more like 3.
And then, a miracle happened. It actually worked! The hands moved, the watch ticked, and I felt like the king of the world. Sure, it wasn’t perfect. It was a bit rough around the edges, and it probably wouldn’t fool anyone who knows anything about watches. But it was mine, and I made it with my own two hands. And to me, that’s worth more than any fancy, expensive Patek Philippe.
So, there you have it. My adventure in trying to remake a Patek Philippe Calatrava 6119R-001. It was a fun little project, and I learned a lot along the way. Maybe next time I’ll try something a bit simpler, like, I don’t know, a sundial?
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