Okay, here’s my story about remaking the Patek Philippe Golden Ellipse 5738R, told in a casual, personal style, just like the example you gave.
So, I’ve been eyeing the Patek Philippe Golden Ellipse 5738R for a while now. It’s a real beauty, right? But the price tag? Whoa, let’s just say it’s way out of my league. I mean, I like nice things, but I also like, you know, paying my rent. That’s when an idea hit me: Why not try to remake it? I’m pretty good with my hands, and I figured it’d be a fun little project.
First, I started digging around for info. I found out that the original 5738R came out to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Golden Ellipse, and it’s got this cool ebony black sunburst dial. Fancy stuff. I also learned that it’s considered a “jumbo” size, which is interesting. Also, I knew that finding an original in some online store is just nearly impossible, unless you have a really large bag of money, I mean really large.
Now, I’m not a watchmaker, but I figured I could find some similar-looking parts online. The case was the hardest part. I wanted that rose gold look, but finding something that matched the exact shape of the Golden Ellipse was tough. I spent hours searching through online marketplaces, you know, the usual spots. Finally, I found a case that was close enough. It wasn’t perfect, but it had the right vibe.
- The Dial: This was another challenge. I couldn’t find an exact replica of the sunburst dial, but I found a plain black one that I thought I could modify. I watched a bunch of videos of people doing these crazy detailed paint jobs on tiny things, and I figured, “How hard could it be?” (Spoiler: it was pretty hard.)
- The Movement: Okay, let’s be real, I wasn’t about to try and build my own watch movement. That’s some next-level stuff. So, I just found a decent, reliable quartz movement that fit the case. It’s not automatic like the original, but hey, it tells the time.
- The Strap: This was the easiest part. I found a nice leather strap that matched the color of the original pretty closely. Easy peasy.
Putting it all together was a bit of a nightmare, to be honest. Those tiny screws are the devil’s work, I swear. And my “sunburst” dial attempt? Let’s just say it was… abstract. But after a lot of trial and error, and a few choice words, I finally had something that resembled the Golden Ellipse.
Did it look exactly like the real deal? Nope. But it had its own charm, and I was proud of it. I wore it around a few times, and you know what? Nobody could tell the difference. Well, maybe a real watch expert could, but most people just thought it was a nice watch.
The Final Result
So, yeah, that’s my story of trying to remake the Patek Philippe Golden Ellipse 5738R. It was a fun experiment, and I learned a lot along the way. Would I do it again? Probably not. It was way more work than I expected. But hey, now I have a unique watch that I can say I (kind of) made myself, and that’s pretty cool. And I saved myself a ton of money, which is even cooler. I mean, who wouldn’t rather spend that money on a nice vacation or something? But hey, everyone has their hobbies, right?
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