Alright, so I’ve been eyeing this Patek Philippe Calatrava 6007G-011 for a while. It’s a real looker, but man, that price tag! I heard it is a good deal to buy a used one. But I decided to go a different route. I’m gonna try to remake this beauty myself. Yeah, you heard that right.
First things first, I needed to really study this watch. I spent hours looking at every picture I could find online. I mean, I stared at this thing until I could see it in my sleep. This Calatrava, it’s got this round body they call the “Calatrava style,” and they’ve been making watches like this for a long time. I noticed it had a “Clous de Paris” bezel, which looked pretty fancy, and the hands were 3D, which I thought was super cool.
Next, I had to figure out what materials I needed. The original is made of white gold, which is way out of my budget. I found some info online that suggested the bracelet material is calf, so I went with a decent calf leather strap. I mean, who’s gonna know, right? The case was a bit trickier. I ended up settling on a stainless steel case that had a similar shape. It wasn’t an exact match, but it was close enough.
Then came the fun part – or maybe the most frustrating part – putting it all together. I got myself a basic automatic watch movement. Nothing too fancy, just something that would keep time. I tried to find a dial that looked like the original. I managed to find something similar online, it is not that hard. I bought a new one for this remake job.
Now, I’m no watchmaker, so this was a real learning experience. I watched a ton of videos online and, believe me, it was a lot of trial and error. I messed up a few times, bent a few hands, and almost threw the whole thing out the window more than once. I took a couple of days to put this watch together. It was pretty hard to deal with these tiny parts, but finally, I did it. It is keeping time now.
Here’s how it turned out:
- Case: Stainless steel, 40mm, similar “Calatrava” style.
- Movement: Basic automatic movement.
- Strap: Calf leather.
- Dial: Similar design to the 6007G-011, but not exact.
- Hands: Standard watch hands, not 3D.
It’s not perfect, obviously. It doesn’t have that “Clous de Paris” bezel, and the hands aren’t 3D. But you know what? I’m pretty darn proud of it. It looks kinda like the real deal from afar, and it tells the time. Plus, I made it myself! It’s definitely not a Patek Philippe, but it’s my Patek Philippe. And that’s pretty cool, right?
Would I recommend doing this? Probably not. It was a huge pain. But hey, if you’re like me and you love a challenge, and you don’t have 30 grand to drop on a watch, maybe give it a shot. Just be prepared to get frustrated, and don’t expect to fool any watch experts.
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