Alright, so I got this idea to try and remake that Patek Philippe watch, the Calatrava 6119G-001. You know, the one you see all fancy on their official store? Yeah, that one. I thought, “Why not give it a shot?” So, I rolled up my sleeves and got to work.
First off, I had to really look at this watch. I mean, really look at it. It’s called a Patek Philippe, which sounds kinda like a tongue twister, right? And this specific one, the Calatrava 6119G-001, it’s got this old-school vibe to it, but it’s also kinda new. It’s a bit of a brain teaser, to be honest. But that’s what made it interesting.
I started by gathering all the stuff I needed. It wasn’t easy, I’ll tell ya. This watch, it’s not your average wristwatch. It’s got this “Clous de Paris” thing, which is like a fancy pattern. Took me a while to figure out how to even start with that. I watched a bunch of videos, read some stuff, and tried to get the hang of it.
- I practiced the guilloched hobnail pattern, also known as Clous de Paris, a lot. It’s harder than it looks!
- Then, I had to get the size right. I measured and measured. 39mm in diameter and 8.08mm in height. Sounds easy, but it’s all about the details.
- The movement part was the most difficult. This watch is not some battery thing. It’s mechanical. Manually wound. I spent days just trying to understand how that works.
After lots of tries and messing up, I finally started to put it together. It was like a puzzle, a really, really hard puzzle. Each little piece had to fit just right. I had to be super careful not to break anything or scratch it up.
And then, there it was. My version of the Calatrava 6119G-001. It wasn’t perfect, not like the real thing, but I did it. I actually made a watch, or at least something that looked like one.
It was a tough project, probably one of the hardest things I’ve done. But you know what? I learned a ton. About watches, about being patient, and about not giving up even when you want to throw the whole thing out the window.
Would I do it again? Maybe. It was fun, in a really challenging kind of way. Plus, now I can say I kinda, sorta made a Patek Philippe. How cool is that?
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