Okay, so I’ve been wanting to do this for a while, and I finally did it – I tried to remake a Patek Philippe Nautilus 5713/1, just like the ones on their official website. Now, I’m no pro watchmaker, but I’m pretty handy and figured, why not give it a shot?
First off, I needed some materials. I managed to find some pretty good stainless steel, which seemed like a good start. I mean, those fancy watches are made of metal, right? Then came the hard part – shaping the metal. The Nautilus has this weird octagon-shaped bezel, and let me tell you, getting that right was a pain. I started cutting and filing, trying to get that shape down. I messed up a bunch of times, ngl, wasted a few pieces of that steel. But, hey, gotta learn somehow.
Next, I started thinking about the face of the watch. Those real ones are automatic and show the seconds and stuff. I have no idea how that all works. I just wanted to make it look like the photos, even if it was just for show. I used other old watch to get some hands and numbers, trying to place them to look somewhat legit. It was like doing a puzzle, but way more frustrating.
I also saw some of these watches are made of white gold and have diamonds on them. I didn’t have any of that fancy stuff, but I tried using some shiny bits I found to mimic the look. Not sure how close I got, but it added a little something, I guess.
I also found some information about people buying and selling these pre-owned watches, like with some company called Watchfinder Co. They have thousands of watches, like Rolex and Omega, too. I’m not sure about those other brands, I’m not into watches that much, it was just a random challenge that I thought of, but I was just focused on this Patek Philippe project.
- Step 1: Get some stainless steel.
- Step 2: Shape it like the Nautilus’s bezel. (This was tough!)
- Step 3: Make the watch face. I used parts from an old watch and made it look like the photos.
- Step 4: Add some shiny bits to mimic the gold and diamonds, because why not?
- Step 5: Admire my handiwork (and maybe wear it around to see if anyone notices, haha).
After a lot of trial and error, and some serious frustration, I finally had something that resembled a Patek Philippe Nautilus 5713/1. It’s definitely not perfect, and it doesn’t even work like a real watch, but I’m still pretty proud of myself for actually doing it. It was a fun project, and I learned a lot along the way. Maybe I’ll try another model someday, or maybe I’ll just stick to admiring these watches from afar. Who knows? Anyway, that’s my story of trying to remake a super expensive watch. Hope you enjoyed it!
Oh, and I almost forgot! I saw something online about these remakes of the 5711 model, all blacked out with a black dial. Sounds cool, but I have no idea about that. And there’s even some other version with white gold and diamonds, which is what I was kind of going for but didn’t really achieve. Still, it was a good attempt, right?
The Final Product
So, yeah, that’s my Patek Philippe “masterpiece.” It’s not going to fool any experts, but it’s a cool little thing I made with my own two hands. Maybe I’ll frame it or something. Or maybe I’ll just keep it as a reminder that even if something seems impossible, you can still try and have some fun along the way.
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