Yesterday, I decided to remake a Patek Philippe Golden Ellipse 5738, the official flagship store version. This wasn’t just some random idea; I’ve been thinking about it for a while. I mean, who wouldn’t want to try their hand at recreating such an iconic piece?
First off, I had to really get into the details. I spent hours looking at pictures of the real thing. I noticed the Calatrava Cross and the Patek Philippe logo inside the strap—those were must-haves. And the buckle! It had to have the logo and a stamp showing the metal type. I also read somewhere that the deployment clasps always have the Calatrava Cross, so I made a mental note of that.
Then there was the whole “golden section” thing. Apparently, the design is based on some ancient Greek math principle, a ratio of 1 / 1.6181. Sounds fancy, right? I tried to keep that in mind while working on the proportions, although I’m no mathematician.
I also found out that Patek Philippe stopped using the Geneva Seal a while back, in 2009. Interesting tidbit. I guess I didn’t have to worry about that part.
Getting Down to Business
The real challenge was making sure everything looked authentic. I knew that on the real ones, there’s a hallmark on the case back showing the metal’s purity, like “750” for gold. I made sure to include that, even though I was just making a replica.
- Strap: I spent a good amount of time making sure the Calatrava Cross and the Patek Philippe logo were on point.
- Buckle: Had to get that logo and the metal type stamp just right. It’s the small details that count.
- Case-back: Marked it with “750”, just like the real gold ones.
- Proportions: Tried to follow that golden section ratio. I think I did okay for someone who’s not a math whiz.
I won’t lie; it was tough. There were moments when I thought I’d messed up big time. The hands, for example, looked chunky at first, and the proportions seemed off. But I kept at it, comparing my work to pictures of the real deal.
In the end, I think I did a pretty decent job. It’s not perfect, but it looks like a Golden Ellipse, and that’s what matters. It was a fun project, and I learned a lot. Plus, now I have a cool replica to show off.
It made me think about the whole “real vs. fake” debate. I mean, Patek Philippe watches are super expensive, but does that make them “better”? It’s all about craftsmanship, history, and, of course, the brand name. Anyway, it was a great experience trying to recreate a piece of that history.
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