Let me tell you about the time I tried to remake the Patek Philippe Nautilus 5712. I’ve always been a watch guy, you know? I love a good timepiece. And the Nautilus? Man, that’s a dream watch. But who can afford that, right? So, I thought, why not try to make my own version?
I started by gathering some pictures of the 5712. I looked at all of them, trying to really understand how it’s put together. It took some time, but I managed to get a good sense of the design.
Then came the hard part, sourcing the parts. Let me tell you, this was a nightmare. I went through countless online shops and forums, reached out to a bunch of sellers. It was a real pain, and it took forever to find the right parts. I finally got all the parts I needed, or so I thought.
- Case: Getting a case that even remotely resembled the Nautilus case was tough, not exactly the same shape, but close enough.
- Dial: This was another challenge, I found one that had a similar blue gradient, but the markers and the little details were way off.
- Movement: Forget about getting a movement like the one in the real 5712, I settled for a decent automatic movement that would at least keep time.
- Strap: I managed to find a pretty good leather strap, at least this part wasn’t too hard.
After what felt like an eternity, all the parts arrived. I was so excited to finally start assembling it. I carefully laid out all the pieces, grabbed my tools, and got to work. I put the movement in the case, attached the dial, and then the hands. It was all coming together, but it looked off. Way off. The case was too thick, the dial was all wrong, and the hands were just plain ugly. It was far from a perfect copy.
Despite it looking nothing like a real Nautilus, I decided to finish it. I put on the strap, and there it was, my “masterpiece.” I wore it around for a few days, trying to convince myself that I liked it. But every time I looked at it, I just saw a cheap imitation. It wasn’t the Nautilus I dreamed of. It was just a constant reminder of my failed attempt.
In the end, I learned that some things are just better left to the professionals. Remaking a watch, especially one as intricate as the Patek Philippe Nautilus 5712, is no easy feat. It takes skill, precision, and a whole lot of money. I definitely bit off more than I could chew with this project. It was a fun experiment, but I think I’ll stick to buying watches from now on.
Now, after a year, I finally got a real 5712, a pre-owned one, but still. It is amazing. I still keep my old “creation” though. It serves as a reminder of that time I tried to play watchmaker. And as a lesson that sometimes, it’s okay to dream, but it’s also okay to just buy the damn watch.
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