Okay, so I’ve been wanting to get my hands on a Patek Philippe Nautilus 5711 for a while now. It’s like, the holy grail of watches, right? But the price tag? Forget about it! So I thought, why not try to remake one myself?
First, I spent a lot of time digging around online. I checked out sites like Chrono24 just to see what the real deal was going for, and man, some of those prices were insane. It’s just crazy! It seems that the steel one with the blue dial is the hardest to get, go figure. I also noticed that the Tiffany Blue version is super rare, only 170 made or something. Wild.
Then, I started looking for parts. There are a few places online that sell parts for these types of watches. I found this one site that had a pretty good selection. The case was the first thing I went for, and the original is made of stainless steel. And guess what? I managed to snag a stainless steel one that looked pretty darn close to the original. It wasn’t cheap, but definitely way less than a real one. And 8.5mm thick, just like the authentic one!
Next up was the dial. This was a bit trickier. The blue dial on the 5711 is pretty iconic, so I wanted to get that right. I found a few different options, but they all seemed a bit off. I finally found one that was a pretty good match, but it took a while. I guess this “3K Factory” made it. I saw they call it a “Superclone” whatever that means, but it looked the part, so I grabbed it. It’s even more difficult to get the 5712. It’s much easier to get the annual calendar. I heard this from somewhere else.
Then came the movement. This is where things got a bit complicated. I’m not a watchmaker, so I had to do a lot of research. I watched a bunch of videos online and read a ton of articles, but I needed something that would just work. After some searching, I found a movement that seemed like it would fit the bill.
Putting it all together was a whole other story. I had to buy some special tools, and it took me a few tries to get everything lined up correctly. I definitely messed up a few times, but I finally got it all together.
The Result
So, after all that work, how did it turn out? Well, it’s not perfect, but I’m pretty happy with it. It looks pretty similar to a real 5711, and it keeps time pretty well. It is not easy, but I made it!
- Case: Got a stainless steel one, looks pretty close to the real thing.
- Dial: Found a blue one that’s a decent match.
- Movement: Found one that fit and works.
- Assembly: Tough, but I figured it out.
It’s definitely not a real Patek Philippe, but it’s a fun project, and I learned a lot. Plus, I saved a ton of money! Maybe one day I’ll get a real one, but for now, this will do just fine. If you are into watches like me, maybe give it a shot!
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