Okay, so, I’ve been wanting to get my hands on a really nice watch for a while now. And not just any watch, but a real special one. I finally decided to try and remake the Patek Philippe Calatrava 5088/100P-001. Yeah, that long number. It’s a beauty, with all that fancy engraving and the shiny black dial. And it’s made of platinum, which is pretty cool.
First, I started by looking up everything I could about this watch. Like, I went down a rabbit hole of pictures, videos, and articles. I needed to know every little detail about it. The 5088/100P-001, it’s about 38 mm wide, which is a good size for my wrist, and it’s super thin, only 8.3 mm thick. That’s like, thinner than a stack of pancakes. Also, it’s got this sapphire-crystal back so you can see all the tiny parts inside working.
Getting Down to Business
I started gathering all the stuff I needed. Now, I couldn’t get my hands on the exact same materials as the original, you know, because it is real platinum and that would put a serious dent in my wallet, and I am not sure if I can find a place to buy them. But I found some pretty good alternatives that looked the part. The hard part was the engraving. That’s like, the main thing about this watch. It’s all hand-done and super detailed.
- Finding the Right Base: I found a watch case that was pretty close in size and shape to the 5088/100P-001. It wasn’t platinum, but it had a nice weight to it.
- The Dial: This was tricky. I wanted that deep black enamel look. I experimented with a few different materials and finally got something that looked pretty close.
- Engraving Adventures: This was the hardest part, for sure. I practiced on some scrap metal first. It’s not easy, let me tell you. It took a lot of patience and a steady hand. Eventually, I got the hang of it.
- Putting it All Together: Once I had all the parts ready, I carefully assembled the watch. It was like putting together a really complicated puzzle.
Final Result
It took a while, but I finally finished it. It’s not perfect, of course. I mean, I’m no Patek Philippe master watchmaker. But I’m pretty darn proud of it. It looks really good, if I do say so myself. It’s got that classic Calatrava look, and the engraving, while not as fancy as the original, is still pretty impressive. It’s definitely a conversation starter. People ask me about it all the time. And I get to tell them the whole story of how I made it. It’s been a fun project, and I learned a lot along the way. Maybe I’ll try another watch next. We’ll see.
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