Okay, so, today I wanted to try something a bit fancy. I got it into my head to remake a Patek Philippe Gondolo 7042/100G-010. Yeah, I know, it’s a mouthful, and it’s way out there in terms of fancy watches. But hey, a guy can dream, right?
First off, I spent a good chunk of time just staring at pictures of this watch online. It’s a real beauty – white gold, rectangular case, and diamonds everywhere. I mean, this thing screams luxury. It’s got this mechanical, manually wound movement, which is pretty cool.
So, I started with the case. Obviously, I’m not using real white gold here. I found some metal that looked the part and got to work shaping it. It was tough, trying to get that rectangular shape just right. A lot of filing, a lot of measuring, and a lot of cursing under my breath, if I’m honest.
Finding the Right Components
- Case material: Found a decent substitute metal for the white gold.
- Shape: Spent hours getting the rectangular shape as close as possible.
- Movement: This was tricky. I opted for a simple, manually wound movement I had lying around.
Next up was the movement. Now, I’m no watchmaker, but I have a few spare movements lying around. I picked one that was at least manually wound, like the real deal. Getting it to fit inside my makeshift case was another story. Lots of adjustments and a few close calls, but I managed to squeeze it in there.
Now, the diamonds. Let’s be real, I wasn’t about to use real diamonds. I found some shiny stones that looked pretty enough and started gluing them on. The bezel, the lugs, even the dial – I tried to follow the pattern of the original as best as I could. It was painstaking work, let me tell you.
Adding the Bling
- Diamonds: Used some affordable, shiny stones to mimic the diamond setting.
- Placement: Carefully glued them onto the bezel, lugs, and dial.
- Patience: Needed loads of it for this step.
After a lot of fiddling and a few more choice words, I finally had something that resembled the Patek Philippe Gondolo. It wasn’t perfect, not by a long shot. But it was my own little creation, and I was pretty proud of it.
Wearing it around, I felt a bit silly, but also kinda cool. It’s not every day you get to wear something that looks like it cost a small fortune, even if it’s just a homemade replica. I don’t think I fooled anyone into thinking it was a real Patek Philippe, but it was a fun project, and I learned a lot along the way.
The Final Look
- Result: A decent-looking replica, considering it was handmade.
- Feeling: Proud of the effort and the learning experience.
- Wearability: Surprisingly wearable, even if a bit flashy.
So, that’s my adventure in trying to remake a super fancy watch. Would I do it again? Maybe. It was a lot of work, but it was also pretty rewarding. Maybe next time I’ll try something a bit less… diamond-encrusted.
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