Okay, so, I’ve been wanting to get my hands dirty with a really cool project, and what’s cooler than remaking a Patek Philippe watch? I’m talking about the Gondolo 7042/100R-010, a real beauty. This whole thing started when I was browsing some watch forums and saw this stunning piece. I thought, “Why not try to recreate this?”
First things first, I needed to gather some intel. I spent hours on the internet, digging through websites and forums, just soaking up all the info I could find about the 7042/100R-010. I found out it’s a manual winding watch, made of rose gold, and those diamonds! The bezel and lugs are set with 78 baguette diamonds, and the dial flange has another 108. It’s like a piece of art.
After getting a good grasp of what the watch is all about, I started sketching. I’m no artist, but I tried my best to draw out the watch from different angles, paying close attention to the shape of the case – it’s rectangular, a bit of a throwback to the art deco style. I made notes about the materials, the rose gold, the diamonds, everything.
Next up was figuring out how to actually make this thing. I knew I couldn’t just go out and buy these parts, so I had to get creative. I started looking for similar materials. For the case, I found some rose gold-colored metal that looked pretty close to the real deal. The diamonds were a bit trickier, but I managed to find some really good-looking imitation stones that would do the job.
The real challenge was putting it all together. I started with the case, shaping the metal to match the drawings I had made. It wasn’t easy, and I messed up a few times, but I kept at it. Once I had the case shaped, I started working on the dial. I used a thin piece of metal and painted it to look like the original. Then came the really hard part – setting the imitation diamonds. It was tedious work, placing each stone carefully, but seeing it come together was so satisfying.
- Sourcing Materials:
- Found rose gold-colored metal for the case.
- Sourced imitation diamonds for the bezel, lugs, and dial flange.
- Crafting the Case:
- Shaped the metal based on sketches and references.
- Took multiple attempts to get the rectangular shape right.
- Creating the Dial:
- Used a thin piece of metal for the dial.
- Painted it to mimic the original Gondolo 7042/100R-010 dial.
- Setting the Stones:
- Carefully placed each imitation diamond.
- Ensured they were securely set to resemble the original design.
The movement was a whole other beast. I’m not a watchmaker, so I couldn’t make a working movement from scratch. Instead, I found a simple, small manual winding movement online that would fit inside the case. It’s not a Patek Philippe movement, but hey, it tells the time.
After weeks of work, I finally had something that looked like the Gondolo 7042/100R-010. It wasn’t perfect, of course. The materials weren’t exactly the same, and the movement was a stand-in. But, it was my own creation, and I was pretty proud of it. Holding it in my hands, it felt like I had accomplished something really special.
This project taught me a lot about watches, about craftsmanship, and about patience. It was a real challenge, but it was also a lot of fun. I wouldn’t say it’s as good as the real Patek Philippe, but it’s my own version of it, and that’s good enough for me. Now, I have a unique watch that I made myself, and that’s a pretty cool feeling.
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