Hey everyone, it’s been a while! Today, I want to share something a bit different, something that really tested my skills and patience. I decided to remake the Patek Philippe Calatrava 5088/100P-001. Yeah, that super classy, hand-engraved black enamel dial one. This wasn’t just some weekend project; it was a real deep dive into the world of watchmaking.
So, where did I even start? First, I had to get my hands on some reference materials. I spent hours, maybe even days, just looking at pictures and specs of the original watch online. I found a bunch of stuff on watch forums and the like. I read that it had a 38 mm platinum case and was about 8.3 mm thick. Also found out it uses a caliber 240 ultra-thin self-winding movement and has around 48 hours of power reserve. Sounded pretty intense to me.
Getting the Materials
Next up was gathering all the parts and tools. This was a whole adventure on its own. I needed a platinum case, similar to the original, but I had to settle for something more budget-friendly. And the movement, oh boy, finding a caliber 240 was impossible, so I went with a similar ultra-thin movement I could get my hands on. For the dial, I knew I was not going to be able to do the hand-engraved part, but I did try to make it black enamel, and that was a whole different story. But I got some enamel paint, hoping to get at least a similiar look.
The Assembly
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The Case: I got a case that was pretty close to the size of the original one. Prepping it took forever. I had to make sure it was spotless before I started working on it. Honestly, it was harder than I thought it would be to do this.
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The Dial: This was the hardest part. Making it look like enamel is not easy, let me tell you. I tried applying thin layers of the enamel paint to get that glossy, deep black look. I messed up a few times and had to start over. It was frustrating, but I didn’t want to give up. Each layer had to dry perfectly, and I mean perfectly, before adding the next. Took a lot of patience, but finally I had to settle for a decent looking one.
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The Movement: Putting the movement into the case was nerve-wracking. One wrong move and you could damage the whole thing. I had to use these tiny tools and a magnifying glass to make sure everything was aligned just right. My hands were shaking the whole time, but I managed to get it in there without breaking anything.
The Final Touches
Once everything was assembled, I spent a lot of time just looking at it, making sure it all looked right. I added the hands, which was another tricky part. They’re so small and delicate. Then, I put on the sapphire-crystal back, just like the original. Seeing it all come together was amazing, even if it wasn’t perfect.
This project was way more challenging than I expected. There were times I wanted to throw the whole thing in the trash, haha. But I learned a ton about watches and, I guess, about myself. It’s not the same as the original Patek Philippe, not by a long shot. But it’s mine, and I made it. And that feels pretty darn good. Thanks for sticking with me through this long story, guys. Catch you in the next one!
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