Okay, so, I’ve been wanting to get my hands on a Patek Philippe Nautilus 5711 for a while now. You know, the blue dial one, steel, the most wanted model. Super hard to get, almost impossible, they say. And it’s pricey, man. I saw that in 2022 it reached over $130,000! Now it’s a bit lower, but still, it is way out of my budget. So, I thought, why not try to remake one? Yeah, I know it sounds crazy, but I was like, let’s do it.
I started digging around, reading stuff online, trying to learn as much as I could. I found some folks talking about Bamford remakes of the 5711. There was also a blacked-out version, pretty cool, but not what I was going for. I wanted that classic look.
I stumbled upon some posts about this “superclone,” the VSV NAUTILUS 5711/1A. Some guy named @psychospike was raving about it, saying it’s possibly the best Patek rep ever. That got me thinking, maybe there’s a way to get this done without spending a fortune.
I also did a lot of research about how to spot a real Patek from a fake one. I mean, if I was going to do this, I wanted it to look as legit as possible. I learned that the real ones have this super crisp and evenly spaced printing on the dial, no spelling mistakes, obviously. And they don’t have a visible tourbillon or balance wheels on the dial, except for the skeletonized models. And, of course, they use sapphire crystals. Armed with this knowledge, I felt a bit more confident.
The Hunt Begins
First, I started looking for parts. I needed a good base watch, something that had a similar shape and size to the 5711. I found a few options online, but nothing that really screamed “Nautilus” to me. I kept searching.
Dial Dilemma
Then there was the dial. Oh boy, the dial. Finding a blue dial with that distinctive horizontal embossed pattern was a nightmare. I spent hours, days even, scouring the internet. Finally, I found a guy who was making custom dials. It wasn’t cheap, but it was the closest I could get to the real thing.
Assembling the Beast
After getting all the parts it’s time to assemble them together, I carefully put everything together. I used some special tools that I have for this specific occasion, following some instructions I found online. It was nerve-wracking, to be honest. One wrong move and I could mess up the whole thing. But I took my time, and slowly but surely, the watch started to take shape.
The Final Touches
Once the watch was assembled, I added the finishing touches. I polished the case, made sure the bracelet was fitted just right, and gave the whole thing a good once-over. It wasn’t perfect, but man, it looked good. It felt good on my wrist, too.
It has a nice weight to it, and the blue dial, while not exactly like the original, was still pretty darn impressive. I mean, I’m no expert, but I think I did a pretty decent job. It’s not a real Patek, of course, but it’s my own little version of the 5711, and I’m proud of it. Also, I was satisfied with the final result, I mean, I just did it for the experience after all.
This whole project taught me a lot. It was a fun challenge, and I got to learn a bunch about watches, especially about the Nautilus 5711. Would I do it again? Maybe. It was a lot of work, but seeing the finished product made it all worth it. It’s a reminder that sometimes, you just gotta get your hands dirty and make things happen, even if it’s just a remake of a fancy watch.
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