Alright, so, I’ve been wanting to get my hands on a Patek Philippe Gondolo 7042/100G-010, the one with all those diamonds. It’s a real beauty, but, man, it’s expensive. So, I thought, why not try to remake it myself? I mean, how hard could it be, right? Turns out, pretty darn hard.
First things first, I needed to figure out what makes this watch tick. I spent hours online, just scrolling through pictures, you know. It’s a self-winding one with a date display, using some movement made by JLC, the 920 ebauche, or as Patek Philippe calls it, the 28-255C caliber. I tried to find some detailed images of it, but it was tough. Anyway, the Gondolo is known for its classic, rectangular shape. So I started sketching, trying to get the proportions right.
Then came the materials. Now, I’m not a millionaire, so getting a solid gold case was out of the question. I found a good quality stainless steel case online that was a similar shape. The dial was tricky. I wanted that textured look, so I got a plain metal dial and practiced with different engraving tools. Took me a while, but I finally got something that looked decent. I learned that Patek Philippe is big on these things called “serial numbers” from my search, and they’re important, so I decided to engrave a made-up one on my case.
The movement, oh boy, that was a whole other story. I knew I couldn’t make one from scratch, not with my skills. But, I managed to find a used movement from another watch that had a date function. It wasn’t the exact same, but it was close enough. Getting it to fit inside the case was a challenge, had to file down some parts, make some adjustments. I had to learn a little about these things, like BPP (1BPP, 2BPP, 3BPP, 4BPP, 8BPP), that I saw in some forum.
Next up, the diamonds. Real ones were way out of my budget, so I went with cubic zirconia. I found some online that were the right size and shape. Gluing them onto the bezel was super tedious, had to be really precise. It looked okay, not as sparkly as the real thing, but hey, I was proud of it.
Putting it all together was like assembling a puzzle. The dial, the hands, the movement, the case, the crystal. I even found a nice leather strap online that looked like the original. I was getting all the parts from everywhere, you know, like those replacement parts people sell for these fancy watches.
Finally, after weeks of work, I had my own “Patek Philippe Gondolo.” It wasn’t perfect, far from it. The finishing wasn’t as smooth, the diamonds weren’t as brilliant, and the movement was definitely not a Patek Philippe caliber. But, you know what? It told the time, it had a date, and it looked kind of like the real thing from a distance. I wear it around sometimes, it’s a good conversation starter, you know? I just have to say it is a remake version, you know.
Would I do it again? Probably not. It was a lot of work, and honestly, buying a used one would have been easier and maybe even cheaper. But, I learned a lot about watches, about craftsmanship, and about my own limitations. It was a fun project, even though it drove me crazy at times. I saw all these different Patek Philippe models, like the Nautilus, the Calatrava, and the Aquanaut, which was launched in 1997, while I was digging around, but the Gondolo was always my favorite. This whole thing really made me appreciate the work that goes into these luxury watches, though. They’re not just expensive; they’re tiny works of art.
So yeah, that’s my story of how I tried to remake a Patek Philippe. It was a wild ride, and I’m still not sure it was worth it, but hey, I got a unique watch out of it. And a whole lot of respect for those watchmakers. They’re the real deal.
Click to consult