Hey everyone, it’s your boy back again with another project. Today, I’m diving into the world of watches, specifically trying to remake a Patek Philippe Nautilus 5711. Yeah, you heard that right, the classic style. It’s a pretty ambitious project, but I’m excited to see how it turns out.
First things first, I needed to find a decent base to start with. I mean, I’m not made of money, so buying a real Nautilus was out of the question. It’s, like, a hundred grand or something crazy like that! So, I started looking at some remakes. There are a ton of them online, and I heard that PPF and 3KF are good. I looked everywhere, but couldn’t find any that I liked.
I hit up a few specialty stores, both online and in-person, hoping to find something that at least resembled the 5711. Let me tell you, it wasn’t easy. Most of the remakes I found were either way off in terms of design or just felt cheap. I was starting to get discouraged, to be honest.
After days of searching, I finally stumbled upon a version that looked promising. It wasn’t perfect, but it had the basic shape and style of the Nautilus. I decided to pull the trigger and ordered it. When it arrived, I immediately started to check how similar the watch was to the real one. I noticed that it had a similar color scheme. It was quite heavy, so I assume it was made of a decent quality metal.
The real work began. I took the watch apart, piece by piece, and started to see how I could modify it to look more like the 5711. This is where my tools come in. I grabbed my screwdriver and started to make the changes. I won’t bore you with the super technical details, but let’s just say there was a lot of filing, polishing, and even some painting involved. I also had to get creative with some of the smaller parts, like the hands and the markers on the dial. It was a lot of trial and error, let me tell you.
But finally, after weeks of work, I think I’ve got something that I’m pretty happy with. It’s definitely not a 1:1 replica. It looks pretty good, though, if I do say so myself. I even added a little personal touch by swapping out the original strap for a custom leather one. It gives it a bit more of a unique look, you know?
This whole project has been a real learning experience. It’s shown me that with a bit of patience and creativity, you can really transform something ordinary into something special. And hey, even if it’s not a perfect replica, I still have a pretty cool-looking watch that I made myself. That’s what counts, right?
Anyway, that’s it for this project. I hope you enjoyed following along with my journey. Let me know in the comments what you think of the final result, and if you have any other project ideas, I’m all ears. Until next time, stay creative!
- Starting Point: Found a decent base remake after a lot of searching.
- Modification: Took the watch apart and modified it to look more like the 5711.
- Tools: Used various tools like screwdrivers, files, and polishers.
- Personal Touch: Added a custom leather strap.
Final Thoughts
It was a fun, challenging project. Not perfect, but I’m happy with how it turned out. It’s a reminder that you don’t need a ton of money to create something cool and unique.