Okay, so I’ve been wanting to remake a Patek Philippe Nautilus 5980 for a while now, and I finally did it! I gotta say, it was a pretty fun project, though it definitely took some time and patience.
First, I looked up a bunch of pictures and info about the 5980 online. I mean, I wanted to get this thing as close to the real deal as possible, right? Found some nice close-ups and figured out the dimensions, which is, like, 40.5mm for the case. I decided to go with the rose gold version, because, why not? It looks amazing with the brown dial.
Next, I grabbed my tools and materials. It’s a remake, so obviously I am not going to use real rose gold. I used some cheaper metals that looked similar enough for the case and bezel. I shaped the case, made it all smooth, and made sure to use the same shape as the original 5980. This part took a while because I’m not a professional watchmaker or anything, but I think it turned out pretty good.
Then, the dial. Oh man, the dial. I spent a lot of time trying to recreate that textured look of the original. I ended up using some basic materials. I also got some gold-colored hands and hour markers to stick on there. Getting them in the right places was kind of tricky, gotta be super careful with that kind of stuff. This part, for me, was a really hands-on part of the whole thing.
- Shaping the Case: I spent a lot of time getting the shape just right.
- Making the Dial: This was probably the hardest part, trying to match that textured look.
- Adding the Hands and Markers: Super fiddly work, but essential for getting the look right.
After that, I put it all together. I connected the dial to the case, and then I got the hands to move. I wanted it to at least tell the time, even though it’s just a replica, you know? This was definitely the most satisfying part, seeing it all come together after all that work.
Final Touches
Last thing, I made a strap for it. I didn’t want to buy a super expensive one, so I made it myself. That way, it is more like my own, unique watch.
And that’s it! It’s not perfect, of course, but I’m pretty happy with how it turned out. It’s a nice little project, and now I have a cool-looking watch to wear. It actually looks pretty good on my wrist, not gonna lie! It’s not the real thing, but it’s definitely a good conversation starter.
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