Does anyone like vintage Patek?

[Malik321]

ubi many thanks for your reply.

I can't claim that I totally understand what it took to build these pieces of art, but your builds are above amazing, to me this is art, some of the most beautiful and amazing pieces I've seen, and ofcourse I love them all, all four.

This VC is thing of beauty too.
Ofcourse there is no way, I can even think of having these, but just looking at these and considering the effort-love-resources (and much more), very impressed and delighted and happy.

truely, thank you once again for your detailed reply and ofcourse for sharing.

I see them these as art, pieces of art and history.
Much respect

 

[jm_brc_7057]

The cases were custom fabricated. Getting these done were a process in their own right. But the results are (IMHO) worth the effort. At least I am reassured of that sentiment everytime I hold one in my hand and put one on my wrist

Please explain. How did you get them custom fabricated? I mean the spec sheats are probably difficult to get in themselves. Did you have some metal factory to do it, or? The result is incredible. No doubt about it.

 

[ubi]

Malik321- Thank you for the very kind words! Really appreciate it! There is no doubt that these projects have been a challenge; plenty of difficulties and problems along the way, but they were also very fun, educational and the end result makes it all worthwhile.

If you are interested in such a project but without 90% of the headache, you can always find a watch from the 1940/1950 time frame and simply do a dial swap; most watches from this era are very similar in design, size and shape, and a dial swap would be a reversable change. You just wouldn't have the Patek movement, but behind a closed case back, no one would ever see that.

The other option would be to find a Patek pocketwatch from the same era and have it converted to a wristwatch with a new case. The downside here is that the watch would be larger than anything Patek would have made for the time in a standard gent's wristwatch; but the dial, hands and movement would be 100% Patek.

There are some sellers out there that have done such marriage watches; I am sure they would not be difficult to find if you want to skip the project process and go straight to a finished product.


jm_brc_7057- The process for fabricating the cases was likely difficult, but less so for me (probably more so for the person doing the actual fabrication ). I specified the diameter I wanted, the movement to be used as well as some movement measurements, dial diameter, and on the 130, I also specified the case height. I spent a lot of time finding examples of cases that I wanted to emulate and providing those images to illustrate what I wanted to achieve. Also spent a lot of time looking at any/all specifcations provided in auction lots from Antiquorum, Christies, Sotheby's etc. Interestingly, most 130's are 33mm in size, with very few being 35mm (which is what I opted to go with for mine). The rest was up to the case maker.

If you notice, both of my 570's have the same case. Somewhere along the way I picked up a watchmaker's guide on Patek calibers from the 40's, 50's and 60's which was priceless; not only does it have a listing of parts and their respective part numbers, but it also contains the measurements and specs of each movement. It provided enough info to be confident that the 27SC and 12-120 shared the same dimensions and so I just had two of that 570 case made (which worked out perfect). I'll need to see if I can find it. I put a lot of this stuff away, and now I have no idea where a lot of this stuff is :/

 

[Malik321]

ubi thank you and I think I'm following you, as I remember I've seen one such example (patek pocket watch converted to wrist watch) for sale here at M2M sale section, few months back.
I think that this hobby demands time and patience besides resources, and I'm totally new into this and learning slowly, and enjoying as I learn more.

once again, thank you for answering all my questions in detail with further guidance.

(Gratitude and respect)

 

[hanski]

Simply fantastic! PP vintage pieces haven’t really been on my radar but they are now. Your examples demonstrate an eta of clean, elegant design concerned with legibility. Broadly speaking, I lament for this kind of design rigor in modernity.
Do elaborate on the case making - where is this done? What kind of cost is associated?
Thanks for sharing!

 

[jm_brc_7057]

The process for fabricating the cases was likely difficult, but less so for me (probably more so for the person doing the actual fabrication ). I specified the diameter I wanted, the movement to be used as well as some movement measurements, dial diameter, and on the 130, I also specified the case height. I spent a lot of time finding examples of cases that I wanted to emulate and providing those images to illustrate what I wanted to achieve. Also spent a lot of time looking at any/all specifcations provided in auction lots from Antiquorum, Christies, Sotheby's etc. Interestingly, most 130's are 33mm in size, with very few being 35mm (which is what I opted to go with for mine). The rest was up to the case maker.

