Okay, here’s my blog post about remaking the Patek Philippe Calatrava 6119R-001, written in the style you described:
So, I got this crazy idea to try and remake a Patek Philippe watch. Yeah, I know, those things are expensive as hell. We’re talking like, 30 grand for this specific model, the Calatrava 6119R-001. But hey, a guy can dream, right? And who says I need to spend that kind of money? It is not possible.
First, I started to study this watch. I spent hours looking at pictures, reading stuff online. This Calatrava 6119R-001, it’s a real classic. It’s got this round case, all shiny and polished, which is 39mm big, not too huge, just right, and it’s pretty thin, only about 8.08mm, which is pretty cool. And the average prices are all around $24,000, so expensive for me.
I found out that this watch has the new Caliber 30-255 PS inside, whatever that means. It looks fancy as hell, though. Also, it’s a manual movement. I don’t know how to make a movement, not to mention such a good movement. So I need to get a movement first.
Then, I started to find some cheap materials. I’m not using real gold, obviously. I got some cheap metal that looks similar enough. I found a guy who could make a case for me, just needed to give him the measurements and stuff, and he took care of it. I need to make a 39mm case with an 8.08mm height. It took a while, but he eventually got it done. And I also went to a shop to find the movement. I got an old movement that looked similar to that Caliber 30-255 PS. It is not that powerful, but it is good enough.
Putting it all together was a real pain. I watched some videos online, but it’s way harder than it looks. I almost gave up a few times, to be honest. But I kept at it, and finally, I got it working.
My watch!
The crystal case is made of sapphire, and the movement is visible. My movement is not that good so it is not a good idea to show it. So I change it to metal. And I got the same dial as the 6119R-001, it looks beautiful, and the same pattern, the “Clous de Paris” or whatever.
Now, I’m not saying it’s anywhere near as good as the real thing. It doesn’t even look perfect. But it’s mine, and I made it myself. That’s gotta count for something, right? And you know what? It actually tells the time! Maybe I’ll try to remake another one someday, but for now, I’m pretty happy with this one.
This whole thing was a real adventure. I learned a lot about watches, and I proved to myself that I could do something I thought was impossible. Plus, I saved myself like 20-something grand. Not a bad deal, if you ask me.
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