Okay, so I’ve been wanting to get my hands on a Patek Philippe Calatrava 5227J-001 for a while now. This watch, it’s like the king of dress watches. But man, that price tag! We’re talking about more than 40,000 bucks retail! So, I thought, “Why not try to remake one myself?”
I started by looking around for parts. I found a decent-looking gold-plated case online. It wasn’t the real deal, of course, but it had a similar vibe to the 5227J-001. Then, I needed a good movement. Something reliable, you know? I managed to snag one from a watch parts supplier. It wasn’t easy, but I got it.
The dial was next. I wanted something simple and clean, just like the original. I searched and searched, and finally found a plain white dial that fit the bill. Now, the hands were a bit tricky. I ended up having to modify some existing hands to get the right shape and size. It took some patience, but I think they turned out pretty good.
Assembly Time
Once I had all the parts, it was time to put this baby together. I carefully assembled the movement, dial, and hands into the case. Let me tell you, it was nerve-wracking! One wrong move and you could mess up the whole thing. But I took my time, and slowly but surely, the watch started to take shape.
The Final Touches
After I got the main parts assembled, I added a nice leather strap. I opted for a simple black one, to keep that classic look. I spent hours tweaking and adjusting everything until it was just right.
Here’s what I used:
- Gold-plated case (similar to 5227J-001)
- Reliable movement
- Plain white dial
- Modified watch hands
- Black leather strap
The Result
And there you have it! My very own “remake” of the Patek Philippe Calatrava 5227J-001. It’s not the real thing, obviously, and I’m not trying to pass it off as one. But it’s a fun project, and I’m pretty happy with how it turned out. It’s got that elegant, understated look that I love about the Calatrava, and it didn’t cost me a fortune, compared to the crazy prices I’ve seen, some places are charging up to $41,000, and I saw them used online for $29,000! It’s a cool watch to wear, and it’s a reminder that you don’t always need to spend a ton of money to enjoy a nice timepiece.
It was a fun little project to put together in the end and it looks pretty good, although my wife doesn’t think so, she prefers I just play cards with my buddies.
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