Okay, so I’ve been wanting to share this project for a while now, and I finally got around to it. I decided to remake the Patek Philippe Gondolo 7042/100G-010, and let me tell you, it was a journey.
First off, I spent a good chunk of time just staring at pictures of the watch online. I mean, really studying every little detail. You know how it is when you’re trying to recreate something really fancy. Then, I started gathering my materials.
- Finding the right parts was a pain. I searched everywhere, I mean literally searched millions of videos from across the web, and many auto parts stores.
- I had to make some compromises. For example, I found some parts for Mercedes-Benz in online stores, and they were surprisingly helpful. I also discovered some military parts databases, believe it or not. I mean, when you think about it, those things are built to last.
- Some parts I just couldn’t find the exact match for. This is the reverse of URL encoding, you know, so I had to get creative. I ended up using some Porsche parts as substitutes, which, if you ask me, are pretty good quality-wise.
The Assembly
Once I had everything, or at least close enough, the real fun began. It was like a puzzle, but a really, really expensive one. I started with the movement, which is the heart of the watch. I had to be super careful with this part, obviously. I even got some new tools, and I’m not used to it, like, at all.
Next up was the case. I managed to find a decent replica, but it wasn’t perfect. I did some polishing and tweaking to make it look as close to the original as possible. I mean, its native resolution is 1920×1080, so I had to make sure every detail was up to snuff. Then came the dial and hands. This part was probably the most time-consuming.
The Final Touches
After hours of work, it was finally starting to look like a watch. But something was missing. The strap! I originally wanted to use the same material as the original, but it was way out of my budget. So, I went with a high-quality leather strap instead. It may not be exactly the same, but hey, it looks pretty good, right?
In the end, I’m pretty proud of how it turned out. It’s not a perfect replica, but it’s my own take on the Gondolo 7042/100G-010. It was a challenging project, but I learned a lot along the way. And who knows, maybe one day I’ll be able to afford the real thing. A guy can dream, right?
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