Alright, let’s talk about this little project I got into recently – trying to remake a Patek Philippe Calatrava, the 6119G-001 model to be exact. It’s a classy piece, you know, the kind that screams “I’ve made it” but in a whisper, not a shout.
So, I started digging around. First thing I did was to look up what this watch is all about. Turns out, it’s a 39mm white gold beauty, manual winding, the whole nine yards. It’s got this “Clous de Paris” pattern on the bezel, which is just a fancy way of saying it’s got a cool texture that makes it stand out.
Then I moved on to figuring out the guts of it. This watch uses a Calibre 30-255 PS movement. Sounds complicated, but basically, it’s the engine that makes the watch tick. It’s got a power reserve of about 65 hours, which means you don’t have to wind it every day. It’s made up of 164 parts, all tiny and intricate. I measured and sketched these parts, trying to get the size just right – 31mm in diameter and 2.55mm thick.
- Gathered info on the watch model: 6119G-001, 39mm, white gold, manual winding.
- Studied the Clous de Paris pattern on the bezel.
- Researched the Calibre 30-255 PS movement, 65-hour power reserve, 164 parts.
- Measured and sketched the movement parts, focusing on dimensions.
The fun part was recreating that Clous de Paris pattern. I tried a few methods, playing around with different tools to get that textured look. It wasn’t easy, but after a few tries, I think I got something that looks pretty close. The dial has these white gold hour markers, and the hands are dauphine-style, which is a nice touch. I made sure to replicate these as accurately as I could, using some white gold I had lying around.
Putting It All Together
Next, I assembled the movement. This was tricky. Each of those 164 parts had to go in just the right place. I used tweezers and a magnifying glass, and let me tell you, my hands were shaking. But I managed to put it all together, and when I wound it up, it started ticking. That was a good feeling.
I fitted the movement into the case, added the dial and hands, and closed it all up with a sapphire crystal on top. The original has a transparent case back, so you can see the movement, but I skipped that part. Maybe next time.
In the end, I had something that looked a lot like a Patek Philippe Calatrava 6119G-001. It wasn’t perfect, of course. The real deal sells for tens of thousands, and I’m just a guy with some tools and a dream. But it was a fun project, and I learned a lot. Plus, now I have a pretty cool watch that I made myself. Not too shabby, right?
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