So, I’ve been eyeing those fancy Patek Philippe watches for a while now, you know, the ones that make your wallet cry but your wrist look like a million bucks? Yeah, those. I finally decided to take the plunge and try to remake one myself. I’m no watchmaker, but hey, how hard could it be, right?
I started with the Patek Philippe Calatrava 6119G-001. It’s a classic, simple design, but man, it’s elegant. I figured it’d be a good starting point. I spent hours, maybe even days, just looking at pictures of this thing online. I looked at so many pictures of this thing I could draw it in my sleep. The official website, some auction sites, even those shady forums where people talk about replica watches in hushed tones – I saw it all.
First thing I did was to get a feel for the size. 39mm in diameter and about 8mm thick. I grabbed some cardboard and started cutting. I made a few, no, a lot of mockups. Most of them ended up looking like squashed tin cans. But after a while, I got something that kind of resembled the watch. At least the round shape was there. I could get some cheap, round, flat glass from some old watch that I no longer needed. Then I used tools to cut the glass to make it the right size I wanted, though I broke two glasses during the process.
The Dial
- Charcoal Gray
- 18K White Gold
Then came the dial. Man, that was a pain. This one’s got a charcoal gray dial with this “Clous de Paris” pattern. It’s like a bunch of tiny pyramids all lined up. I tried carving it into some plastic, then metal, with a tiny screwdriver. Let’s just say it didn’t go well. I even tried using a toothpick to draw it but I failed so many times. After a few, okay, many failed attempts, I found this textured paper that kind of looked like the pattern. I glued it onto a cardboard disc and called it a day. I almost gave up, so I ordered some cheap fake ones online, just the dial, that looked pretty similar. I found several options but chose one in the end.
I found that the original 6119G-001 was made from 18k white gold. I obviously didn’t have that lying around, so I settled for some stainless steel I had. I shaped it as best as I could, polished it up, and it didn’t look half bad. It took me several days to do so and I even cut my finger during the process.
Putting it all together was another adventure. I used super glue, some tweezers, and a lot of patience. I broke a few parts, glued my fingers together more times than I’d like to admit, and nearly threw the whole thing out the window a couple of times.
But you know what? In the end, I had something that kind of, sort of, looked like a Patek Philippe Calatrava. It didn’t tell time, obviously, and it was probably worth less than the glue I used, but I made it. It’s rough around the edges, a bit wonky, and definitely not something you’d see in a fancy watch store, but it’s mine. I even wore it out once. Got a few weird looks, but a couple of people actually asked me about it. I just smiled and said, “It’s a custom piece.”
Would I do it again? Probably not. But it was a fun ride, and I learned a lot. Mostly, I learned that making watches is really, really hard, and that I should probably stick to buying them, but even if I could afford it. This whole thing was more about the journey than the destination, I guess. And hey, I’ve got a one-of-a-kind, slightly janky, “custom” watch to show for it. That’s something, right?
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