Okay, so, I’ve been wanting to get my hands on a really nice watch for a while now. You know, one of those fancy ones that just screams “I’ve made it!” But let’s be real, those things are expensive! So I thought, why not try to make one myself? I mean, how hard can it be, right?
I decided to go for a replica of the Patek Philippe Calatrava 5088/100P-001. It’s a real beauty, with a black enamel dial and a platinum case. Very classy. I found some info online saying it’s one of the top-quality watch brands out there. There was also something about “38 mm platinum case, 8.3 mm thick, sapphire-crystal back, hand-engraved dial with black enamel,” and it uses a “caliber 240 ultra-thin self-winding movement” with about “48 hours of power reserve.” Sounds fancy, huh?
First things first, I needed to find some parts. I spent hours searching for stuff that looked like the real deal. Found some watch movements, some platinum-looking cases, and even some tiny little screws. I also bought a bunch of tools, like those tiny screwdrivers and tweezers. Felt like a real watchmaker already! lol.
The first thing I tried to do was to make the watch face. The real one is hand-engraved and has black enamel, I tried to draw that by hand with black paint… that was way harder than I thought. And the enamel part? Let’s just say it didn’t quite work out as planned. After a few attempts that looked more like a kid’s drawing, I decided to just print a picture of the watch face and stick it on. It wasn’t perfect, but hey, it was something.
Next up, the case. I got this shiny metal case that was supposed to be platinum, but I’m pretty sure it was just some cheap metal. It was a bit too big and not very smooth. I tried to polish it with some sandpaper, but I ended up scratching it more. Oh well, close enough.
Then came the hardest part: putting the movement in. That little thing is so delicate! I watched a couple of videos online, but it was still super tricky. I dropped it a few times, and some of the tiny parts went flying. After a lot of struggling, and maybe a few broken pieces, I finally managed to get it in the case. I think.
- Find the movement
- Find a case that looks like platinum
- Create the watch face
- Put everything together
Finally, I put the strap on and… voila! My very own “Patek Philippe” watch. Okay, maybe it didn’t look exactly like the original. It was a bit bulky, the face was a bit smudged, and I’m not sure the movement was actually working. But hey, I made it myself!
The Result
It was a fun project, but I definitely learned that making a watch is not as easy as it looks. Those watchmakers are real artists! Maybe I’ll just stick to buying watches from now on. I saw some prices for the real 5088/100P-001, and let me tell you, it’s cheaper to just buy one. But still, it was a fun experiment!
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