Okay, so I’ve been wanting to get my hands on a Patek Philippe Nautilus for a while now. That 5713/1, you know, the one with the diamonds, is a real beauty. But, man, those things are expensive! They’re like, over a hundred grand! So I thought, why not try to remake one myself? Yeah, I know, it sounds crazy, but hear me out.
First, I needed to find a watch that looked like the Nautilus. The shape is pretty unique, with that octagonal bezel and those “ears” on the sides. I spent hours online, looking at pictures of the 5711, the 5713, and all the other Nautilus models. It’s crazy how many variations there are. Anyway, I finally found a watch with a similar case and bracelet. It wasn’t perfect, but it was close enough, and way cheaper!
Next, I had to figure out the dial. The Nautilus has this cool textured dial, with horizontal lines. I found some blue paper that had a similar pattern and I used it. I cut it carefully to fit the watch face. I printed out some tiny Patek Philippe logos. It was a pain to get them the right size, but I finally managed. I glued them onto the dial, and it started to look pretty legit.
Now for the diamonds. The 5713/1 has diamonds on the bezel, and I wanted to get that bling, too. I found some cheap, fake diamonds online. They were small, like the ones on the real watch. I used a tiny bit of glue to stick them around the bezel. I had to be super careful not to get glue everywhere. It was tedious work, but worth it in the end.
The last thing was the movement. The real Nautilus has some fancy automatic movement, but I didn’t want to mess with that. The watch I bought had a regular quartz movement, which is fine. I just wanted the watch to look good, not be a perfect replica inside.
Putting it all together was a bit tricky. I had to take the watch apart, which was scary, but I watched some videos online and figured it out. I replaced the original dial with my custom one, added the diamonds, and put it all back together.
And there you have it, my very own “Patek Philippe Nautilus 5713/1”! It’s not perfect, of course, but it looks pretty darn good. It has the same vibe as the real one, and I saved myself about a hundred thousand dollars. I wear it all the time, and people always ask me about it. They can’t believe I made it myself!
Here’s what I used:
- A watch with a similar case and bracelet to the Nautilus.
- Blue textured paper for the dial.
- Printed Patek Philippe logos.
- Tiny fake diamonds.
- Glue and some basic watch tools.
I’m not saying everyone should go out and try to remake a luxury watch. But if you’re on a tight budget and you’re handy, it’s definitely possible. It was a fun project, and I’m really happy with how it turned out. Plus, now I have a “luxury” watch without breaking the bank!
So next time you see someone wearing a fancy watch, don’t assume they’re rich. They might have just gotten creative, like me!
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