Alright, let’s dive into this project. I’ve been eyeing the Patek Philippe Calatrava 6119R-001 for a while. It’s a real beauty, but with that $30,955 price tag, it’s way out of my league. So, I thought, why not try to remake it myself? I mean, how hard could it be, right?
First things first, I needed to get a good look at this watch. I spent hours online, just staring at pictures and videos. This Calatrava, it’s got a classic, polished round case. The diameter is 39mm and it’s about 8.08mm thick. Looks pretty sleek, and it’s water-resistant up to 30 meters. Plus, it has a sapphire crystal case back, which is a nice touch.
So, I started sketching. I grabbed a pencil and paper and tried to draw out the design. I’m no artist, but I did my best to copy the watch’s features. The rose gold color, the shape, the dial – I tried to get it all down on paper. It wasn’t perfect, but it was a start.
Next, I had to find some materials. I couldn’t afford real rose gold, obviously, so I went with a cheaper, rose gold-colored alloy I found online. It looked similar enough, and it wouldn’t break the bank. For the case, I used some basic metal shaping tools I had lying around. I hammered, filed, and polished until I got a somewhat decent-looking round case.
- Finding the parts: Scoured the internet for similar-looking parts.
- Shaping the case: Used old tools to shape the case from a cheap alloy.
- Assembling the watch: Put the whole thing together, which was fiddly work.
The dial was tricky. I ended up printing a picture of the Calatrava’s dial and carefully cutting it out. I glued it onto a thin piece of metal and hoped for the best. For the hands, I used some thin wire and shaped them as close as I could to the original. It was fiddly work, but I managed.
Putting it all together was a whole other challenge. I used a cheap watch movement I found online. It wasn’t a Patek Philippe movement, but it would do the job. I carefully assembled the watch, piece by piece. It took hours, and there were a few mishaps along the way, but I finally got it all together.
The Final Result
And there it was, my homemade Patek Philippe Calatrava 6119R-001. It wasn’t perfect, not by a long shot. But it kind of resembled the real thing, at least from afar. I wore it around for a day, and you know what? It felt pretty good to have made something like this with my own hands. It might not be a real Patek Philippe, but it’s mine, and that’s good enough for me.
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