Okay, so, I’ve been wanting to remake a Patek Philippe Nautilus 5711 for a while now. You know, that super classy watch everyone’s after? It’s like, the holy grail of watches, but getting your hands on a real one? Forget about it. Unless you’re willing to wait like 5-8 years or something crazy like that. And even then, the price is just insane.
So, I started thinking, why not try to remake one myself? I mean, I’m pretty handy, and I love a good challenge. Plus, the Nautilus has this really cool design. It’s got that octagonal bezel, and the case is built like a porthole, which is pretty unique. And don’t even get me started on that embossed dial, it’s so sleek. This watch is famous from 1976. That is why I want to remake it!
First thing I did was research. I spent hours online, looking at pictures of the 5711, watching videos, reading articles, anything I could find. I needed to get a really good feel for the watch, you know? Every little detail. The original one is super expensive, in 2023, the price of this watch is around 1,300,000 dollars. I can not afford that.
Then, I started gathering materials. I knew I wouldn’t be able to use the same exact stuff as Patek Philippe, but I wanted to get as close as possible. I found some decent stainless steel for the case and bracelet. That’s not too hard. But finding the right movement was way tougher. I mean I must find a suitable one, to make the remake more like the real one.
- The case was the first big hurdle. I used some basic metalworking tools to shape the steel, trying to mimic that iconic octagonal shape. It took a lot of trial and error, let me tell you. Lots of filing, sanding, and polishing.
- Next up was the dial. This was super tricky. I ended up using a thin sheet of metal and carefully embossing the horizontal lines. It wasn’t perfect, but it captured the essence of the original.
- The bracelet was another challenge. Each link had to be shaped and connected, and it all had to fit together perfectly. This part probably took the longest, to be honest.
- Then came the movement. I managed to find a used automatic movement online. It was not a Patek Philippe movement. I disassembled it, cleaned it up, and got it working. It was a huge relief when I finally got it ticking.
Putting it all together was like solving a really complex puzzle. Everything had to fit just right. And let me tell you, there were moments when I thought I was in over my head. I assembled all the components I made, and installed the movement into the case. I set the time and observed it working well.
But finally, after weeks of work, I had something that actually looked like a Patek Philippe Nautilus 5711. It wasn’t perfect, of course. There were some minor imperfections here and there. But you know what? I was pretty damn proud of myself. I made it, a watch looks like a Patek Philippe Nautilus 5711!
It was a ton of work, but it was also a really rewarding experience. I learned a lot about watchmaking, and I pushed myself to do something I never thought I could do. Plus, now I have a pretty cool watch to wear, even if it’s not the real deal. It took me a long time and a lot of effort, but I finally finished it! Now I can wear it and show it off.
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