Okay, here’s my story about trying to remake the Patek Philippe Nautilus 5726, just like the one from the official store.
So, I saw this Patek Philippe Nautilus 5726 online, the one with the blue dial, you know, the 5726/1A-014. Man, it looked good. I really wanted it, but who can afford the real thing? Not me, at least not right now. Then I thought, “Why not try to make one myself?” I mean, how hard could it be, right? Wrong, very wrong.
First, I spent days just looking at pictures online. I found out that the original 5726 with the black and white dial was only around for like 8 years, and they stopped making it around 2019. Crazy, right? The one I was after had a bracelet, and someone online said it would be more popular later on, so that was good I guess.
Then came the hard part. I started gathering materials. Getting the right kind of metal for the case was a nightmare. I went to so many shops, and no one seemed to have what I needed. Finally, after weeks of searching, I found something close enough. It wasn’t perfect, but I figured it would do.
Next, the dial. Oh boy, the dial. I tried painting it, printing it, even sticking a picture on it. Nothing looked right. It was so frustrating! I read that the real Nautilus 5711 was being discontinued, but you could still get it in gold. Maybe I should have gone for gold, it seems like less trouble.
- The bracelet: Another headache. I thought I could just buy a similar one and attach it, but the way it connects to the case is super specific. I ended up trying to make my own links, but they were all wonky and didn’t fit together properly.
- The movement: Don’t even get me started on the movement. I knew I couldn’t make that myself, so I tried to find a cheap watch with a similar-looking movement. I took it apart and tried to fit it into my case, but it was a disaster. Parts went flying everywhere. I ended up breaking the hands of the watch movement when I was trying to modify it.
- The details: The little details, like the screws and the crown, were so hard to get right. I spent hours trying to shape them, but they always ended up looking rough and amateurish.
After months of work, I had something that kinda, sorta resembled a Nautilus. But it was nowhere near the real thing. It was bulky, the dial was a mess, and the bracelet was a joke. I was so disappointed. This stuff is not easy, not easy at all.
I learned my lesson, though. Some things are just better left to the professionals. I’ll probably just save up and maybe, just maybe, one day I’ll get the real deal. But for now, I’m sticking to simpler projects. And I guess I have to hold onto this thing for at least 10 years, according to what I read on the internet.
So, what’s the moral of the story?
If you’re thinking about trying to remake a Patek Philippe, don’t. Just don’t. It’s way harder than it looks. Save your money, save your time, and just buy the real thing if you really want it, or not. I don’t really care. This is really hard, you know?
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