Okay, so, I’ve been wanting to remake a Patek Philippe Gondolo 7042/100R-010 for a while now. It’s a pretty fancy watch, you know, with all those diamonds and the rose gold. I finally decided to just go for it. Let me tell you, it was a journey!
First things first, I needed to get the materials. I went with 316L stainless steel for the case ’cause it’s tough and looks good. I wanted to make sure the bezel was just like the original, so I started to work on that fluted, bidirectional rotatable ring. That took some time to get right, but I think I nailed it.
Then came the dial. This was a real challenge. I needed to use a white dial and give it a good diamond pave look. This part was definitely the trickiest, getting those tiny pieces to sit just right and give off that amazing sparkle took forever. Seriously, I spent days on this part alone, I tried so many ways, but I think at last it was just like the original!
- Started with gathering the materials: 316L stainless steel for the case.
- Worked on the bezel: made it fluted and bidirectional rotatable.
- Tackled the dial: a bright black background with intense diamonds.
The original watch has this 31mm by 34.8mm 18k rose gold case with baguette diamonds along the bezel and lugs. I tried my best to copy that with my stainless steel, and while it’s not real gold, I think it looks pretty darn close. I made sure to add those baguette-shaped diamonds along the bezel and where the strap connects to the case. It added a real touch of class, even if I say so myself.
I found out that these original watches can cost like, $274,645 or around $254,826, which is way out of my budget! But I was determined to have something similar without, you know, having to sell my house.
- Replicated the case: 31mm by 34.8mm, added baguette diamonds to the bezel and lugs.
- Checked out the price of the original: whoa, expensive!
- Kept going with my project: determined to make a great-looking remake.
The Final Touches
Putting it all together was like solving a really complicated puzzle. I carefully assembled everything, making sure each part fit perfectly. I have to say, when I finally finished, I was pretty proud of myself. It wasn’t easy, but I made a watch that looks a lot like the Patek Philippe Gondolo 7042/100R-010, and I did it all by myself and I saved myself a ton of money!
So, yeah, that’s my story of how I made the Patek Philippe Gondolo. It was a lot of work, but totally worth it. I learned a lot, and now I have a really nice watch that didn’t cost me a fortune. If you’re thinking of doing something like this, I say go for it! Just be prepared to put in some serious time and effort, and don’t be afraid to make mistakes along the way. That’s how you learn, right?
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