Okay, so, I’ve been messing around with watches for a while now, you know, just a hobby. And I always wanted to try my hand at remaking one of those fancy ones, a Patek Philippe. Yeah, I know, pretty ambitious, right? Anyway, I decided to go for the Calatrava 6119R-001. It just looked so darn classy in the pictures.
First thing I did was, I went down to a bunch of those fancy watch stores. I pretended I was some hotshot, you know? Just to see these things up close and get a feel for them. Man, they’re smooth. I took a ton of pictures, looked at every little detail, the way the light hits the hands, the tiny little numbers, everything. They look pretty but price is high for a normal person.
Then, I started digging around online, looking for parts. It was tough, let me tell you. I found some decent-looking cases, some hands that were kinda close, and a movement that was… well, it ticked. That’s the important part, right? haha. I ordered a bunch of stuff, fingers crossed the whole time.
Sourcing the Materials
Next, it was time to get my hands dirty. I got this little workbench set up in my garage, all my tiny tools laid out. Felt like a real watchmaker, even though I had no clue what I was doing, haha.
- Cases and Dials: I spent days, maybe weeks, looking for cases and dials. I learned that even small differences, like the way the light hits the bevel or the exact shade of rose gold, those things matter. I found a guy online who made custom cases and had him make me something that looked pretty close to the 6119R. Then, I bought the dial and the hands.
- Movement: The movement was the trickiest part. I bought a few cheap ones online, just to practice taking them apart and putting them back together. I watched a bunch of videos, read some old watchmaking books I found at a flea market.
Putting it all together was… an experience. I broke a few parts, scratched a few things, and almost gave up a couple of times. But eventually, I had something that looked kinda like a Patek Philippe. It wasn’t perfect, not by a long shot, but it was mine. And it actually worked! It is a long time for me to make it from zero. I felt so proud of myself when I finished it.
I wore it around for a few days, just to see how it felt. It felt… pretty good, actually. It’s a little heavier than I expected, but it looks nice. I even got a few compliments on it, which was cool. So, yeah, that’s my little adventure in watchmaking. I learned a lot, messed up a lot, but ended up with something I’m pretty proud of. Maybe I’ll try another one someday. But for now, I think I’ll stick to wearing this one. It’s not a real Patek, but it’s got a good story behind it, you know? That’s all I want to share today, hope you guys like my little story.
Click to consult