Okay, so, a while back, I got this wild idea into my head. I decided to remake a Patek Philippe Gondolo, specifically the 7042/100R-010 model. Yeah, that super fancy one. It’s like a piece of jewelry, seriously. It’s all 18K red gold, with a gold bracelet and everything. And the dial, oh man, it’s covered in diamonds.
First things first, I started gathering all the info I could find on this beauty. Pictures, specs, anything I could get my hands on online about the 7042/100R-010. This watch is a manual winding piece, encased in rose gold, with a matching rose gold bracelet. It’s a real looker.
I spent days, maybe even weeks, just researching. I looked up similar projects, trying to figure out what materials I’d need, what tools, the whole nine yards. It was a lot, I’m not gonna lie. The original is made of 18k rose gold. I start looking for some alternatives. Fortunately, some alloys look and feel pretty similar.
- Sourcing the Materials: This was probably the hardest part. Finding something that looked and felt like rose gold but wasn’t, you know, actual gold, was tough. But I managed to find some pretty convincing alternatives.
- Getting the Right Tools: I had some basic tools already, but I needed to get a few specific ones for this project. Nothing too crazy, but definitely stuff I wouldn’t have needed for my usual projects.
- Designing the Dial: The dial on the original is just stunning. It’s covered in diamonds, and getting that look was a challenge. I used some tiny crystals instead and spent hours, maybe even days, just placing them right. This was probably the most time-consuming part of the whole project. It was so hard to make sure everything was aligned and symmetrical.
Once I had everything I needed, I started working on the case. Shaping it was tricky, but I finally got it right after a few tries. It was all about getting those curves just perfect.
Then came the bracelet. Let me tell you, making a bracelet from scratch is no joke. Each link had to be shaped and polished, and then there was the whole process of putting them together. It took forever, but seeing the finished bracelet was so satisfying.
Next up, the movement. Now, I’m not a watchmaker, so I used a generic quartz movement. I know, I know, it’s not the same as the original, but it does the job. Getting it to fit inside the case was another challenge, but I managed.
Putting it all together
Finally, the moment of truth. Putting everything together. This was the most nerve-wracking part. One wrong move and I could have ruined the whole thing. But slowly and steadily, I assembled the watch. The feeling when I finally saw the finished product was just indescribable. This took me several tries, and each time I learned something new. After a few attempts, I finally put it together. Seeing all the parts come together was amazing.
It’s not perfect, of course. There are flaws, and it’s definitely not a one-to-one replica. But it’s mine, and I made it with my own two hands. And honestly, I’m pretty proud of how it turned out. I’m not going to pretend it’s as good as the real thing, but it’s pretty darn close, at least to me. And that’s all that matters, right?
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