Alright, so I got this idea to try and remake a Patek Philippe Nautilus 5713/1. You know, the fancy watch with all the diamonds? Yeah, that one. I’ve always been into watches, and I thought, “Why not give it a shot?” So, I started this little project, not really knowing what I was getting myself into.
Getting Started
First thing I did was look up a bunch of pictures of the watch online. I mean, a lot. I wanted to get every detail right. Then, I started sketching out the design, trying to figure out how to make all the parts. I’m not gonna lie, it was pretty overwhelming at first. I also looked up how to create an account on some luxury watch forum, but ended up not doing that. It was too much hassle just to ask a simple question.
Finding the Materials
Next, I needed to find the materials. This was a whole adventure on its own. I went to a bunch of stores, looking for the right kind of metal and, of course, the diamonds. Let me tell you, finding affordable diamonds that still look good is no easy task. I found a small shop online, offering a bunch of filters like release dates, and cast lists of who wore what. But, it had nothing to do with what I needed.
The Build
- Cutting the Metal: I got some basic tools and started cutting the metal for the watch case. It was way harder than it looked. I messed up a few times, but hey, that’s part of learning, right?
- Setting the Diamonds: This was the trickiest part. I had to figure out how to set the diamonds into the bezel and the dial. It took a lot of patience and a few failed attempts. I watched some videos on how to do it, and it helped, but it was still tough.
- Assembling the Movement: I got a simple watch movement online. I didn’t even try to make my own, that would be insane. Putting it together was like doing a really complicated puzzle. At one point, I thought I broke the thing and had to try enabling a two-factor authentication to download the instructions again. It was a mess.
The Final Touches
After a lot of trial and error, I finally had something that looked like a watch. I added a strap and polished the whole thing up. It wasn’t perfect, but it was mine. I even tried a beta version of this new developer tool for deep linking on the forums, but it didn’t help me much. I also found this random tool online that was supposed to decode links without clicking on them. I thought it might be useful, but it wasn’t. And some other tool was claiming to make you better at Rocket League. I mean, what does that have to do with making watches?
The Result
In the end, I had a watch that sort of resembled a Patek Philippe Nautilus 5713/1. It wasn’t an exact replica, but it was close enough for me. I learned a ton during this project, and it was a lot of fun, even with all the frustrations. I had to figure things out as I went, like when I got an error message trying to create a communication project with some PLC thing. Total gibberish to me, but I managed to get through it.
Would I do it again? Maybe. It was a cool experience, and I’m proud of what I made. Plus, now I have a unique watch that nobody else has. It’s not a real Patek Philippe, but it’s got its own story, and that’s pretty cool, too.