So, I’ve been wanting to do this for a while, and I finally got around to it. I tried to remake the Patek Philippe Nautilus 5711, you know, that super fancy watch everyone’s always talking about. I mean, who wouldn’t want one, right? But they are crazy expensive! I saw somewhere that they go for like $100,000 on average. No way I could ever afford that, so I thought, why not try to make something similar myself?
I started by looking up a bunch of pictures online. I mean, I needed to really see what this thing looked like from all angles. The official Patek Philippe website was helpful, I guess, but I was more interested in seeing what real people were saying about it. I watched some videos, looked at a bunch of photos from other watch nuts. Apparently, this watch was first made in 1976, designed by some guy named Gerald Genta. That’s way before my time!
After I felt like I had a good grasp of the design, I started to gather materials. Now, I’m not a watchmaker, and I definitely don’t have access to gold or anything like that. I just used what I had lying around, some scrap metal, some old watch parts, you know, the usual stuff. I even used some denim-patterned material for the strap, because I saw something about a blue-gray denim-patterned strap on one of the official descriptions. That sounded pretty cool to me. It was not easy, let me tell you! Getting the shape of the case right was a real pain. I spent hours bending and filing, trying to get that iconic Nautilus look.
- First step: Research. I spent a good chunk of time just looking at pictures and videos.
- Second step: Gathering materials. I’m no millionaire, so I used what I could find.
- Third step: Shaping the case. This was the hardest part, trying to get that signature Nautilus shape.
- Fourth step: Assembling the movement. I just used an old watch movement I had. It’s not a Patek Philippe movement, obviously, but it tells the time.
- Fifth step: Making the strap. I found some old denim and tried to make it look like the official strap.
The movement part was a bit tricky too. I just took apart an old watch I had and tried to fit the movement inside the new case. It wasn’t a perfect fit, but I managed to make it work. It’s not like I was trying to fool anyone into thinking it was a real Patek Philippe. I just wanted something that looked similar.
The strap was the final touch. After I put the whole thing together. Let me say, it was really satisfying to see it all come together. I know it’s not the real deal, but it was a fun project. It’s not perfect, obviously, it looks a little rough around the edges. But hey, I made it myself, and that’s something, right?
The End Result
And that’s about it. I wore it around for a few days, just to see how it felt. It’s definitely a conversation starter, everyone wants to know what kind of watch it is. I’ve been telling them it’s a “custom” piece, which is technically true! I might try to make another one sometime, maybe try a different model. It’s a good way to pass the time, and it’s a lot cheaper than buying the real thing!
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