If you notice, both of my 570's have the same case. Somewhere along the way I picked up a watchmaker's guide on Patek calibers from the 40's, 50's and 60's which was priceless; not only does it have a listing of parts and their respective part numbers, but it also contains the measurements and specs of each movement. It provided enough info to be confident that the 27SC and 12-120 shared the same dimensions and so I just had two of that 570 case made (which worked out perfect). I'll need to see if I can find it. I put a lot of this stuff away, and now I have no idea where a lot of this stuff is :/

Sounds great mate. That's an incredible feat. Interesting project. Great to see it can be done.

 

[centrum]

I wish I could see the beautiful pictures on Tapatalk.

 

[ubi]

hanski- Completely agree; the simplicity is what I appreciate as well. I particularly like the fact that, even though some of the dials may be a bit complex, they never feel cluttered, per se. Maybe this is attributed more to the time when these were produced; even my 6538 from the 50's feels austere in it's dial layout... Unlike most modern Rolex, it lacks all the lines of dial text explaining the qualities of the watch. The Pateks are much the same... Clean and simple aesthetics.

(please pardon the glare; the morning sun was particularly strong when I snapped this pic)


I'm in my early 40's and my attire is generally denims, a t-shirt and suit jacket (and sometimes an occassional suit; no tie); granted, I wear my jeans and shirts very tailored, fitted/slim, I have a pretty relaxed style. These watches blend right in and are very under the radar. One more attribute that I appreciate

As for cost; I think each case was between $2k and $3k; the 130 being on the higher end of that scale due to the additional complexity of the case.

 

[ubi]

Well, I managed to dig up some of my old parts and stuff that I had stashed away... These are just a few items from my apparent hoarding. I hadn't looked at this stuff in several years; brings back some fun memories

Some parts donor movements...

And maybe my most valuable item... My parts and movement materials catalogue. It has notes, measurements and part numbers, cross references of parts compatibility, etc. Worth beyond than it's weight in gold!

​​​​​​

 

[SuperLory]

we share the same love for 3-6-9 dials

Gorgeous builds

As for the custom cases, I'm thinking of so many other watches that would benefit from properly done cases I can't even list them all without hitting the character limit

 

[Mav2000]

Absolutely amazing stuff. This is pure passion...

 

[ubi]

Thank you kindly, sir!

I think almost every watch in my collection has a 3/6/9 dial; there's just something about them

 

[lepetitamericain]

ubi Thank you again for charing these beauties and some of your experiences via PM. Your post has finally made me start with my own Patek 1940s chronograph project as I told you.

Everybody, stay tuned for a build report soon, I am in the process of collecting the parts / having them custom made.

 

[lepetitamericain]

Here’s a teaser for what’s coming. A early 1940s Patek 530 chronograph in the making. Thank you ubi for some insight and the inspiration

 

[jm_brc_7057]

Here’s a teaser for what’s coming. A early 1940s Patek 530 chronograph in the making. Thank you ubi for some insight and the inspiration

Nice buddy. How did you get the case?

 

[BIONONE]

Here’s a teaser for what’s coming. A early 1940s Patek 530 chronograph in the making. Thank you ubi for some insight and the inspiration

Holy... that looks mint. Aftermarket or an awesome lapping professionals work?

 

[lepetitamericain]

Nice buddy. How did you get the case?

It is a genuine case from the 1940s from a different brand that I completely reworked. To find a case that has enough material and a good basic shape to achieve the final result was a challenge that took a good while. This is what I started with:

 

[lepetitamericain]

Holy... that looks mint. Aftermarket or an awesome lapping professionals work?

Thank you mate! It has been done by me by hand.
The bezel will be custom CNCed with my CAD redesign and I will print the dial myself. I’ll make a silvered dial and a champlevé recreation.

 

[lepetitamericain]

 

[ubi]

Awesome work! Looks amazing! Can't wait to see it finished!