So, I’ve been eyeing this Patek Philippe Calatrava 6119G-001 for a while now. You know, that super classy watch with the “Clous de Paris” pattern on the bezel? Man, it looked slick in the official store, but the price tag? Ouch. So, I thought, why not try to remake it myself? Yeah, I know, ambitious, right?
First, I spent hours just staring at pictures online. I found some good ones, especially from places selling pre-owned watches, some are even offering full set. Those were super helpful because they showed the watch from all angles. I particularly focused on the details of the hobnail pattern and the charcoal gray dial. Also read some info about it is 39mm and 8.08mm height, which is quite important.
Next, I started sketching. I’m no artist, but I tried my best to capture the proportions and the intricate details of the bezel. It took a few tries, and a lot of erasing, but I finally got something that looked halfway decent.
Then came the hard part: finding the materials. I obviously wasn’t going to use white gold, so I settled for some stainless steel I found online. For the dial, I picked up a piece of gray material that had a similar texture. Finding a way to recreate that hobnail pattern was a real challenge, though.
- I tried using a bunch of different tools to engrave the pattern onto the steel, but nothing seemed to work quite right.
- Finally, I decided to 3D print a mold of the bezel and then pressed the steel into it. It wasn’t perfect, but it was the closest I could get.
After that, it was all about assembly. I carefully put together all the pieces, using the pictures I found online as a guide. The movement was another hurdle. I ended up using a simple quartz movement instead of a mechanical one. It’s not the same, but hey, it tells the time.
The strap was relatively easy. I just bought a generic black leather strap and attached it to the watch case. And, you know what, the final result wasn’t half bad! It definitely doesn’t look exactly like the real Patek Philippe Calatrava 6119G-001, but it’s got a similar vibe.
Wearing it around, I get a few curious looks. Some people even ask me where I got it. I just tell them it’s a little project I worked on. It’s a fun conversation starter, and it reminds me of all the effort I put into making it.
Overall, this whole experience was a blast. It was challenging, frustrating at times, but ultimately rewarding. I learned a lot about watchmaking, and I got to flex my creative muscles. Would I do it again? Maybe. But next time, I might try something a little less complicated!
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