Okay, so I recently got into this whole watch-making thing, and let me tell you, it’s been a ride. I decided to try and remake the Patek Philippe Golden Ellipse 5738, you know, the one you can find in their official flagship store. I mean, why not? It looked like a fun challenge, and honestly, I was itching to get my hands dirty.
First off, I started by looking up everything I could about this watch. This design was inspired by the principle of the “golden section” discovered by the ancient greek mathematicians. This “divine” proportion, expressed as a ratio of 1 / 1.6181, forms the basis of some of history’s greatest works of art and architecture. I read that Patek Philippe only makes like 50,000 watches a year across 200 different models, and even their basic models take around nine months to make. Their more complex models take almost two years!
Then I began to look for the materials. This was a whole other beast. I spent days trying to find good stuff, you know, the kind that wouldn’t make my watch look like a cheap knockoff. Ended up finding some decent-quality metals and a pretty sweet piece of sapphire crystal for the watch face.
Next, I got to work on the actual making part. Man, it was tough. There were times I felt like throwing the whole thing out the window. Cutting the case, shaping the hands, setting the tiny little indices—it was all so fiddly. I screwed up a bunch of times, had to redo parts, and almost lost my mind trying to get the proportions just right. I remembered reading something about a “golden ratio” and tried to apply that, but let’s just say math was never my strong suit.
But I kept at it, you know? I’d spend hours in my little workspace, just grinding away. Slowly but surely, the watch started to take shape. I even managed to engrave the back with a little “PP” logo, just like the real deal. It’s not perfect, but it’s mine, and I’m pretty proud of it.I saw that the original Patek Philippe 5711 was a huge success, and there was a limited edition with a special blue dial that sold for $6.5 million!
- Cutting the case: This was a nightmare. I ruined a few pieces before I got the hang of it.
- Shaping the hands: Super delicate work. I broke a few, but the final ones turned out okay.
- Setting the indices: These tiny things were a pain to place properly, but they look pretty good now.
- Engraving the back: This was actually fun. My “PP” might not be perfect, but it adds a personal touch.
Finally, after what felt like forever, I had a finished product. It’s not an exact replica, of course. The movement is nowhere near as complex as the real Patek Philippe, and there are a few imperfections here and there. The materials aren’t exactly top-of-the-line, either. I definitely didn’t spend nine months on it, and it for sure didn’t take two years! But you know what? It tells the time, it looks pretty darn good on my wrist, and I made it myself. That’s gotta count for something, right?
So yeah, that’s my story of remaking the Patek Philippe Golden Ellipse. It was a crazy, frustrating, but ultimately rewarding experience. I think I’m gonna try making another watch soon. Maybe a simpler one next time, though. We’ll see. I found some good deals on used Patek Philippe watches, but I didn’t end up buying any of them. I saw some listed on certain websites for reduced prices, but I wanted to make my own. Maybe I’ll look at those again later.
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