Alright, folks, gather ’round, let me tell you about this little project I recently dove into. I’ve always been a bit of a watch nut, and the Patek Philippe Calatrava 5227R-001 has been on my radar for a while. But let’s be real, the price tag is a bit insane. So, I thought, why not try to remake one myself?
First thing’s first, I started digging around for info. Found out this beauty has a 39mm case, about 9.24mm thick, made of 18K rose gold. I decided that’s what I wanted to do, too. I also learned it’s got this automatic self-winding movement, a caliber 324, with 29 jewels. Fancy, right? I managed to find some similar materials online, I found a rose gold-plated stainless steel case that was pretty close to the right size. It wasn’t solid gold, but hey, it saved me a ton of money, and it still looked the part.
Next up, the movement. I found the movement caliber 324 that looked really similar. It wasn’t the real deal, of course, but it was close enough for this project, and it even had a shock absorber, just like the original.
Putting it all together was a bit tricky. I had to be super careful not to scratch the case or mess up the movement. I used some watchmaking tools I got a hold of. Let me tell ya, my hands were shaking the whole time. But after a few hours of careful work, I managed to get the movement installed in the case.
- Sourcing the Parts: Finding the case and movement took some time, I searched all over the internet.
- Assembling the Watch: I carefully put the movement into the case, making sure everything was aligned.
- Final Touches: I found a nice leather strap that matched the original Patek Philippe pretty well, and attached it to the watch.
The dial was another challenge. The original has this beautiful silver dial. I found a similar one online, and with a bit of tweaking, I managed to fit it onto the movement.
The last piece of the puzzle was the strap. I found a nice leather one that matched the original pretty well. And voila, after a few days of work, I had my very own “Patek Philippe Calatrava”.
The Result
Now, I’m not gonna lie, it’s not a perfect replica. There are definitely some differences if you look close enough. But for a fraction of the price, I’m pretty darn happy with how it turned out. It’s a fun piece to wear, and it’s a great conversation starter. Plus, I learned a ton about watchmaking in the process, it also reminds me of the year 2024 when I made it. Would I do it again? Maybe. It was a fun challenge, but it was also a lot of work. For now, I’m just gonna enjoy wearing my homemade “Patek Philippe”.
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