Today, I finally got around to trying to remake that Patek Philippe Calatrava 5088/100P-001, the fancy one from their official flagship store. Man, what a day it was.
First, I looked up a ton of pictures of the watch. The one I’m talking about is the Calatrava, new for 2024, with the black enamel dial. It’s a platinum watch, 38 mm. I found some that said “new” and “2024” and even had the original box and papers, which seemed like a good sign. It listed the brand as Patek Philippe, from the United States of America, which is weird.
- Gathered Materials:
- Got some basic tools like a mini screwdriver.
- Found some old watch parts from a broken watch.
- Printed out a high-res picture of the watch face to use as a guide.
I started by trying to sketch out the design on a piece of paper. Let me tell you, those tiny details on the watch are insane. I spent like an hour just trying to get the hands right. Then, I moved on to trying to mimic the black enamel dial look. I used a piece of black plastic and tried to polish it to get that glossy finish. It wasn’t perfect, but it was a start.
Trying to fit it all together
Next, I tried to fit all these tiny pieces together. I used tweezers and a magnifying glass because, man, those screws are small! I fumbled a few times, dropped a couple of screws, and had to find them on the floor. After a lot of patience, I managed to get most of the parts in place. It didn’t look exactly like the real deal, but it was starting to resemble a watch.
To be honest, the final product was rough. Really rough. But, you know, I learned a lot. Like, how much work goes into making those super expensive watches. It’s not just about slapping some parts together. There’s a ton of precision and skill involved. I definitely gained a new appreciation for watchmakers.
So, yeah, that was my adventure trying to remake the Patek Philippe Calatrava. It wasn’t a success in terms of making a perfect replica, but it was a fun project. I might try it again sometime, maybe with better tools and more practice. Who knows, maybe one day I’ll actually make something that looks like the real thing!
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