Okay, so, I’ve been wanting to get my hands on a Patek Philippe Calatrava 5088/100P-001 for a while now. It’s a real beauty, with that hand-engraved dial and the sleek platinum case. Seriously, it’s a piece of art. I finally decided to just go for it and try to remake one myself.
First, I hit up all the usual spots online, trying to find any info I could on this specific model. I saw some of the original ones selling online and they were way out of my price range, like over $80,000, even saw one over $100k! That’s just crazy money. I did learn that it’s a 38mm platinum case with a self-winding caliber 240 movement. It’s also super thin, only 8.3mm thick. And yeah, it’s got that sweet sapphire-crystal back so you can see the guts. And that power reserve is about 48 hours, which is pretty standard.
I started by gathering all the materials I could. I got my hands on a watch case that was the right size, 38mm. It wasn’t platinum, of course, but it had a similar look and feel. Finding a movement was the next challenge. I managed to find an old automatic movement that seemed like it would do the trick. It wasn’t a Patek 240, but hey, I was working with what I could get.
Then came the hard part, the dial. I knew I couldn’t replicate the original hand-engraved one, but I wanted to get as close as possible. I found a plain black dial and started experimenting. I tried a few different methods, but finally settled on using some hand-engraving tools to make my own design. It took forever, and my hands were cramping like crazy, but I was pretty happy with how it turned out.
- Sourcing the case: This was actually pretty easy. Plenty of online shops sell watch cases.
- Finding a movement: A bit trickier, but I managed to find a decent automatic movement online from an old watch.
- Engraving the dial: This was the real beast. Super time-consuming, but rewarding in the end.
- Putting it all together: Once I had all the pieces, I carefully assembled the watch. I was nervous, but it all came together nicely.
The Result?
Well, I’m not gonna lie, it’s not a perfect replica. I saw one listing that said “FL’s new high-value product” for like $145, and mine is not even that good. But I’m still pretty proud of what I accomplished. It’s a cool-looking watch, and it actually keeps time pretty well. Plus, it was a fun project to work on. It’s not a Patek, but it’s my Patek. And I learned a ton about watchmaking in the process. Would I do it again? Maybe. It was a lot of work, but it was definitely worth it for the experience. I learned a lot and really got into it, who knows, I might even try another one soon!
Click to consult