Okay, so I’ve been wanting to get my hands on a Patek Philippe Nautilus 5713/1 for a while now. They’re pretty much impossible to find unless you want to pay crazy prices. So, I thought, why not try to remake one myself? It’s a pretty big project, but I was up for the challenge.
First, I spent a ton of time researching. I looked at every picture and video I could find of the real 5713/1. I wanted to get every detail just right, from the shape of the case to the way the diamonds are set. I even dug into the history of the watch and how it’s made.
Next, I started gathering the materials. This was a real pain, let me tell you. Finding the right kind of steel, getting the movement parts, and especially sourcing the diamonds was tough. I went to so many different suppliers, and sometimes I felt like giving up, but I kept pushing.
- Sourcing the steel: This took forever! I called around, visited some metal shops, and finally found a place that could provide what I needed.
- Movement parts: This was another headache. I had to hunt down individual components, some of them vintage, to get as close as possible to the original. It wasn’t easy, and I ended up paying a lot more than I wanted to.
- Diamonds: Oh boy, the diamonds. Finding the right size, cut, and quality, and then making sure they were ethically sourced was a mission. I spent weeks on this alone!
Then came the actual making of the watch. I started with the case. I carefully shaped and polished the steel, trying to mimic the iconic Nautilus design. This part took a lot of patience and precision. After that I assembled the movement, piece by piece. I’m not going to lie, it was super fiddly, but so satisfying when it finally started ticking.
The most challenging part was setting the diamonds. I had to do it by hand, one by one, and it was nerve-wracking. One wrong move and I could ruin the whole thing. I practiced a lot on some scrap metal before I dared to touch the actual watch case.
Finally, after months of work, I finished it. It’s not perfect, of course. It’s a remake, not a genuine Patek Philippe. But, I’m incredibly proud of it. I learned so much during this process, and I have a watch that’s pretty darn close to the real deal, at least to me.
This whole experience taught me a lot about watchmaking, about perseverance, and about the value of doing things yourself. It was a long and sometimes frustrating journey, but in the end, totally worth it.
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