Today, I’m going to share my little adventure of remaking a Patek Philippe Calatrava 6119G-001. I’ve always been a fan of classic watches, and the Calatrava is as classic as it gets. So, I thought, why not try to remake one myself? It seemed like a fun challenge, and I was eager to see if I could pull it off.
First things first, I did some digging around to get a feel for the watch. From what I gathered, a brand-new 6119G-001 goes for around 26 to 28 grand. That’s way out of my league! Some folks online were saying it’s not hard to get one, but it’s not worth the retail price. Okay, noted. Shipping is free, at least, according to some ads I saw. They also mentioned that you could find deals on Amazon and other sites, but I wasn’t really interested in buying a real one. I wanted to make one!
I started by gathering all the materials I thought I’d need. I managed to find some decent-looking watch parts online, nothing too fancy. I figured if I messed up, it wouldn’t be a huge loss. The goal was to mimic the look of the 6119G-001, a 39mm white gold beauty, without spending a fortune. There were a few different versions of Calatrava watches over the years, and they mentioned that the vintage ones are pretty collectible. But I was focused on the 6119G-001.
The actual making process was a bit of a rollercoaster. I started by taking apart an old watch I had lying around to get a feel for how things were assembled. Then, I carefully tried to put together the parts I had bought, following some pictures of the 6119G-001 I found online. There were moments when I thought I had bitten off more than I could chew. Some parts just didn’t want to cooperate, and I had to redo a few steps multiple times.
I read somewhere that the waitlist for a real Calatrava could be 9 months to a year. That’s a long time! I was kind of glad I wasn’t waiting that long, even though my hands were itching to see the finished product. I also learned that whether a Calatrava is worth it depends on your taste and budget. Some people see it as a status symbol, but it might not be practical for everyday wear. That made sense to me, especially since I was just making a replica for fun.
After a lot of trial and error, and a few frustrating moments, I finally managed to put together something that resembled the Calatrava 6119G-001. It wasn’t perfect, far from it, but it was my own little creation. I wore it around the house for a few days, just to see how it felt. It was definitely a conversation starter, even if it was just me talking to myself about it!
Here are a few things I learned from this project:
- Patience is key: Making a watch, even a simple one, takes time and a lot of patience.
- Research is important: Knowing what you’re trying to make helps a lot.
- It’s okay to mess up: I messed up a few times, but I learned from it each time.
- It’s all about the journey: The process was just as fun as the end result.
In the end, I wouldn’t say my homemade Calatrava is worth much, but it’s definitely worth something to me. It was a fun project that taught me a lot about watches and myself. Would I do it again? Maybe. But for now, I’m happy with my little imperfect Calatrava.
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