Okay, let’s talk about this Patek Philippe Calatrava 6119R-001 I’ve been messing with. I saw this thing at the official flagship store, and it looked pretty sweet, so I thought, why not try and remake it?
So, first thing I did was to find out how much this thing costs. It’s not cheap. Like, we’re talking $33,110 retail. But it’s a Patek Philippe, you know, what can you expect? Also, this model, the 6119G, is still in production as of January 2025. That’s good news, I guess. Then I checked the pre-owned market, and it’s around $26,278 there. Dealers are charging about 8% more. Man, these watches are expensive!
I also looked into this Calatrava 5226G. That one’s even pricier at $41,710 retail, and around $35 on the second-hand market. I mean, is it really worth it? It’s fancy and all, but not something I’d wear every day.
Now, getting one of these isn’t easy. I heard the waitlist for a Calatrava can be anywhere from 9 months to a year. Not as bad as the Nautilus, but still a long time. So I started looking at alternatives. I mean, there are other fancy watches out there, right?
- I found a bunch of these 6119R-001 watches on Chrono24. Prices were around $28,355.
- Then I looked at the specs. It’s got an 18k rose gold case, a leather strap with a rose gold buckle, and a manual wind 30-255 PS movement. Fancy stuff.
So, I started digging around for parts. I managed to get my hands on some decent materials, but it’s tough to replicate that Patek Philippe quality. Rose gold is expensive. The movement is way out of my league, so I had to use a cheaper one, but tried to make it look the part.
Starting the Remake
I started with the case. I got some rose gold, not 18k, but it’s still pretty. It took some work to shape it right, but I think I did okay. The strap was easier. I just got a nice leather strap and a decent buckle. The dial was tricky, though. I tried to make it look like the real one, but it’s not perfect.
Putting it all together was a challenge. It took me a while, but eventually, I got it all assembled. Does it look exactly like the real Patek Philippe 6119R-001? Nah, not really. But it’s close enough for me. It’s shiny, it’s pretty, and it tells time. That’s good enough, right?
Would I do it again? Maybe. It was a fun project, but it took a lot of time and effort. And it’s not like I can sell it as a real Patek Philippe. It’s just a fun little project I did. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to go admire my handiwork. It may not be a real Patek, but it’s mine.
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