Okay, so, I’ve always been into watches, right? Not like a super expert, but I appreciate a good timepiece. And the Patek Philippe Calatrava, man, that’s like the holy grail for some folks. I saw one the other day – the 6119R-001, I think it was called? It had this classic look, just really clean and simple, but you could tell it was something special. And then I saw the price tag, sheesh, these things are not cheap. That got me thinking, “Could I, maybe, make my own?”
So, that’s what I tried to do. Not to sell or anything, just for fun. To see if I could. I started by looking up everything I could find about the Calatrava 6119R-001. Pictures, specs, you name it. Then, I went searching for parts. Oh boy, this was a whole other world. Trying to find the right kind of metal, the right hands, the right movement… it was a lot. I ordered some stuff online, I went to some local watch repair shops, I even took apart a few old watches I had lying around to see if I could salvage anything.
The first step was getting the case right. I found some raw material that was pretty close to what Patek uses, I think. Then it was time to shape it. I don’t have any fancy watchmaking tools, so I just used what I had at home. Some files, some sandpaper, even a Dremel I had in the garage. It took forever, and it wasn’t perfect, but I managed to get it close to the shape of the Calatrava case.
- Finding the materials – that was tough.
- Shaping the case – even tougher.
- My hands were killing me after all that filing!
Next up, the dial. I tried a few different things here. Printing something out, painting, even trying to engrave something. It was a mess. I finally found a place online that could make a custom dial for me. It wasn’t cheap, but it was way better than anything I could do myself. I sent them the design I wanted, based on the real Calatrava, and they sent me back a pretty decent-looking dial.
Then came the movement. Now, I know nothing about making a watch movement. So, I bought a cheap one online. It wasn’t a Patek movement, obviously, but it was the right size and it worked. Fitting it into the case was a bit tricky, but I managed it.
The hands were another challenge. I found some online that looked kind of like the Calatrava hands, but they weren’t quite right. I tried to modify them a bit, but it didn’t really work. So I just left them as they were. I then put the hands onto the movement, and then put the dial on top. Slapped a cheap leather strap on it that I ordered online, and, well, it looked kind of like a watch!
Putting the whole thing together was the hardest part. Everything is so small and delicate. I broke a few things along the way, and I definitely swore a lot. But, in the end, I had something that kind of resembled a Patek Philippe Calatrava 6119R-001. It didn’t really look exactly like the real thing, not even close probably, and it probably wouldn’t fool anyone who knows anything about watches. But, hey, I made it myself, and that’s something, right?
The End Result
It’s not perfect, not by a long shot. It’s rough around the edges, the finishing is terrible, and it probably doesn’t even keep time very well. But it was a fun project, and I learned a lot. Would I do it again? Maybe. It was a lot of work, and it wasn’t exactly cheap, even though I used the cheapest parts I could find. But it was definitely an experience. And who knows, maybe I’ll try to make another one someday. A better one. Maybe.
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