Alright, let’s talk about how I tried to remake a Patek Philippe Golden Ellipse 5738R, the classic style one. I’ve always been a fan of these fancy watches, but you know, they cost a fortune. So, I thought, why not try to make one myself? It seemed like a cool project, and I was itching to get my hands dirty.
First, I spent a ton of time just staring at pictures of the 5738R online. I mean, I really studied those images. I wanted to get every little detail in my head. The shape of the case, the way the hands look, the font of the numbers – everything.
Next, I started gathering materials. I found some rose gold-colored metal sheets that looked pretty close to the real deal. I also ordered a basic watch movement online – the guts of the watch, you know?
- Rose gold-colored metal sheets
- Watch movement
- Small screws
- Watch hands (hour, minute, and second)
- Watch crystal (that’s the glass on top)
- Leather strap (brown, of course)
Then came the hard part – shaping the case. I sketched out the ellipse shape on the metal sheet and cut it out with some tiny metal shears. It was tough, let me tell you. Getting that perfect ellipse shape was a real pain. I filed and sanded and filed some more until I was somewhat satisfied.
After that, I had to make the dial – the face of the watch. I used a thinner sheet of the same metal and carefully marked where the hour markers should go. I decided to use simple lines instead of numbers, just like the original. I glued them on, which was super fiddly.
I assembled the watch movement and attached the dial to it. Then, I carefully placed the hands on the movement. This was probably the most nerve-wracking part. One wrong move and those tiny hands could get bent or broken.
Finally, I put the whole thing in the case I made, added the watch crystal on top, and attached a nice brown leather strap. It took me weeks, and there were definitely times when I wanted to throw the whole thing out the window.
The Result
But you know what? In the end, it actually looked kind of like a Patek Philippe Golden Ellipse. Of course, it wasn’t perfect, not by a long shot. But it was my own creation, and I was pretty darn proud of it. It’s not something I’d wear out to a fancy dinner, but it’s a cool piece to have on my desk, a reminder of that time I decided to try and remake a classic. It’s a little rough around the edges, but it tells a story.
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