Okay, so, I’ve been wanting to get into this for a while now, and I finally did it. I took on the project of remaking the Patek Philippe Calatrava 6119R-001, you know, the one with the rose gold case and that classic look. I just had this urge to see if I could do it, so I just went for it.
First, I gathered all my tools and materials. I mean, I really got into it, making sure I had everything I needed. I did some research on the watch, trying to figure out what made it tick – no pun intended. It’s got this 18kt rose gold case, a brown alligator leather strap, and that cool hobnail pattern on the bezel, very cool. The dial is white, with rose gold-tone hands, and it just looked so clean and simple, and I wanted to see if I could capture that simplicity.
I started with the case. I didn’t have rose gold lying around, obviously, so I had to get creative. I found a similar metal and got to work shaping it. It wasn’t easy, let me tell you. Getting that round shape just right took some time and a lot of patience, and I made a few mistakes along the way.
- Then there’s that hobnail pattern on the bezel, the “Clous de Paris.” I practiced that a lot on some scrap metal first. It’s this guilloched texture, and getting those tiny pyramid shapes just right was a real challenge, and it is really not as easy as it looks.
- The dial was next. I opted for a clean white background and used some old watch parts I had to mimic those rose gold-tone hands and index hour markers. I was pretty proud of how that turned out. I even added minute markers around the edge like the original, using some tiny strokes with a fine tool I found.
- The strap was a whole other story. I managed to find a piece of brown leather that looked close enough to alligator. Cutting and stitching that thing was a pain, but it felt so satisfying when it was done, and I was quite happy.
Putting it all together, I felt like a real watchmaker, for sure. I carefully assembled all the parts, making sure everything fit snugly. Seeing the finished product was something else. It wasn’t perfect, no way, but it was mine. I learned so much during this whole process, and it gave me a whole new appreciation for these luxury watches. The amount of work that goes into them is just insane, not kidding.
A few hiccups along the way
Oh yeah, there were definitely some moments where I thought I’d messed up beyond repair. Like when I almost ruined the case trying to polish it. Or when I messed up the first attempt at the strap. But you know what? I just kept at it. I took breaks when I needed to, watched a bunch of videos online for tips, and eventually, I got it to a place where I was happy with it. It’s not going to fool anyone into thinking it’s a real Patek Philippe, but it’s a pretty cool project, and I’m proud of it.
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