Okay, so today I’m gonna do something kinda nuts – I’m gonna try to remake a Patek Philippe Nautilus 5722. I saw somewhere online that there are, like, 246 different models of these things. Crazy, right? Anyway, I’m not a watchmaker or anything, just a guy who likes to tinker.
First off, I gotta say, finding parts for this thing was a pain. I spent hours searching online, going through forums, and let me tell you, there’s a whole community out there dedicated to replica watches – RepTime, they call it. 352K subscribers, can you believe it? No selling or trading though, just a bunch of folks talking about their projects.
So, I started by gathering all the tools I thought I’d need. Screwdrivers, tweezers, you name it. I even got one of those magnifying glasses that watchmakers use. Felt pretty legit, not gonna lie.
Then came the actual parts. I managed to find some decent-looking hands and a dial that was kinda close to the real deal. The case was a whole other story. I ended up getting one that was supposed to be for a 5711, which is a similar model, but not the same. Whatever, I figured I could make it work.
- Step 1: Take apart the donor watch. This was scary, I’m not gonna lie. I was so afraid of breaking something.
- Step 2: Try to fit the new dial and hands onto the movement. This was a huge pain, and I had to do it like 100 times.
- Step 3: Put the whole thing back together. Sounds simple, but trust me, it wasn’t.
After a lot of trial and error, and a few choice words, I finally got the thing assembled. It wasn’t perfect, not by a long shot. The case was a bit too thick, and some of the details were off, but you know what? It kinda looked like a Nautilus. And it actually worked! I was pretty stoked.
The Result
I learned a ton from this little project. It’s way harder than it looks to put together a watch, even a fake one. But it was also super rewarding. And hey, now I have a unique watch that I kinda made myself. Some rich folks are into this kind of stuff. They love the idea of a remake, like a new version of an old classic. I heard this watch, it’s made of gold, 18K yellow gold.
Would I do it again? Probably not. But it was definitely an experience. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’m gonna go show off my “Nautilus” to my friends. They won’t know the difference, right? Right?
Click to consult