Alright, so, I’ve been wanting a Patek Philippe Gondolo 7042/100G-010 for a while now. It’s just so pretty, with all the diamonds and stuff. But, man, that price tag! Over 200 grand? No way I could swing that. So, I finally decided, you know what? I’m gonna try to remake one myself. Yeah, it sounds crazy, but I figured, why not give it a shot?
First off, I started looking everywhere for info. I needed to figure out exactly what materials I needed and how this watch was even put together. I looked all over, checked out what people were saying, I looked up so many pictures and information. I even looked for videos that could give me the detailed information I needed. That’s what I did.
Next, I got to hunting down the parts. Let me tell you, finding the right kind of white gold and all those tiny diamonds was a real pain. I hit up all sorts of suppliers, scoured online marketplaces. I had to be careful to get materials that looked right but didn’t cost a fortune.
Once I had all my materials lined up, it was time to start building. I started with the case, carefully shaping the white gold to match the Gondolo’s design. It was slow going, and I messed up a few times, but eventually, I got it looking pretty good, I think. Then came the dial. Oh boy, setting all those tiny diamonds was a nightmare. It took forever, and my eyes were definitely hurting afterward, but I managed to get them all in place.
Next up, the movement. This was the trickiest part, to be honest. Replicating such a complex mechanism wasn’t easy. I used a simpler movement as a base and tried to modify it to look as close as possible to the original. It took a lot of trial and error, but I finally got it working, more or less. I spent so many nights checking the details and trying to put it together.
Finally, I assembled all the pieces. Putting the dial, hands, and movement into the case was super satisfying. And there it was, my very own Gondolo 7042/100G-010. Does it look exactly like the real thing? Probably not. But it’s pretty darn close, and I made it myself. Plus, I saved a ton of money! I’m pretty proud of it. I’m going to wear it all the time.
So, that’s the story of how I remade a Patek Philippe. It was a wild ride, but totally worth it. It just felt so good to hold the watch in my hand at the end. If you’re thinking about doing something similar, just be prepared for a lot of work and some frustration along the way. But hey, if I can do it, anyone can!
- Started with: Wanting a super expensive watch.
- Did a lot of: Searching for info and parts.
- Built it: Piece by piece, with some mess-ups.
- Ended up with: My own version of the watch!
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