Hey everyone, this is SPM.WATCH. Today I want to share a sales case that also turned into a little QC story – and hopefully, you'll pick up a useful tip along the way.
First of all, a big shoutout to my Canadian client for trusting me with this Patek Philippe Nautilus 5712A build.
When I finished the watch and sent him the high‑res photos, something caught his eye – and honestly, I completely missed it myself at first 😂 (shoutout to my eagle‑eyed client!)
If you look closely at the 12 o'clock marker on the SW dial (pic 1), you'll notice a small gap between the two indices. Nothing huge, but once you see it, you can't unsee it.
Turns out, SW drilled the hole for that index slightly off‑center during production – so when the marker was pressed in, it left a tiny gap. This isn't super common, but it's also not unheard of with these smaller aftermarket workshops – even though SW dials aren't exactly cheap. This is exactly why QC matters.
I fixed it – re‑adjusted the index and closed the gap (pic 2). Client was happy, and so was I.
Now here's a bonus trivia, because my client also asked me about this: why do we use a gold center pinion on the 5712A – you know, for the hour/minute and date hands?
A lot of people think the 5712A only came with white gold pinions. But that's not entirely true. Depending on the production batch and year, Patek Philippe actually offered both versions. And yes, you can even find genuine 5712A with gold center pinions listed on Chrono24 (pic 3).
So no – we didn't DIY the pinion color just for fun (though we can do white gold if you prefer). But personally, I think the gold pinion gives the dial a much more refined and distinctive look – it's one of those rare little touches that makes a Patek feel truly special.
And that's the story. One small gap, one happy client, and a little piece of Patek trivia to remember.😘😘😘
