Alright, guys, today I’m going to share my little project of remaking the Patek Philippe Calatrava 6119R-001. You know, the one you can find in their official flagship store. It’s a real beauty, but the waitlist? Forget about it. Some folks are saying it’s like an 8-year wait for some models. For the Calatrava, it’s still a solid year, maybe more. And who has that kind of time?
Getting Started
First things first, I started by gathering all the information I could find about this watch. I mean, I dug deep. This Calatrava 6119R-001, it’s a 39mm piece with a rose gold case. Super sleek, super classy. They introduced it in 2021, and it’s got that “Clous de Paris” pattern, which is just a fancy way of saying it’s got this cool textured dial.
The Planning
So, I’m thinking, “How hard could it be to remake one?” Turns out, pretty hard. But I wasn’t going to let that stop me. I started sketching out the design. I decided to use the same measurements. The original is 39mm in diameter and about 8.08mm thick. Also, it’s water-resistant to 30 meters, but I’m not planning on taking a swim with it, so that’s not a huge deal for me.
The Build
The Case: I managed to find some rose gold, not the real deal, of course, but close enough. I started shaping it, trying to get that perfect circle. This was way harder than it looks. Getting the dimensions right took a lot of trial and error. Then I measured the watch’s diameter and height, using the data of 39mm and 8.08mm as a reference for my creation.
The Dial: This was the tricky part. I wanted to recreate that “Clous de Paris” pattern. After a lot of experimenting, I found a method that worked. It wasn’t perfect, but it gave that same textured look. I got the dial to get as close as the original one, including the color and material.
The Movement: Now, I’m no watchmaker, so I didn’t even try to make my own movement. I found a decent automatic movement online and used that. It keeps time pretty well, which is all I really needed.
The Strap: I found a nice leather strap that matched the original pretty closely. It’s comfortable, and it looks good, so I’m happy with it.
The Assembly: Putting it all together was like a puzzle. I had to be super careful not to scratch anything or mess up the alignment. I watched many videos to make sure I wouldn’t break my creation. It took a while, but finally, it all came together.
The Result
So, here it is. My homemade Patek Philippe Calatrava 6119R-001. It’s not perfect, but I’m pretty proud of it. It looks good on my wrist, and it keeps time. Plus, I didn’t have to wait a year or pay a fortune for it. I’m not a professional, and it’s surely not as good as the real one, but I made it, and it’s mine.
- Looks: 8/10 (It’s close, but not quite the same)
- Functionality: 9/10 (Keeps time accurately)
- Satisfaction: 10/10 (I made it myself!)
Would I recommend doing this? Maybe. It’s a lot of work, but it’s also a lot of fun. And hey, if you’ve always wanted a Patek Philippe but don’t want to deal with the waitlist or the price tag, this could be a fun little project for you too. I recorded the whole process and made a video, which I might upload later if you guys are interested.
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