Alright, so, I got this idea in my head a while back. I wanted to try my hand at remaking the Patek Philippe Calatrava 6119G-001. Yeah, that fancy watch. I saw it once in a store, all shiny and whatnot. Costs a fortune, though.
First thing I did, I hit up the internet. Looked up everything I could find about this watch. Found out it’s 39mm, made of white gold. Fancy, right? They call it a “remake” of some older model. I dug around, read some forums, watched some videos. Got a good idea of what I was getting myself into.
Next, I started looking for parts. This was a pain. You can’t just walk into a store and buy this stuff, you know? I spent days searching online, found some sketchy websites, almost got scammed a couple of times. It’s tough when you’re trying to find specific parts for such a high-end watch. But I kept at it.
Then came the tools. I had some basic watchmaking tools, but I needed more specific stuff. Had to order them online, wait for them to arrive. It was a slow process. A lot of waiting, a lot of hoping I ordered the right thing.
Once I had everything, I started working on it. Now, I’m no expert, but I’ve tinkered with watches before. This was different, though. This Patek Philippe, it’s a whole other level. I had to be extra careful. One wrong move and you could mess up the whole thing. I took it slow, one step at a time, with the reference pictures of the Calatrava 6119G-001 close by.
- First, I started with the case. Getting the size just right, 39mm, not easy.
- Then the dial, had to make sure all the little details were there.
- The hands, so tiny, so delicate, hard to work with.
- And the movement, the heart of the watch, the most complicated part.
I spent weeks on this, on and off. Some days I made good progress, other days I had to redo things. It was frustrating, but also kind of fun. Like a puzzle, you know?
The Result
Finally, after all that, I had something that looked like the Patek Philippe Calatrava 6119G-001. Not perfect, mind you, but pretty darn close. I compared it to the pictures online, even took it to a watch guy I know. He was impressed, said I did a good job for an amateur.
So, yeah, that’s my story. I remade a Patek Philippe Calatrava 6119G-001. Or at least, my version of it. It was a lot of work, a lot of time, but I learned a ton. Would I do it again? Maybe. It’s a good challenge, and the result, well, it’s something I’m proud of.
Click to consult