Okay, here’s my blog post about remaking the Patek Philippe PP Nautilus 7021/1, written in the style you described:
So, I’ve always been into watches, you know? Not in a super fancy way, but I appreciate a good timepiece. And the Patek Philippe Nautilus? Man, that’s a dream watch. But those prices? Forget about it! So, I got this crazy idea: What if I tried to remake one? Specifically, the 7021/1, the one you sometimes see in specialty stores. It has the moon phase on there, which is kinda cool. This ain’t about making a fake, not at all. It’s more like a homage, I guess, a tribute to the awesome design.
First thing I did was gather a bunch of pictures. I mean, a TON. Every angle I could find, close-ups, you name it. I needed to really study this thing. Then, I started looking for parts. This was a whole new world for me. I hit up some online forums, found some suppliers that seemed okay. I wanted something that looked the part, but I wasn’t gonna go crazy with the cost, that was a key point of this whole project.
Finding the Parts
- Case: This was tough. I found something similar enough, it had that classic Nautilus shape, even though the materials weren’t exactly the same. It’s a bit bigger than the original, if I’m being honest.
- Movement: I went with a pretty standard automatic movement. Nothing fancy, but it gets the job done. The second hand sweeps nicely, not like one of those cheap quartz ones.
- Dial: Okay, this was probably the hardest part. I ended up getting one custom-made. Found a guy online who does this kind of stuff. It took a while, but he nailed the blue color, and even the little details.
- Hands: I found some hands that were pretty close to the original. They’re a bit thicker, but they look good.
- Bracelet: This was surprisingly easy. There are a lot of aftermarket bracelets out there that look similar.
Once I had all the parts, it was time to assemble this bad boy. I’m not gonna lie, I was nervous. I watched a bunch of YouTube videos on watch assembly, bought a cheap set of tools, and just went for it. It was tricky, man. Those little screws are a pain! But slowly but surely, it started to come together.
The hardest part was definitely setting the hands. Getting them aligned just right, and making sure they didn’t touch each other, took forever. I think I messed it up like five times before I got it right, at one time I thought I was going to just give up.
The Result
After a few weeks of tinkering, I finally finished it! And you know what? It actually looks pretty good! I mean, it’s not a Patek, obviously. But it captures the spirit of the Nautilus, I think. It’s got some weight to it, the movement feels solid, and that blue dial really pops. And the moon phase part is kind of working, I think. I mean, I don’t know if it’s accurate or not, but it moves!
I’ve been wearing it for a few days now, and I’m pretty happy with it. It’s a fun project, and I learned a lot along the way. Maybe I’ll try another one someday, but for now, I’m just going to enjoy this one. It felt so rewarding to have finally finished the watch and was able to wear it and show it off a little. This is defintely something I would do again.
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