Okay, so, I’ve been messing around with watches for a while now, and I always wanted to get my hands on a Patek Philippe Calatrava. That 6119R-001 model? Man, it’s a looker. Real classic style, you know? So, I started this little project to remake one myself.
First off, I spent a good chunk of time just staring at pictures of the 6119R-001 online. I looked up shops’ about page, their info was all over the place. I dug around, trying to find out everything I could about it. They say it’s got this “Clous de Paris” thing on the bezel, which is just a fancy way of saying it’s got these tiny little pyramid shapes all around. Looks pretty sharp. And the movement inside, the caliber 30-255 PS, that’s supposed to be a real piece of work. Manual winding, 65-hour power reserve, all that jazz.
I started by trying to sketch out the design. Let me tell you, it’s not as easy as it looks. Getting all those little details right, especially on the dial, took some time. I grabbed some basic watch parts I had lying around and tried to see if I could modify them to look like the Calatrava. The case was the first big hurdle. I needed something round, rose gold-colored, and the right size. I ended up using an old watch case I had, filed it down a bit, and polished it up. It wasn’t perfect, but it was a start.
- Sketching the design – took forever to get the details right.
- Finding a suitable case – used an old one and modified it.
- Making the dial – this was the hardest part, hands down.
- Assembling the movement – I used a basic movement and tried to tweak it.
- Putting it all together – felt like a real watchmaker, for a minute there.
The dial was a whole other beast. I tried printing out a design, but it just didn’t look right. It was a mess. Eventually, I found a guy online who makes custom watch dials, and I sent him my design. He did a pretty good job, I gotta say. It wasn’t an exact replica, but it captured the essence of the 6119R-001. As for the hands, I managed to find some that were close enough in style, though they weren’t the exact same shape. They will do for now.
The movement was tricky. I didn’t have a spare Patek Philippe movement lying around, obviously. So I took a basic, reliable movement I had and tried to modify it a bit. I added some decorations, adjusted a few things, just to make it look a little more like the real deal. It doesn’t have a 65-hour power reserve, more like 40, but hey, it works.
Putting It All Together
Finally, I put the whole thing together. Putting the dial on the movement, attaching the hands, fitting it all into the case. I held my breath when I wound it up for the first time, and… it ticked! It actually worked! It was running a little fast, so I had to regulate it a bit, but after some tinkering, I got it keeping pretty good time.
Now, it’s not a real Patek Philippe, of course. And it’s certainly not perfect. But I made it myself, and that’s something. It’s got that classic Calatrava look, that clean dial, that simple elegance. It’s not as shiny or fancy as the real 6119R-001, but it’s mine. And every time I look at it, I remember the whole process of making it, from start to finish. It wasn’t easy. But I think it was worth it. My own little piece of watchmaking, right here on my wrist.