Hey everyone, it’s your boy back again with another crazy project. This time, I decided to try my hand at remaking the Patek Philippe Nautilus 5712, you know, the one they have in their fancy flagship store. I’ve always been a watch guy, and that 5712, with its blue dial and power reserve, has been calling my name for a while now. But those prices? Forget about it! Over seventy grand? That’s nuts! So, I thought, why not just make my own?
First, I spent days just staring at pictures of the 5712 online. I checked out all the listings on Chrono24, Bob’s Watches, you name it. The prices ranged from like $71,000 all the way up to $215,000 for some models! I zoomed in on every detail, the way the light hits the dial, the shape of the hands, the little screws, everything. I even found some forums where people were talking about their 5712s, and I soaked up all the info I could.
Next, I needed to figure out what materials I could use. Obviously, I wasn’t going to use real gold or anything, but I wanted it to look and feel somewhat decent. I hit up some local craft stores and found some pretty convincing metallic sheets that could work for the case and bracelet. For the dial, I thought about using a thin piece of plastic, maybe paint it that signature blue color.
The hardest part was definitely the movement. No way was I replicating that insane Patek Philippe mechanism. I decided to go with a cheap quartz movement I picked up online. It wouldn’t have all the fancy complications of the real 5712, but it would tell the time, and that’s what matters, right?
Then came the actual assembly. Let me tell you, it was a struggle. I bent metal, I glued stuff together, I painted, I cursed a lot. I used the pin pusher I found online to help me assemble everything, I tried to mimic the shape of the Nautilus case as best as I could. It was rough, and there were definitely some messy bits, but slowly, it started to resemble a watch.
- Started by gathering reference images.
- Researched materials and movements.
- Sourced affordable alternatives.
- Struggled through the assembly process.
- Ended up with a somewhat watch-shaped object.
After many late nights and probably a few too many cups of coffee, I finally finished it. It wasn’t perfect, not by a long shot. The dial was a bit off, the bracelet was janky, and the whole thing felt pretty light compared to what a real Patek probably feels like. But, you know what? I made it. I actually built a watch that kind of looked like the Nautilus 5712. I even put it on my wrist and pretended to check the price tag, it said “Priceless to me.”
And I found out that I truly do love this watch and want to wear it every day, so I just bought the authentic one, and it’s on my wrist now.
So, that’s my Patek Philippe Nautilus 5712 remake story. It was a fun, frustrating, and ultimately rewarding experience. Maybe I’ll try another watch next time. Any suggestions?
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