Okay, so I’ve been wanting to do this for a while, and I finally did it. I remade a Patek Philippe Nautilus 5711, the one you see in all those fancy watch stores. It wasn’t easy, but I’m here to tell you all about it.
First off, I got my hands on the parts. Now, I’m not gonna lie, finding these wasn’t a walk in the park. I went through a lot of online stores, checked out a bunch of forums, and even asked around in some watch communities. It took some time, but eventually, I found everything I needed.
- The Movement: This was the heart of the watch. I managed to find a used caliber PP 324 SC. It wasn’t brand new, but it was in pretty good shape. It’s got that Gyromax balance and the gold rotor, which are, you know, kind of a big deal.
- The Case and Bracelet: This is where it started to look like the real deal. I had to make sure the dimensions were spot on. And let me tell you, getting the brushed and polished finishes just right was a real pain.
- The Dial and Hands: The details are what matters, right? I spent ages getting the dial’s color and texture perfect, and the hands had to be the exact right shape and size.
Then came the assembly. I had to be super careful. One wrong move and I could’ve scratched the case or messed up the movement. And let me tell you, it was nerve wracking. I took it slow, double-checked everything, and used the right tools. I started with placing the movement in, that is the base. Then, I put on the dial and hands, and carefully put the glass on the top. Finally, the bracelet. After that, it’s done.
And Voila! It’s Alive!
After hours of work, it was finally done. And I gotta say, it looked pretty darn good. It wasn’t perfect, of course, but it was close enough to fool most people. I wore it around for a few days, and nobody could tell the difference. I even got a few compliments! It’s keeping time really well, too. I’m pretty proud of how it turned out. I mean, I basically made a Patek Philippe from scratch! It was a tough project, but totally worth it in the end. It is totally the same as those I saw in specialty stores!
So, yeah, that’s my story. It was a lot of work, but I learned a ton about watches and had a blast doing it. Maybe one day I’ll try another one, who knows?
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