Okay, so I’ve been wanting to do this for a while now, and I finally got around to it. I tried to remake the Patek Philippe Calatrava 5227R-001. That’s right, the fancy watch that costs more than my car. Let me tell you, it was a journey.
First, I had to gather all my materials. I’m not exactly rolling in dough, so I couldn’t use the real deal materials. But I found some decent alternatives. I got this cheap watch from a street vendor, it had a similar round case, so I figured it was a good starting point. The original is 39mm in diameter, and this one is about that, which is good enough, right?
Then, the real work began. I took the watch apart, which was a challenge in itself. There are so many tiny parts, and I was so afraid of losing them or breaking something. Eventually, I managed to disassemble the whole thing without too much trouble. Then came the hard part. I needed the movement to be automatic, just like the real Calatrava. It’s powered by a self-winding caliber 324 movement. I spent hours online, trying to find a movement that was the right size and had the right functions. I managed to find something that was close enough, I think. The original has 212 parts and 30 jewels, and this one, well, it has parts. And some shiny things that look like jewels.
- Diameter: I aimed for around 39mm, just like the original.
- Thickness: The real one is 8.08mm thick. Mine might be a bit thicker, but who’s gonna notice?
- Movement: This was the toughest part. I found something that’s self-winding, but I’m not sure if it’s as fancy as the caliber 324.
- Case: The original has a polished round case. I tried my best to polish mine, but it’s not exactly the same.
Next, I had to put it all back together. This was even harder than taking it apart. I had to be super careful not to damage any of the parts, especially the movement. I managed to get it all back together, and it actually looked pretty good! I even made a brown strap for it, although it’s not alligator, more like a cheap pleather. I’m not sure if it’s as scary as a real alligator strap, but it works. But hey, it was a fun challenge. I got to learn a lot about watches and how they work. And I ended up with a watch that, from a distance, kind of looks like a Patek Philippe Calatrava. Is it exactly like a $44,000 watch? Of course not. But for something I cobbled together from spare parts and a cheap watch, I’m pretty proud of it.
It was a pretty cool experience. Who knows, maybe I’ll try to remake another expensive watch. Any suggestions?
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