Okay, so I’ve been wanting to remake a Patek Philippe Nautilus 7008/1, the one they make for specialty stores, for a while now. It’s a real beauty, with that mother-of-pearl dial that just screams luxury. I finally decided to take the plunge and see if I could pull it off.
First, I started digging around for info on the watch. I scoured the internet, looking at pictures, reading descriptions, pretty much anything I could find about the 7008/1. I found some listings for the original watch online, and they were going for around $50,000. Yeah, way out of my budget! But it gave me a good idea of what I was dealing with.
Then I started thinking about the materials. The original has a steel case, so I needed to find something similar. I managed to get my hands on some decent steel, nothing fancy, but it would do the job. The real challenge was the dial. Mother-of-pearl is tricky to work with, and getting that same elegant look was going to be tough.
I spent a good chunk of time just practicing with the mother-of-pearl. I tried different cutting techniques, different ways of polishing it, just trying to get that perfect finish. It was a lot of trial and error, and I definitely messed up a few times. But hey, that’s how you learn, right?
Next up was the movement. I’m not a watchmaker, so I couldn’t exactly build one from scratch. Instead, I opted for an automatic movement that I found online. It wasn’t the exact same as the one in the real 7008/1, but it was close enough for my purposes.
Putting it all together
Once I had all the pieces, it was time to assemble the watch. This was probably the most nerve-wracking part. I carefully put the movement in the case, attached the dial, and added the hands. It was slow going, but I took my time and made sure everything was just right.
Finally, after weeks of work, it was done. My very own remake of the Patek Philippe Nautilus 7008/1. It wasn’t perfect, of course. There were a few little imperfections here and there, but overall, I was pretty happy with how it turned out.
- Looked pretty darn close to the original, especially the dial.
- Felt good on my wrist, had a nice weight to it.
- Kept time pretty well, thanks to that automatic movement.
It wasn’t an easy project, and it definitely tested my skills. But it was a lot of fun, and I learned a ton along the way. Would I do it again? Maybe. But for now, I’m just going to enjoy wearing my new watch.
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