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Franken Patek 5712 Project

m1994

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The 5712 is .2mm thicker than the 5711, but I'm not sure where that extra thickness shows up. My plan is to get a 5711 case and then compare the crown against a profile shot online to create a scale I can use to measure the thickness of the bezel and caseback. Making the crystal hole on the caseback larger will be easy, but I need to find a way to get rid of the divets from the caseback opener.

Sounds like an incredible project mate, really excited to see the results.
 
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majwilliams0308

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(1) the new dial looks amazing
(2) the updates are great. Good news that it's working now!
(3) is the moonphase disc tarnished?
 
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jptrosch

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(1) the new dial looks amazing
(2) the updates are great. Good news that it's working now!
(3) is the moonphase disc tarnished?


Thanks for pointing that out. I'm not sure what's going on there. The lighting on the photos makes everything look washed out, so it could just be that. I don't remember the disc being tarnished when I sent it in.
 

jptrosch

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(1) the new dial looks amazing
(2) the updates are great. Good news that it's working now!
(3) is the moonphase disc tarnished?

Good eyes - it turns out the moonphase disc is tarnished. It looks like the enamel was cracked when the movement was damaged and its basically coming apart.

Some more photos my watchmaker sent me yesterday and a screenshot of a video of it running:
 

ksbreitling

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Wow! This is insane, great work!

I wore a friend's 5712 before he flipped it and made a huge chunk of cash. It's a breathtaking piece that I would love to own one day, not that you ever own a Patek of course lol.

Good luck with the build, looking forward to seeing your progress.
 

jptrosch

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Update: I spoke with the watchmaker yesterday and the movement is keeping time within 1 second per day, which was a pleasant surprise for both of us given the shape it arrived in. I also managed to get my hands on a 22k gold rotor for the caliber 240. It's from an older model, so it doesn't have the right engraving, but beggars can't be choosers. I should have the base case within the week - looks like the end is in sight.
 
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Procurator

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Just found this.
Amazing thing you are doing jptrosch - wish you the very best of luck. Noble intent.

Im pondering the same project for some time now, except I didnt think of getting a damaged movement - will look into that. I would be very much interested and grateful for any and all details of “manufacturing” this piece, to make my life a little bit easier down the road.

Holding my thumbs for this.
 

jptrosch

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Just found this.
Amazing thing you are doing jptrosch - wish you the very best of luck. Noble intent.

Im pondering the same project for some time now, except I didnt think of getting a damaged movement - will look into that. I would be very much interested and grateful for any and all details of “manufacturing” this piece, to make my life a little bit easier down the road.

Holding my thumbs for this.

I’m not sure I understand what you’re asking, but the best bet for anyone looking to build a 5712 short of finding the movement would be to buy a Patek Neptune, sell off everything but the movement, and use that as the base. It would still be extremely expensive at around half the cost of the gen (non-retail).
 

W47chl0v3r

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The price you are paying your watchmaker is probably more than all my reps combined. Good luck sir!
 

jptrosch

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jptrosch how is the project coming along?

At the moment the project is on pause because my watchmaker recently broke his hand. It could be a few months before he's back at the bench. The movement itself is done - all the parts are there and it's keeping time.

Stage 2 will be modifying a pf case to fit the movement. This means thinning it to between 8.5 and 8.7mm, reshaping the caseback, adding recessed pushers, and modifying the insides to accept the cal. 240 movement.
 
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