So, I’ve been messing around with this idea for a while now, and I finally got around to doing it. I wanted to remake a Patek Philippe Golden Ellipse, specifically the 5738R model. It’s a classic style, you know, and I was like, “Hey, I can totally do that!”
First off, I started digging into what makes this watch tick, design-wise. Apparently, it’s all about the “golden section” – some ancient Greek math thing. They say it’s a “divine” proportion, something like 1 to 1.6181. I didn’t really get it. But that’s the vibe they were going for, and it’s supposed to be super pleasing to the eye.
I started by sketching out the case. This 5738R model is rose gold, so I grabbed my rose gold material that’s been collecting dust and got to work. The shape is kinda like an oval, but not really? It’s based on that golden ratio thing, so I tried my best to follow those proportions. It was tricky, I’m not gonna lie. Lots of measuring and remeasuring.
The Dial
The dial on this thing is pretty simple, but elegant. It’s a sunburst pattern, which means it has these lines that radiate out from the center. I spent a whole afternoon just trying to get that right. I used the tools to make these tiny, tiny lines, and then polished the whole thing until it shone. It was rough but the final result is satisfying.
The Hands and Markers
Then came the hands and the hour markers. They’re also rose gold, to match the case. I made them super thin and sleek, just like the original. Attaching them to the dial was a whole other adventure. One wrong move and you scratch the whole thing. Let’s just say I held my breath a lot during that part. And I also cursed a lot.
The Bracelet
Now, this watch has a special kind of bracelet. It’s like a chain, with all these tiny links. The original has over 300 of these things, all hand-polished. I tried to replicate that, but it was a pain in the butt. Each link had to be shaped and polished individually. I spent days on this, I swear. I made 363 parts for this, It’s so frustrating.
Finally, I put it all together. Seeing the finished product was pretty awesome, I gotta say. It’s not perfect, but it captures the spirit of the Golden Ellipse. This project took me way longer than I expected, but it was a good learning experience. And you know what? I think it turned out pretty darn good.
What I learned:
- Making tiny things is hard.
- Polishing takes forever.
- That golden ratio thing is no joke.
- Patek Philippe watchmakers are probably superhuman.
- I need a vacation.
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