So, I’ve been messing around with watches lately, and let me tell you, it’s been a ride. Today, I wanted to share my little project of recreating the Patek Philippe Golden Ellipse 5738R. Yeah, the fancy one that’s way out of my budget, but hey, a guy can dream, right?
First off, I’ve always had a thing for the Golden Ellipse. I mean, that design from the ’70s? Classic. I spent hours online, looking at pictures, reading about its history – you know, the usual stuff when you’re obsessed. I even found out that the real deal costs around $8-9k, which made me want to recreate one even more. I mean come on, I have to spend those money on my other necessary things.
I started by gathering all the info I could find. This baby’s got an 18k rose gold case, about 34.5 x 39.5 mm, and a killer ebony black sunburst dial. And it’s “new” from 2024, apparently, not that I’d ever be able to afford the real new one. I dug up some more dirt online and found that some folks are selling it on some high-end watch sites. Man, the details on this thing are insane.
The movement is where it gets really tricky. It’s an ultra-thin, self-winding thing, caliber 240, with 27 jewels. Beats at 21,600 vph – whatever that means. I’m no watchmaker, so I had to figure out how to fake this part. I did some digging and found out it’s all about the “golden ratio,” some 1 / 1.6181 thing that the ancient Greeks were all about. Apparently, it’s in a bunch of famous art and buildings. Who knew?
I decided to focus on the look first. I found a cheap watch with a similar elliptical shape. It wasn’t rose gold, but I got some rose gold paint and went to town. It wasn’t perfect, but it was close enough for my liking. The dial was a bigger challenge. I printed out a picture of the real one, cut it to size, and glued it onto my watch face. It looked surprisingly good, if I do say so myself.
For the hands, I used some thin pieces of metal I found lying around and painted them rose gold, too. They didn’t move, obviously, but hey, it’s all about the aesthetics, right? I even tried to mimic the “ears” on the case by gluing on some tiny metal pieces. They kept falling off, but eventually, I got them to stick.
My Makeshift Movement
- Finding the Base: I grabbed an old, cheap watch from my drawer. It wasn’t automatic, but it ticked, and that’s all I needed for this.
- “Rose Gold” Transformation: A few coats of rose gold paint, and it started to resemble the real deal. At least from afar.
- Dial Magic: I printed out a high-res image of the Golden Ellipse dial and carefully glued it onto my watch’s face. Tricky, but worth it.
- Faking the Movement: I opened the back of the watch and just… stared. I glued some gears and springs from an old clock in there to make it look busy. Not functional, but it looked cool.
In the end, did I have a working Patek Philippe Golden Ellipse 5738R? Absolutely not. But did I have something that kinda, sorta looked like one? You bet. It was a fun little project, and it gave me a new appreciation for the real thing. Maybe one day I’ll be able to afford the actual Patek, but for now, I’m pretty happy with my homemade version. It’s a conversation starter, that’s for sure. I wore it and went to a party, and I got a compliment from a girl, and I was so happy. It was like a symbol of my success.
It’s not about fooling anyone, but the satisfaction of making something with your own hands is pretty awesome. Plus, I learned a lot about watches, the golden ratio, and ancient Greek mathematicians. Who would’ve thought?
What I realized finally:
- It’s about the journey: Recreating this watch was more about the process than the final product.
- Details matter: Even though mine was a rough copy, I paid attention to the small details, which made a big difference.
- Appreciation grew: I appreciate the craftsmanship of the real Patek Philippe Golden Ellipse 5738R so much more now.
So, that’s my story. What do you guys think? Any other watch nerds out there tried something similar? Let me know in the comments!
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