I wanted to remake a Patek Philippe Calatrava 6119R-001, the one they have in the fancy stores. It’s a nice-looking watch, so I figured, why not give it a shot?
I started by looking at a bunch of pictures of the watch online. I needed to get a good idea of what it looked like from all angles. Then, I made a list of all the parts I would need like a movement and the rose gold case, the bezel, the dial, the hands, and all that stuff.
Once I had my list, I started searching for the parts. It took a while, but I eventually found everything I needed. I ordered the parts, and then I had to wait. It felt like forever, but finally, they arrived.
The first thing I did was take apart the old watch I was using as a base. I took off the case back, took out the movement, and removed the hands and the dial. It was a bit tricky, but I managed.
Next, I put the new movement in the new rose gold case. Then, I put the new dial on, and then the hands. It was starting to look like something! I had to adjust the hands a few times to get them lined up right. And let me tell you, those little screws are a real pain to work with.
The “Clous de Paris” Bezel
- Finding: I looked everywhere for a bezel with that “Clous de Paris” pattern. Found one online that was close enough.
- Fitting: This was tough. I had to carefully file down the edges of the bezel to get it to fit on the case.
- Polishing: Once I got it on, I polished it up real nice. It’s not perfect, but it looks pretty good.
Finally, I put the case back on and put on a new leather strap. And there it was, my very own remade Patek Philippe Calatrava 6119R-001. This remake Patek Philippe, look good and work fine. It’s not the real deal, of course, but it’s close enough for me. And you know what? I’m pretty proud of it. It was a lot of work, but it was worth it. I learned a lot, and I ended up with a cool watch. What more could you ask for?
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