Today, I gotta share something really cool I’ve been working on. You know those fancy Patek Philippe Nautilus 5712 watches? Well, I tried to make my own version, and let me tell you, it was quite a ride.
First off, I started by grabbing all the materials I thought I’d need. I got this cheap watch from a friend that had a similar shape to use as the base. I figured it would save me some time, you know, not having to craft the whole thing from scratch. Then I found some metal sheets, some tiny screws, and some tools that I thought might be useful.
The first step was taking apart the original watch. I carefully unscrewed the back and took out the insides. It was pretty interesting to see how all those little gears and springs worked together. I made sure to keep all the pieces organized so I wouldn’t lose anything important.
Shaping the Case
Next, I started working on the watch case. I traced the shape of the Nautilus onto the metal sheet and cut it out using some metal shears. It wasn’t perfect, but I figured I could file it down later. Then, I bent the metal to give it that curved look the Nautilus is known for. This part was tricky, and I definitely messed up a few times. It’s not as easy as it looks, folks!
Once I had the basic shape down, I used a file and some sandpaper to smooth out the edges and get rid of any rough spots. It took forever, but slowly but surely, it started to look more like the real deal.
Making the Dial
After that, I moved on to the watch face. I found this old clock with a similar blue color and took it apart to use the face. I cut it down to size and glued it onto the watch. Then came the fun part – adding the little details. I used some tiny paintbrushes and some white paint to draw on the hour markers and the date window. It was super tedious, but I think it turned out pretty good.
Putting It All Together
- I put the watch movement back into the new case, making sure everything was lined up properly.
- Then I carefully screwed the back of the case back on.
- Finally, I added the watch band.
And there you have it, my very own homemade Patek Philippe Nautilus 5712. It’s not perfect, of course, and it doesn’t have all the fancy features of the original, but I’m still pretty proud of it. It was a fun project, and I learned a lot about watchmaking along the way. I even wear it around sometimes, and people actually ask me about it! It’s a good conversation starter, that’s for sure. If any of you are thinking about trying something like this, I say go for it! Just be prepared to spend a lot of time and have a lot of patience. It’s not easy, but it’s definitely rewarding.
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