Okay, so, I’ve been wanting to get my hands on this Patek Philippe Calatrava 6119G-001 for a while now. It’s a really classic style, and you know, I’m all about that. So, I finally decided to go for it and try to remake one myself.
First things first, I did some digging around. What I really wanted was this white gold case, which, let me tell you, looks even more beautiful in person. I found out that the original watch is pretty small, about 39mm across and only 8.08mm thick. And get this, it can run for a long time without you windin’ it. They call that the power reserve. Fancy, right?
So, I started gatherin’ my materials. Now, I couldn’t exactly get my hands on real 18k white gold, so I had to settle for somethin’ a bit more, let’s say, budget-friendly. I also had to find a movement that was small enough to fit the case and had a decent power reserve. It wasn’t easy, let me tell you.
Next up, the dial. The original has this beautiful guilloched hobnail pattern. I spent hours trying to recreate that. I tried a bunch of different techniques, used all sorts of tools, and let’s just say there were a lot of failed attempts. It was a real pain in the butt.
Putting it all together was another challenge. Getting everything to fit just right, making sure the hands moved smoothly, it was a real test of my patience. I probably took the whole thing apart and put it back together like a hundred times.
Finally done!
In the end, I finally got somethin’ that resembled the Patek Philippe Calatrava 6119G-001.
- It wasn’t a perfect replica, not by a long shot.
- But, you know what? I was pretty darn proud of it.
It was a fun project, and I learned a lot along the way. Would I do it again? Probably not. It was a lot of work! But hey, at least I can say I kinda, sorta have my own Patek Philippe now. And if you ever see me wearing it, you’ll know the story behind it.
Click to consult