Hey everyone, so I got my hands dirty again, this time trying to remake a Patek Philippe Calatrava 5227G-010. Yeah, that super classy, expensive watch. I’ve always been a fan of how sleek it looks, so I thought, why not give it a shot?
First off, I started digging around for info. I mean, you can’t just jump into these things, right? I found out that the real deal has a 39 mm case and is about 9.24 mm thick. Plus, it’s water-resistant up to 30 meters, which is pretty neat. And get this, the original costs a whopping $41,710! On the secondhand market, it’s still around $26,779. Crazy, huh?
So, armed with this knowledge, I began gathering my materials. I needed to find stuff that looked the part but didn’t cost a fortune. The case was the first big hurdle. I searched through tons of online stores and finally found a decent-looking case that was about the right size. It wasn’t perfect, but it was close enough.
Movement
Next up was the movement. Now, I’m no watchmaker, but I figured I could use a basic, reliable movement. I read that the original uses an ultra-thin automatic movement, but that was way out of my league. I opted for a simple quartz movement instead. It’s not as fancy, but it gets the job done.
Dial
The dial was another challenge. I wanted to replicate that clean, classic look of the Calatrava. I found some watch faces online that were similar, but none were quite right. So, I decided to get creative. I used some graphic design software to make my own dial. It took a few tries, but I managed to design something that looked pretty darn good. Printed it on some high-quality paper, and boom, I had my dial.
Putting it all together
Putting it all together was the most nerve-wracking part. I carefully placed the movement into the case, attached the dial, and added the hands. Then came the strap. I found a leather strap that matched the style of the original pretty well. It wasn’t real alligator skin or anything, but it looked nice.
Finally, after hours of work, I had my homemade Patek Philippe Calatrava 5227G-010. It’s not perfect, not even close to the real one, but I’m pretty proud of it. It looks good on my wrist, and it tells the time. What more could you ask for?
Here’s a quick rundown of what I did:
- Researched the original watch’s specs and price.
- Sourced a similar-looking case online.
- Used a simple quartz movement instead of an automatic one.
- Designed and printed my own dial.
- Assembled the watch and added a leather strap.
It was a fun project, and I learned a lot. Maybe I’ll try another watch next. Who knows? Anyway, thanks for reading, folks! Hope you enjoyed my little watchmaking adventure.
Click to consult