Alright, so I’ve been wanting to try my hand at remaking a fancy watch for a while now. I finally took the plunge and decided to go for the Patek Philippe Golden Ellipse 5738R. I mean, that thing is a beauty, right? It’s got that classic, clean look, and who doesn’t love a bit of rose gold?
First things first, I had to really study the original. I spent hours just staring at pictures, I tried to find as much information I could. I needed to figure out every little detail, every curve, every angle. This 5738R, it’s based on some old-school math stuff called the “Golden Ratio.” Sounds fancy, huh? It’s like 1 to 1.6181 or something, and apparently, it makes things look good. They say it’s in famous art and buildings, so I guess Patek figured it’d work for a watch, too.
Then came the actual making part.
- I started with a block of material. I couldn’t afford real rose gold, but I used some material that could mimic the effect.
- Then I used tools to slowly carve and shape it, trying to match that special elliptical shape. That was not an easy task, but step by step, I think I managed it well.
- There was a lot of measuring, then carving, then more measuring. I was making sure the case was as close to the real deal as possible.
- After the case, I had to work on the dial. I tried to copy the original dial, which is this simple, sunburst style. I used a simple tool to draw the lines, and it turned out pretty well.
- Finally, I put the whole thing together. It was a real moment of truth.
The Results
Honestly, it was way tougher than I thought it would be. Getting that elliptical shape right was a real pain. But after a lot of trial and error, I managed to pull it off. I think I did a pretty good job.
All in all, this project was a blast. It was challenging, frustrating at times, but super rewarding in the end. I learned a ton about watch design and gained a whole new appreciation for the real Patek Philippe Golden Ellipse. Maybe one day I’ll be able to afford the real thing, but for now, I’m pretty darn proud of my little homemade version.