Today I wanna talk about what I did to remake the Patek Philippe Calatrava 5227G-010. It’s a pretty neat watch, and I figured, why not try to make one myself? Let me tell you, it was quite the ride.
First, I got the dimensions of the watch. Case diameter is 39 mm and the height is 9.24 mm. I heard it’s an automatic watch. So, I spent days just looking at pictures of this watch, trying to get a feel for how it’s put together. I found some info online saying it’s valued at around €28,791 or $28,190. Sheesh, that’s a lot of money!
Then I started gathering the materials. I learned that the real one is made of 18k white gold. Well, I didn’t have that lying around, but I did find some decent-looking metal that I thought would work. And for the crystal, the original uses a scratch-resistant sapphire crystal, but I had to settle for some regular glass for now.
- First step, I tried to shape the metal into a 39mm circle. It wasn’t easy, let me tell you. I used some tools I had at home. Hammering, cutting, bending – it was like a workout. It took forever to get it to look even remotely like a watch case.
- Next, I worked on the insides. I took apart an old watch I had to see how it worked. All those tiny gears and springs, it’s crazy! I tried to copy the mechanism as best as I could, using bits and pieces from other watches.
- Then came the face of the watch. I printed out a picture of the Calatrava 5227G-010 dial and stuck it onto a piece of cardboard. It didn’t look perfect, but it was good enough for a first try. I found a pair of old watch hands and stuck them on too.
- Finally, I put it all together. I carefully placed the “movement” I made into the case, attached the dial, and put the glass on top. I even found an old leather strap that kind of matched the original.
It wasn’t easy, and it took a lot of time and patience. But when I was done, I had something that actually looked like a watch. Sure, it wasn’t as fancy or as precise as the real Patek Philippe Calatrava 5227G-010, but it was mine. I made it with my own two hands, and that’s something I’m pretty proud of.
It’s not perfect, of course. The timekeeping is a bit off, and it doesn’t have all the fancy features of the real thing. But hey, it’s a start. And who knows, maybe one day I’ll get good enough to make one that’s almost as good as the original. For now, I’m just happy to have a unique watch that I made myself. It’s a reminder that you can do anything you set your mind to, even if it’s as crazy as trying to remake a Patek Philippe watch!
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