Okay, so I’ve been wanting to mess around with watches for a while, and I finally decided to take the plunge. I picked the Patek Philippe Calatrava 5227J-001 as my target. I mean, it’s a classic, right? Simple, elegant, and just screams “I know what I’m doing” – even if I don’t, haha.
So, first things first, I needed to gather some intel. I hit up the internet, reading whatever I could find about this watch. Turns out, it’s got this self-winding mechanical movement, caliber 324 S C. Sounds fancy. It has a date display and a second hand that sweeps across the dial, which I think is pretty cool. The dial itself is ivory lacquered, which gives it a smooth, polished look, I think it looks great.
Disassembling
Next up, taking it apart. Now, I’m no expert, but I’ve tinkered with a few things in my time. I made sure to lay everything out neatly. I’ve heard that original Patek Philippe watches have really clean, evenly spaced printing, and no misspellings. So, I inspected every part for those details to make sure I knew what to do for my own.
- Labeling Parts: Every little piece, I labeled. Screws, gears, springs – you name it. I didn’t want to end up with a jigsaw puzzle I couldn’t solve.
- Movement: This was the tricky part. This caliber 324 S C is intricate. I took my time, making sure I didn’t force anything. And I noticed the original doesn’t have a visible tourbillon or balance wheel on the dial, except for some special models.
Cleaning and Prepping
With everything apart, it was time to clean. I used some special solution to make all parts clean. This was super important because any dust or grime could mess things up later. And also the crystal, oh my god, I read that all modern Patek Philippe watches use sapphire crystals, so I noted that down. I polished it up until it was sparkling.
The Remake
- Dial: I tried to recreate that ivory lacquered look. It took a few tries to get the right texture.
- Hands: The center sweep second hand was a bit of a challenge. I wanted it to move just like the original.
- Movement: Putting the movement back together was like assembling a complex puzzle. But I managed it, and it was ticking!
Final Touches
Once everything was back together, I gave it a final once-over. I checked the date function, made sure the second hand was moving smoothly, and just admired it for a bit. It wasn’t perfect, but I was pretty darn proud of myself.
All in all, it was a fun project. I learned a lot about watch mechanics, and I got to flex my DIY muscles. Would I do it again? Maybe. But for now, I’m just gonna enjoy the fruits of my labor. And who knows, maybe I’ll try another model next time. I heard that the Nautilus 5711 was a big hit, maybe I’ll give the 5811/1G a shot!
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