Okay, so, I’ve been wanting to get my hands on a Patek Philippe Calatrava 5227R-001 for a while now. You know, the one with the ivory dial, rose gold case, the whole nine yards. It’s a beauty, but the price tag? Ouch. Around $30,000 to $44,000, depending on where you look. I saw some listings online. I mean, it’s a Patek Philippe, so you expect it to be expensive, but still, that’s a lot of dough. So, I decided to try and remake it myself.
First, I started by gathering a ton of pictures and info about the watch. I scoured the internet for every detail I could find. The case is 39mm in diameter and about 9.24mm thick, and it’s all polished and shiny. I also learned that it’s powered by a self-winding caliber 324 movement. These details are really important, you know.
Finding the Parts
Next, I started looking for parts that would match as closely as possible. I visited a bunch of local shops and checked out a whole bunch of online suppliers, too. I managed to find a pretty decent 39mm rose gold-colored case that looked similar enough, although it was about 8.08mm thick. And it’s polished, just like the real deal. Finding a movement was a whole other story, though.
The Assembly
Putting it all together was the tricky part. I got a basic watchmaking toolkit and started assembling the watch piece by piece. It was definitely a challenge, especially since I’m no professional watchmaker, you know? The dial was a bit of a pain to set correctly. I spent hours making sure the hands were aligned just right. I carefully placed each component into the case, making sure that everything was secure and functioning properly.
Finally, after a lot of trial and error, I had something that looked somewhat like the Calatrava 5227R-001. It wasn’t perfect, of course. But, hey, it was a pretty good first attempt, if I do say so myself.
Here’s what my remake has:
- Case: 39mm rose gold-colored case, about 8.08mm thick, fully polished.
- Dial: An ivory-colored dial, as close to the original as I could find.
- Movement: A generic self-winding movement, not a caliber 324, sadly.
- Strap: A brown leather strap.
It doesn’t have all the bells and whistles of the real thing. But you know what? It tells the time, and it looks pretty darn good on my wrist. Plus, it only cost me a fraction of what the real deal would have. I saved a ton of money, and I got to learn a lot about watches in the process. Overall, I’m pretty happy with how it turned out. It was a fun project, and I’m already thinking about what watch I want to try and remake next!
Click to consult