Today, I’m diving into a little project that’s been on my mind for a while—remaking the Patek Philippe Calatrava 5088/100P-001. Yeah, it’s a mouthful, but this watch is a real piece of art. I’ve always been into watches, but this one, with its fancy design, has always caught my eye.
So, I started by gathering all the info I could find. This baby’s got a 38 mm platinum case, and it’s not too chunky, about 8.3 mm thick. The dial is where it gets interesting—it’s hand-engraved with black enamel. Seriously, the craftsmanship on the original is insane. The movement inside is the caliber 240, which is an ultra-thin self-winding thing, and it can run for about 48 hours without needing more juice.
First things first, I had to get my hands on a platinum case. I tried to find one as close to 38 mm as possible. It wasn’t easy, and it definitely wasn’t cheap. Platinum ain’t exactly growing on trees, you know? Then came the engraving. Now, I’m no master engraver, but I’ve dabbled a bit. I got some black enamel and started practicing on some scrap metal. It took a few tries, but I started getting the hang of it. The goal was to recreate those intricate patterns on the original dial. It was tough, but man, seeing it come together was satisfying.
- Case: 38 mm platinum, about 8.3 mm thick. Took forever to find a good one.
- Dial: Hand-engraved with black enamel. This was the hardest part, by far.
- Movement: Caliber 240, ultra-thin, self-winding. I sourced a similar movement that could do the job.
- Power Reserve: Aiming for around 48 hours. Just like the real deal.
The movement was another headache. I needed something that was not just thin but also reliable. I managed to find a movement that fit the bill—thin, self-winding, and pretty close to the specs of the original Caliber 240. Fitting it into the case was a delicate operation. One wrong move, and I could’ve messed up the whole thing.
Once I got the movement in place, I started working on the case back. The original has a sapphire-crystal back, so you can see all the inner workings. I found a similar crystal and got it fitted. Seeing the movement ticking away through the back was pretty cool, I gotta admit.
The Final Touches
After countless hours, a lot of sweat, and probably a few curse words, I finally put it all together. The engraved dial, the platinum case, the thin movement—it all came together. It’s not a perfect replica, but it’s close enough for me. And the fact that I made it with my own two hands? That’s a whole different level of satisfaction.
It was a lot of work, but you know what they say, nothing good comes easy. I’m not claiming to be a master watchmaker, but I’m happy with how it turned out. It was a tough process with a lot of learning curves, but seeing the finished product made it all worth it. Now I’ve got a cool watch that I can show off and say, “Yeah, I made that.” And to me, that’s pretty damn priceless.
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