Okay, so I’ve been eyeing this Patek Philippe Calatrava 5227G-010 for a while now. You know, the one with the white gold case and that slick black dial? Yeah, that’s the one. I finally decided to go for it and remake this beauty. Here’s how it all went down.
First things first, I had to get a good look at the real deal. I mean, you can’t just copy something from blurry pictures online, right? So, I spent hours on the internet, looking for the best pics, and read some reviews to have a better understanding of this watch. I found out that this is a variant of the Patek Philippe 5227G, a watch model from the Patek Philippe brand and Calatrava collection. The watch was introduced in 1932, and the first model was Ref. 96. It took its name from the Order of Calatrava, one of the most notable Christian knighthood orders. Then, I went to a few watch stores around me, tried to find one. Finally, I got my hands on one to check it out in person, and man, it was even nicer up close.
Next up, I started to gather all the materials. The original is made of 18kt white gold, which is a bit out of my budget, so I opted for a high-quality stainless steel instead. It won’t be exactly the same, but it’ll still look pretty darn good. As for the strap, the original uses black alligator leather, which I managed to find a similar-looking faux leather, also black and shiny.
Movement
Now, the movement is where things got tricky. The real one has this fancy Patek Philippe calibre 324 S C automatic movement. I learned that it contains 29 Jewels, composed of 213 parts, bitting at 28800 vph. I’m no watchmaker, so I got a decent automatic movement from online that wouldn’t break the bank. It’s not the same, but it’ll get the job done. I disassembled an old watch I had lying around to get a feel for how everything fits together.
Crafting
With all the parts ready, I started crafting the watch. I used the stainless steel to create a case similar to the original. It took a few tries, but I finally got it looking right. The dial was a bit easier. I found a shiny black material and carefully cut it to size. The hands were also made out of stainless steel, and I painted them white to match the original’s style. After assembling everything, I attached the faux leather strap. It was a bit tricky to get it to fit just right, but with some patience, I managed to secure it properly.
Finally, after days of work, my remake of the Patek Philippe Calatrava 5227G-010 was complete. It’s not perfect, but I’m pretty proud of how it turned out. It looks surprisingly close to the original, and it feels great on my wrist. Plus, I saved a ton of money compared to buying the real thing. Although I didn’t find the selling price of the original 5227G-010 on the internet, it is said that some Patek Philippe models are great investment choices, such as the Nautilus, Aquanaut, Calatrava, and Grand Complications. Two specific models that are highly sought-after with prices that appreciate well over time are the Nautilus 5711/1A and the Aquanaut 5167/1A-001. Anyway, I saw someone is selling the Patek Philippe Calatrava 5227G-010 for $28,190. I don’t think I will sell mine.
So, yeah, that’s my little project. It was a lot of work, but totally worth it. Now I have a cool watch that looks like a million bucks but didn’t cost me a fortune. And I learned some new skills. Maybe I’ll try to remake another watch someday. Who knows?
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