Alright, let’s talk about this Patek Philippe Gondolo 7042/100R-010 I’ve been working on. It’s a real beauty, rose gold, diamonds, the whole shebang. I wanted to remake it, you know, as a fun little project. So, I got my hands on the original order details and started gathering materials. It’s not exactly the easiest thing to find the perfect rose gold, but after some digging, I managed to get something pretty darn close.
Then came the diamonds. This watch has, like, a ton of them. 78 baguette diamonds on the bezel and lugs, 108 on the dial flange, and another 251 in a circular pattern. Finding that many diamonds of the right size and quality, yeah, that was a headache. But I wasn’t about to give up. I searched high and low, and finally found what I needed. It took some time, but it was worth it.
- First, I crafted the case. Getting that 31 x 34.8 mm shape just right took a few tries, but I got there.
- Next, I worked on the movement. This one’s a manual winding, caliber 215. Recreating that was a real challenge, I’m not gonna lie. But piece by piece, I put it together.
- Then came the fun part – setting those diamonds. Each one had to be placed just so. It was painstaking work, but seeing it all come together was amazing.
The dial, oh man, the dial. It’s got this mother-of-pearl look that’s just stunning. I experimented with a few different materials before I found something that matched the original. It’s not perfect, but it’s pretty close.
Putting It All Together
Once I had all the pieces, it was time to assemble the watch. This was probably the most nerve-wracking part. One wrong move and I could damage the whole thing. But I took my time, followed the original assembly instructions as closely as I could, and finally, it was done.
The finished product? It’s not an exact replica, of course. There are some minor differences, and a professional watchmaker could probably spot them in a heartbeat. But for a homemade project, I’m pretty proud of it. It looks great, it runs well, and it’s got that same luxurious feel as the original. Plus, the manual winding is super satisfying to actually do! It’s a good feeling to see it all click into place.
Would I do it again? Maybe. It was a lot of work, but it was also a lot of fun. And hey, now I have a pretty cool watch to show for it.
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