Alright, so, I’ve been messing around with watches lately, and let me tell you, it’s a whole different world. I decided to try and remake a Patek Philippe. Yeah, I know, sounds crazy, right? But I went for it. I picked the Calatrava 6119G-001 model. Fancy, I know.
First off, I had to get my hands on some white gold. That’s what the real deal is made of, you know. It wasn’t easy, let me tell you. I started looking into places that might have this kind of stuff. I mean, I was determined to get as close as I can to the real deal. I searched everywhere, checked out a bunch of stores. I called places, went in person, you name it.
Then there was the whole thing with the size. This Patek, it’s 39mm, so I had to make sure I got that right. I spent hours, days even, just measuring and remeasuring, trying to get it perfect.
- Getting the Movement Right
This was probably the trickiest part. The real Patek Philippe 6119G-001 has a movement called the 30-255 PS. It’s a manual winding movement, and it’s super thin – only 2.55 mm thick! I knew I couldn’t replicate that exactly, but I wanted to get as close as possible.
I started by studying the movement’s design. I looked at diagrams, read articles, and watched videos. I needed to understand how it worked, what made it tick (pun intended!). I found out that the 30-255 PS has a diameter of 31mm, which was a crucial detail.
- Finding the Parts
This was a real scavenger hunt. I needed to find parts that were similar in size and function to the ones in the 30-255 PS. I went through countless online stores, contacted watch part suppliers, and even visited a few local watch repair shops. It was like searching for a needle in a haystack, but I was determined.
Slowly but surely, I started to gather the components I needed. I found a mainspring barrel that was close in size, a balance wheel that seemed to oscillate at a similar rate, and a set of gears that meshed well together. It wasn’t perfect, but it was a start.
- Assembling the Movement
This was where my patience was truly tested. Assembling a watch movement is no easy feat, especially when you’re trying to replicate a complex one like the 30-255 PS. I had to be extremely careful not to damage any of the delicate parts.
I started by placing the mainspring barrel into the movement’s base plate. Then, I carefully added the gear train, making sure each gear was properly aligned. Next came the balance wheel and hairspring, which were probably the most challenging parts to install. I had to make sure the balance wheel was perfectly poised and that the hairspring was properly adjusted.
After hours of painstaking work, I finally had a functioning movement! It wasn’t as thin or as refined as the 30-255 PS, but it was a movement nonetheless. And it was ticking! I felt a huge sense of accomplishment. I had managed to build a watch movement from scratch, and it was actually working.
And the papers, the box, all that stuff. I went all out. Wanted it to feel like the real deal, even though it’s not, obviously. I even tried to make it look old-timey, you know? Like, give it that classic vibe.
Putting It All Together
Once I had all the parts, I started putting the whole thing together. It was like a puzzle, but way more complicated. I had to be super careful, you know, not to mess anything up. One wrong move, and bam, you gotta start all over again.
After hours and hours of work, I finally had something that looked like a watch. A Patek Philippe Calatrava 6119G-001, to be exact, but made by me. It was not perfect, no way, but I was proud of it. I mean, I made it with my own two hands. It was a fun project, something to keep me busy, you know? And hey, now I have a cool-looking watch, even if it didn’t cost me an arm and a leg. It’s not the same as buying it from a fancy store, but it’s special to me.
Would I do it again? Maybe. It was a lot of work, but I learned a ton. And who knows, maybe I’ll try another model next time.