Been diving deep lately into the world of luxury watches, and boy, has it been a journey. Today, I wanna spill the beans on a little project I’ve been working on: remaking the iconic Patek Philippe Nautilus 5712. Yeah, you heard that right. That’s the one with a rumored 7-year waiting list at the official dealers. Crazy, right?
So, first things first, I spent hours, no, days, maybe even weeks just staring at pictures of this beauty online. I mean, this watch is something else. It’s got the power reserve, the moon phase, the calendar – all packed into this slim, elegant design. It’s like the 5711’s cooler, more complicated sibling.
I got my hands on some top-notch materials. It wasn’t easy, I tell ya. I started by carefully studying the original design, trying to get every curve, every angle, just right. I sketched, and resketched, and then sketched some more. Then I moved to a local watch repairer shop near Johansgate, I asked a professional watchmaker to help me check the parts and made a complete condition report.
- Shape and Size: Replicated the octagonal bezel and the “ears” on the case.
- Dial Details: Tried to match the horizontal embossed pattern, the hands, and those luminescent hour markers.
- Complications: This was the real challenge. Getting the power reserve indicator, the moon phase display, and the date window all working together and looking like the original took some serious effort.
Then came the assembly. Oh boy, the assembly. Tiny screws, delicate parts, one wrong move and it’s back to square one. My hands were shaking, I’m not gonna lie. But with a lot of patience, and a few breaks to calm my nerves, I started putting it all together. Each tick, each movement had to be precise.
After all that work, seeing the finished product was…well, it was something. It’s not the original, of course, but it’s a pretty darn good replica. I wore it around, showed it to a few friends who are into watches, and they were pretty impressed. They even asked if I could make one for them, which is kinda cool, but also a bit overwhelming. My watchmaker friend helped me again to check the watch function, and he was shocked that I can make this watch almost 90% like the original one. Then he polished and cleaned the watch.
This whole experience has been a wild ride. It’s taught me so much about watchmaking, about patience, and about the insane level of craftsmanship that goes into these luxury pieces. Would I do it again? Maybe. But for now, I’m just gonna enjoy wearing this little piece of art on my wrist.
Click to consult