Okay, so, I got this wild idea the other day. I’ve always been into watches, right? And Patek Philippe, well, they’re like the king of watches. But those prices? Forget about it! So I thought, why not try to remake one myself? I picked the Gondolo 7042/100R-010. Sounds fancy, huh? It’s a real beauty, all rose gold and rectangular. A real classic watch, I gonna remake it!
First things first, I started gathering pictures, really get a good look at this thing from every angle. Then I had to figure out the materials. Rose gold was way out of my budget, so I went with a rose gold-plated case instead. Cheaper, but still gives that classy vibe, you know? Finding a rectangular case was a bit of a pain, but I managed to snag one online after a lot of searching. I really don’t want to use any money to do this, but no way, I paid for it.
- Sourcing the case: This was a tough one.
- Finding the right movement: I wanted something reliable but not crazy expensive.
- The dial and hands: Had to look elegant, but also be something I could actually make.
For the movement, I picked a decent automatic one. I’m not a watchmaker, so taking apart a real Patek movement was out of the question. I carefully installed the movement into the case. It was a bit fiddly, but I got it in there. I almost broke it, It almost made me give up, but I didn’t. It was exciting when I finished it.
Next up, the dial. This was where I could really get creative. I designed a simple, elegant dial on my computer, printed it out on some nice paper, and carefully cut it to size. It was harder than it sounds, trust me. The hands were another challenge. I ended up buying a cheap set of watch hands online and modifying them to fit the style I was going for. I think it looks similar.
The Assembly
Putting it all together was nerve-wracking. One slip and I could ruin the whole thing. Slowly but surely, I assembled the watch. Dial, hands, movement, case – it all came together. Seeing the first prototype was a great moment! I did it!
The final step was the strap. I found a nice leather strap that matched the rose gold color pretty well. And there it was, my very own “Patek Philippe Gondolo”. It wasn’t perfect, a few rough edges here and there, but it was mine. It looked pretty good, I think, and it kept time, which is the main thing, right? At least, I thought I did a great job.
It was a fun project, and I learned a lot. Would I do it again? Maybe. It’s definitely cheaper than buying a real Patek, that’s for sure! But it needs a lot of time to do it. And I realized that I could buy a watch not so expensive but good-looking. However, I still finished it.
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