Okay, so, I’ve been messing around with watches for a while now, and I’ve always wanted to try my hand at making something really fancy. So I thought, why not try to remake the Patek Philippe Gondolo 7042/100G-010? Yeah, that super classy one. I mean, those things are crazy expensive, like $26,000 or even $37,000, way out of my league. But I figured, how hard could it be to make something that looks kind of like it?
First off, I did a bunch of searching online, looking at pictures of the real Gondolo 7042/100G-010. Got to get a good idea of what I’m aiming for, right? I spent hours just staring at the details, the shape, the way the diamonds are set, all that stuff. I found that the original watch has a manual winding movement, which is pretty cool, but I opted for a simpler, more common movement for my version. I mean, I’m not a watchmaker, just a guy who likes to tinker.
Next, I started gathering materials. I hit up some online stores, found a cheap watch case that had a similar vibe to the Gondolo. It wasn’t exact, but it was close enough for this little project. I also got some fake diamonds, because, well, real ones are not in the budget! I found some hands that looked like the ones on the real watch and a strap that seemed to match the style.
Start to Assemble!
Then came the fun part – putting it all together. I carefully took apart the cheap watch case and started fitting in the new movement. It was a bit tricky, had to file down some parts and make some adjustments, but I got it in there. Then, I started placing those fake diamonds around the case. I used some strong glue and a pair of tweezers, trying to make it look as neat as possible. It wasn’t perfect, but hey, I was learning.
- Fixing the watch hands
- Putting on the strap
Putting on the watch hands was another challenge. They were so tiny, and I had to make sure they were aligned just right. Dropped them a few times, got frustrated, but finally got them on.
Adding the strap was the easiest part. Just clicked it into place, and it was starting to look like a real watch!
My Result
After a few evenings of work, I finally finished it. I stepped back, looked at my remake, and thought, “Not bad, not bad at all.” It’s not perfect, and it’s definitely not a real Patek Philippe. But it looked pretty good, kept time okay, and it was something I made with my own hands.
In the end, my remake of the Patek Philippe Gondolo 7042/100G-010 wasn’t perfect, but it was mine. I learned a lot from this project, and it was a fun way to spend some time. I’m already thinking about what watch I should try to remake next. Maybe a Rolex? Who knows! It’s all about having fun and challenging myself, right?
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