Okay, so I’ve been wanting to get my hands on a nice watch for a while now, and I finally decided to take the plunge and try to remake a Patek Philippe Calatrava 5227R-001. Yeah, I know, it’s a pretty ambitious project, but I was up for the challenge. I started by looking closely at images of the original watch online, paying attention to every little detail.
First off, I began working on the case. This watch has a classic round case that’s 39mm in diameter and about 9.24mm thick. I grabbed some rose gold-colored metal and started shaping it. It took a lot of careful filing and polishing, but I finally got it looking right. Getting that smooth, polished finish was a real pain, but it was worth it in the end.
Next up was the movement. Now, the original has this fancy automatic self-winding caliber 324 S C movement with 29 jewels. I didn’t have anything that complex, so I used a simpler, less expensive movement that I found online. It’s not the same, but it does the job and keeps time pretty well. I had to make some adjustments to get it to fit inside the case, but eventually, I got it secured in there.
- Case: 39mm diameter, 9.24mm height, rose gold color, polished finish.
- Movement: Simpler, substituted movement, adjusted to fit.
- Dial: Ivory color, replicated the classic look.
- Hands: Matched the original style as closely as possible.
- Strap: Leather strap, similar in color and texture.
The dial was another challenge. I used some ivory-colored material to get that classic look and tried to replicate the hour markers and hands as closely as possible. I think I did a pretty good job, but it definitely took some patience to get it all lined up correctly. Matching the hands took some time. They’re so delicate, and getting the shape and size right was tricky. I had to redo them a couple of times, but the final result was worth the effort.
Finally, I attached a leather strap that I thought matched the original pretty well. It’s not an exact match, but it’s close enough and feels good on the wrist. After all the hard work, it was really satisfying to see the finished product. Sure, it’s not a real Patek Philippe, and it doesn’t have all the fancy features, but it looks pretty darn close, and I made it myself.
The Final Product
Wearing it around, I’ve gotten a few compliments, which is always nice. People can’t believe I made it myself. It’s definitely a conversation starter. This whole project was a lot of fun and a great learning experience. It’s not perfect, but I’m proud of what I accomplished. If you’re thinking about trying something like this, I’d say go for it! Just be prepared to put in a lot of time and effort, and don’t be afraid to make mistakes along the way.
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