Okay, so, I’ve been meaning to get my hands dirty with this for a while now, and today I finally decided to jump in. We’re talking about remaking the Patek Philippe Calatrava 5227R-001. Yeah, that one, the fancy-looking watch they have at the official flagship store. It’s a pretty thing, all shiny and rose gold, and I thought, “Why not give it a shot?”
First, I went searching online to find out the prices and how many of these watches are there for sale. Turns out, these Calatrava watches are pretty expensive. It seems like the cheapest one goes for around eleven thousand, and they only go up from there. That’s some serious dough! Anyway, I’m not buying one, just trying to make one that looks like it.
Gathering Intel
- Started by looking up all the details I could find about this watch.
- Found out the case diameter is 39 mm and the height is 9.24 mm. Pretty specific, huh?
- Noticed the movement thickness is just 2.55 mm, and it’s made up of 164 parts. That’s a lot of tiny pieces.
Getting to Work
I started to make the case. I aimed for that 39 mm diameter. It wasn’t easy, let me tell you. Getting the shape right, making sure it looked like rose gold, that took some time. It’s not the real deal, of course, but I wanted it to look decent.
Then came the tricky part – the movement. Now, I didn’t actually make a working one, not yet. I focused on making something that looked like it. I got my hands on some small metal pieces and started arranging them to resemble the 324 self-winding movement I read about. I also searched for the specific 324 movement to understand the details and how I could start.
Once I had a movement that looked somewhat right, I put it inside the case. I found the case has to be 9.24mm tall. Then added a dial on top, trying to match the ivory color I saw in the pictures. It’s not perfect, but it’s starting to look like a watch.
The Finishing Touches
Put it all together, and there you have it. It looks somewhat like the Patek Philippe Calatrava 5227R-001. At least, I think so. It’s got that rose gold look, the right size, and a dial that’s pretty close to the original.
This whole project was more about the journey than the result. Trying to remake something as complex as a luxury watch, with all its tiny parts and shiny bits, it’s a real challenge. But it’s also a lot of fun. Would I do it again? Maybe. There’s always room for improvement, and who knows, maybe one day I’ll tackle the movement for real.
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