Okay, so I’ve been eyeing this Patek Philippe Calatrava 5227G-010 for a while now. It’s a real beauty, but the price tag is, well, let’s just say it’s a bit out of my league. But I thought, “Why not try to remake it?” I mean, how hard could it be, right? So, I decided to give it a shot.
First things first, I needed to find a watch that I could use as a base. I spent hours online, looking at different models. I finally settled on a pretty decent one that had a similar shape and size. It wasn’t a Patek, obviously, but it had that classic, simple look I was going for. This Calatrava is about 39 mm wide, and 9.24 mm thick, so I tried to find one similar.
Next up, the dial. This was going to be the trickiest part. I started by researching the Calatrava’s dial. It’s so clean and elegant, with those simple hour markers and that gorgeous ivory color. I knew I couldn’t replicate it perfectly, but I wanted to get as close as possible.
I found a place online that sells custom watch dials. I sent them some pictures of the Calatrava and explained what I was trying to do. They were super helpful and after a few emails back and forth, they made a dial that was pretty darn close to the original. It wasn’t perfect, but it was definitely good enough for my project.
Then came the hands. The Calatrava has these beautiful, slender hands. I found a set of hands online that were similar in style. They weren’t an exact match, but they had that same refined look. Swapping out the hands was a bit fiddly, but I managed to do it without breaking anything.
The movement was the part I decided not to touch. I mean, I’m not a watchmaker. I just kept the original movement that came with the base watch. It’s not a Patek movement, of course, but it keeps time just fine.
Finally, the strap. The Calatrava usually comes with a leather strap. I found a really nice leather strap online that matched the color and style of the original. It was the perfect finishing touch.
Putting it all together took some time and patience, I won’t lie. But in the end, I was pretty happy with how it turned out. It’s not a real Patek Philippe Calatrava, but it’s a pretty good remake, if I do say so myself.
Here’s a breakdown of what I did:
- Found a base watch with a similar size and shape.
- Ordered a custom dial that resembled the Calatrava’s.
- Replaced the hands with ones that looked more like the original.
- Kept the original movement.
- Added a new leather strap.
It was a fun project, and I learned a lot about watches in the process. Plus, now I have a watch that looks kind of like a Patek Philippe Calatrava, but without the hefty price tag. Would I do it again? Maybe. It was definitely a challenge, but it was also pretty rewarding.
Anyway, that’s my little watchmaking adventure. Hope you enjoyed hearing about it!
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