So, I’ve been obsessed with watches lately, and the Patek Philippe Nautilus 5712, man, that’s a dream watch. But let’s be real, getting one from the official store? It’s nearly impossible. They say the waitlist is like 5 to 8 years, sometimes even 10! Plus, I heard from someone that you’ve got like a 1% chance of getting one without already being a big spender at a Patek dealer.
I did some digging, and apparently, Patek doesn’t even make that many watches. Only around 50,000 a year across all their models. And get this, even their simplest watches take about nine months to make, and the complicated ones can take almost two years. They really take their time with these things, which I guess is why they’re so special.
And then, to make things even crazier, Patek just stopped making some versions of the 5712, like the ones with the leather strap. Now they only make the one with the bracelet. It’s like they’re trying to make it even harder to get my hands on one.
So, what did I do? I decided to try and remake it myself. Sounds crazy, right? But I was determined. I started by gathering as many pictures and videos of the 5712 as I could find. I studied every detail, the shape of the case, the texture of the dial, the way the hands move. It was intense.
Then came the hard part, finding parts that could work. I spent weeks searching online, looking at different movements, cases, dials, hands. I ordered a bunch of stuff, hoping that I could piece something together. It was a lot of trial and error, let me tell you. Some parts just didn’t fit right, or the quality wasn’t good enough. I probably wasted a good chunk of money on parts I couldn’t even use.
But I kept at it. I learned how to use some basic watchmaking tools, which was a whole other adventure. I watched countless videos, read articles, trying to figure out how to put this thing together. My hands were sore, my eyes were strained, but I was making progress.
After months of work, I finally had something that resembled a Patek Philippe Nautilus 5712. It wasn’t perfect, of course. There were some imperfections here and there, but I was proud of it. I had basically built my own version of my dream watch. And you know what? Wearing it, even though it’s not the real deal, felt amazing. It was a reminder that sometimes, if you want something bad enough, you can find a way to make it happen, even if it’s not in the way you originally planned.
- Spent countless hours researching the Patek Philippe Nautilus 5712.
- Scoured the internet for parts that could be used in the remake.
- Ordered numerous parts, many of which didn’t work out.
- Learned basic watchmaking skills through online resources.
- Assembled the watch piece by piece over several months.
- Finally completed a watch that resembled the 5712, albeit with some imperfections.
It’s not about having the most expensive watch, it’s about the journey and the satisfaction of creating something yourself. At least, that’s what I tell myself when I look at my homemade 5712.
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