I’ve been digging into the whole watch thing lately, and let me tell you, it’s a rabbit hole. I mean, I always liked a nice watch, but now I’m starting to see what all the fuss is about. So, I decided to try my hand at recreating a pretty famous one – the Patek Philippe Calatrava 6119G-001. Yeah, the real deal is way out of my league, price-wise. I saw somewhere online that even the cheapest used women’s Patek Philippe watches start around $3,300, and this one is much more expensive. But hey, a guy can dream, right?
First, I started gathering as much info as I could about this watch. I spent hours looking at pictures, watching videos, and reading forum posts. It was a lot of staring at my screen, to be honest. I learned that the Calatrava is known for being simple and classy. I was able to see that the 6119G-001 has a white gold case, a charcoal gray dial, and these cool hobnail-patterned details on the bezel.
Then, I had to figure out what I was going to use to make this thing. I’m not a watchmaker, so I knew I wouldn’t be making a working movement or anything. I was mostly going for the look and feel. I went to a local craft store and picked up some polymer clay, metallic paint, and some tiny tools. It was a bit of a shopping spree, but I was excited.
The first thing I tackled was the case. I used the white polymer clay and tried to shape it like the real watch. I used a bunch of printed-out pictures as a guide. It was tough! Getting the curves right and making it all smooth was harder than I thought it would be. I baked the clay according to the instructions, and it hardened up nicely, but it definitely wasn’t perfect.
Next up was the bezel. This was the trickiest part because of that hobnail pattern. I tried a few different methods, like using the tip of a pen, but eventually, I found that using a tiny screwdriver worked best. I spent hours making those little indentations, trying to make them look like the real watch. It was tedious work, but I think it turned out okay.
After the bezel was done, I moved on to the dial. I used a dark gray paint and tried to get that charcoal color right. I painted the hour markers and the hands with silver paint. It took a few coats to get it looking decent. This is where my makeshift tools came in handy.
Once everything was painted and dried, I put it all together. It was a bit of a puzzle, but I managed to fit the dial inside the case and attach the bezel. I even made a little strap out of some black leather I had lying around. I used super glue to hold everything in place. It was a bit messy, but it worked.
Here’s a quick rundown of what I used:
- White polymer clay for the case
- Dark gray paint for the dial
- Silver paint for the hour markers and hands
- Tiny screwdriver for the hobnail pattern on the bezel
- Black leather for the strap
- Super glue to hold it all together
Finally, It Is Done!
Finally, I had something that resembled a Patek Philippe Calatrava. It wasn’t perfect, not by a long shot, but it was mine. I had fun with this project, and I learned a lot about watches and a bit about crafting. It is satisfying to take something from an idea to a real object. I even wore it around the house a few times, feeling pretty fancy, even though it doesn’t actually tell time. Would I do it again? Maybe. It was a lot of work, but it was also a good way to spend some time and get my mind off things. Plus, now I can say I kind of, sort of, own a Patek Philippe. Kind of.
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