So, I’ve been wanting to remake a Patek Philippe Calatrava 6119G-001 for a while now. It’s a beautiful watch, and I thought it would be a fun project to try and recreate it myself. You know, get my hands dirty and see if I could pull it off.
I started by doing some research. I looked up the specs of the watch online. It’s a 39mm white gold watch, pretty sleek. The original one is way out of my budget, somewhere around $26,000 to $28,000! No way I could afford that. But that didn’t stop me from wanting to try and make my own version.
First thing I did was to gather all the materials I needed. I went online and found some similar-looking watch parts, tried to get the best quality I could find without breaking the bank. I also bought some basic watchmaking tools – nothing too fancy, just enough to get the job done. It was kind of exciting, like preparing for a big adventure.
- Found a white gold-plated case, 39mm, similar to the original.
- Sourced a movement that was close enough in terms of functionality.
- Ordered a dial with that “Clous de Paris” pattern, which is like a hobnail guilloche design. It’s what gives the watch that classic look.
- Picked up some hands and a strap that matched the style of the 6119G-001.
Once I had everything, I started assembling the watch. It was a slow process, I tell ya. I laid out all the parts on my workbench, double-checked the design of the original watch, and began putting it together piece by piece. It took a lot of patience and a steady hand. I had to be extra careful not to scratch anything or mess up the movement.
The hardest part was definitely working with the small parts. Those screws are tiny! I dropped them a couple of times and had to crawl around on the floor with a flashlight to find them. It was frustrating, but also kind of funny. I’m pretty sure I swallowed one screw along the process.
After many hours of work, and probably a few more grey hairs, I finally finished it. It wasn’t perfect, of course. There were a few minor imperfections, but overall, I was pretty happy with how it turned out. It looked surprisingly similar to the real Patek Philippe Calatrava 6119G-001. When I put on the watch, it looked not bad on my wrist, right?
My Personal Touch
I even added a little personal touch to it. I engraved my initials on the inside of the case back. It’s something small, but it makes it feel more like my own creation. I know it’s not a genuine Patek, but it’s my Patek, and I’m proud of it.
This whole experience taught me a lot about watchmaking. It’s a lot more complicated than it looks! But it’s also really rewarding. I’m already thinking about what watch I want to remake next. Maybe a vintage Rolex? We’ll see!
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