Okay, so, I got this thing for the Patek Philippe Calatrava 5227R-001. I am not a watch guy. But I really wanted to try remake this one.
First off, I did a bunch of digging around. You know, looking at pictures, reading stuff online. Just trying to get a feel for what makes this watch tick, literally. The 5227R-001, that’s the model number, and “Calatrava” is the fancy name. I guess that’s what they call this particular style. I mean, I was just staring at my screen, zooming into photos and videos for hours. It’s got this clean, classic look that I really dig. And it’s a remake one, much cheaper.
Next, I started sketching. No, seriously. I’m not an artist or anything, but I figured I needed to get the proportions right. I used a ruler and a pencil to draw out the case, the hands, the little numbers around the dial – everything. It looked pretty rough, but hey, it was a * thing is 39 mm, so I made sure my drawing was to scale. Took me back to my school days, doing technical drawings and stuff. This watch, it’s self-winding. I do not know how it works, but it is cool.
Then came the fun part – choosing the materials. I decided to go with this rose gold-colored metal for the case. Found it online, it is not real gold, of course, but it looks pretty close. For the strap, I picked out a nice, dark brown leather. It’s got this smooth texture that feels really good against the skin. I think it complements the rose gold pretty well.
- Case: Rose gold-colored metal
- Strap: Dark brown leather
- Movement: Self-winding
- Diameter: 39 mm
Putting it all together was a real challenge. I don’t have any fancy tools, so I had to make do with what I had at home. I used a small screwdriver to attach the movement to the case. Speaking of the movement, it’s one of those automatic ones. You know, the kind that winds itself as you move your wrist? Pretty neat, huh? 212 parts and 30 jewels in there. I don’t even know how they fit all that in such a small space.
The hands were a real pain to install. They’re so tiny! I had to use tweezers and a magnifying glass just to see what I was doing. But I got them on eventually, after dropping them like a million times. I think I spent more time searching for them on the floor than actually putting them on the watch. The whole thing is only 3.3 mm thick, so you can imagine how delicate those hands are.
The Result
After a few days of tinkering, it was finally done. And you know what? It actually looks pretty good! I mean, it’s not going to fool any watch experts, but for a homemade remake, I’m pretty proud of it. It keeps time pretty well, too. I’ve been wearing it for a few days now, and it’s only off by a few seconds. I guess those hours of staring at pictures and sketching really paid off. It is a good one. I like it.
I don’t think I’ll be quitting my day job to become a watchmaker anytime soon, but it was a fun little project. And hey, now I have a unique timepiece that I can show off to my friends. They’re all pretty impressed, even though they know it’s not a real Patek Philippe. But it does look like one, I think.