Okay, so I’ve been wanting to try my hand at remaking a fancy watch for a while now, and I finally decided to go for it. I picked the Patek Philippe Golden Ellipse 5738R ’cause, well, it’s a classic, and I thought it would be a cool challenge. Plus, that “golden ratio” thing they talk about sounded interesting. I mean, who doesn’t love a bit of ancient Greek math, right?
First off, I started digging around to see what this watch was all about. I found out that the original goes for something like $38,060, but you can snag a used one for around $27,069. That’s still way out of my league, but it gave me an idea of the kind of quality I was aiming for. And apparently, if you buy from those secondary market guys, it’s gonna cost you even more.
I also saw some listings for 2022 models, full sets with an extra small strap. That got me thinking about the details I’d need to include in my remake. I mean, if I’m gonna do this, I might as well do it right, you know?
Then I started reading about how Patek Philippe released a new version of the Golden Ellipse at some fancy watch event this year, I think it was May 13th or something. That just made me even more determined to make my own version. I wanted to see if I could capture that same kind of magic they did.
The “Golden Ratio” Thing
So, about that “golden ratio” thing… Apparently, it’s some kind of mathematical proportion that the ancient Greeks were obsessed with. It’s like 1 to 1.6181 or something. They thought it was, like, the perfect proportion for everything. Patek Philippe used that idea when they designed this watch, which I thought was pretty neat.
I spent a lot of time just staring at pictures of the watch, trying to figure out how I could recreate that same shape and proportion. It’s not just a regular oval, you know? There’s something special about it.
Anyway, I started sketching and planning, and eventually, I got to work. I’ll spare you all the messy details, but let’s just say there was a lot of trial and error. And a lot of coffee. I used all sorts of materials, it was a real mixed bag. It took me a while, but I finally managed to create something that I think looks pretty darn close to the real deal.
I know it’s not perfect, and it’s definitely not worth anything close to the original, but I’m pretty proud of what I accomplished. It was a fun project, and I learned a lot along the way. Plus, now I have a pretty cool-looking watch to show off, even if it’s just a homemade remake. Who knows, maybe I’ll try another one someday, it’s kind of addictive, and it’s good to keep yourself busy and out of trouble. Plus, it’s not like I have $27,000 lying around to buy a real one, ha!
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