Alright, so I got this thing for watches, right? It’s like some folks collect stamps or them porcelain dolls, but for me, it’s watches. And not just any watch, mind you. I’ve been eyeballin’ this one watch, a Patek Philippe, they call it. Fancy name, huh? This particular one, they call it the Calatrava 6119G-001. Sounds like a secret code or somethin’, doesn’t it?
Now, I’ve heard there’s been tons of different Calatrava watches, dozens even! And some of ’em are worth a fortune, they say. More than a fortune! So, I did what any sensible person would do – I started diggin’. I read up everything I could find about this 6119G-001. It’s all white gold, and from what I gather, it’s pretty popular. I started to dream about that watch. I saw some pictures and I found out that it is 39mm and 18k white gold. I was thinking about how I could get one, so I decided to remake one.
First, I needed to find a similar case, you know, to start with. Scoured the internet, went to a few watch shops, asked around. Finally, found a decent-looking white gold case, 39mm, just like the real deal. It wasn’t easy, let me tell you. Cost me a pretty penny, but it was worth it.
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Case: I spent days, maybe even weeks, looking for the right one. It had to be white gold, it had to be 39mm. Not too big, not too small. Found one eventually, though. Felt like I’d struck gold, literally!
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Dial: This was tricky. The real 6119G-001 has this charcoal gray dial. I tried painting a few, but it just didn’t look right. Ended up finding a guy online who makes custom dials. Sent him a bunch of pictures, and he did a pretty good job, I gotta say.
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Movement: Now, I ain’t no watchmaker, so this was the hardest part. I knew I couldn’t get my hands on a real Patek Philippe movement, so I had to find a substitute. Did a lot of research, asked around in some online forums. Ended up getting a hand-wound mechanical movement from a supplier. The diameter is 31mm and the thickness is 2.55mm, which is close enough to the real Patek Philippe movement.
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Hands and Strap: These were relatively easy. Found some similar-looking hands online, and a nice black leather strap. Nothing fancy, but it does the job.
Putting it all together was a whole other story. Took me a few tries, messed up a couple of times, but eventually, I got it. And you know what? It looked pretty darn good! Of course, it ain’t a real Patek Philippe, but it’s close enough for me. I wear it almost every day now.
They say it’s a remake, so it ain’t as good as the real Patek Philippe. But hey, maybe it’s good enough for folks like us. I heard the real one costs more than a whole bunch of cows. This project of mine, it cost me a lot of time, and a bit of money, but way less than the real deal, which they say goes for over $30,000! It was a fun project, though. Learned a lot about watches, and I got a pretty nice timepiece out of it.
So, if you’re thinking about getting yourself one of these watches, I suggest you do what I did. Do your research and find a good dealer.
A Worthy Project
I’m really happy with how it turned out. Sure, it’s not the real thing, but it’s my own little piece of Patek Philippe, and that’s good enough for me. I’ve been wearing it a lot, and I always get compliments.
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